Storied EU LCS and LEC organisation Origen has revealed a dramatic name change as it rebrands as Astralis. The team, originally founded by legendary mid laner Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez, revealed the rebranding on Twitter on the morning of September 15.
A NEW ERA BEGINS.
— Astralis (@Astralisgg) September 15, 2020
One brand. One Family.#ToTheStars pic.twitter.com/Ts5OWNi6OR
With the change in name, the squad takes on the branding of its sister team within parent company RFRSH Entertainment. In 2019, Origen was acquired by RFRSH to become part of the Astralis Group. Astralis’ most notable contributions to esports have been in the form of its CS:GO roster.
I want to thank the players, the staff, and everyone at Astralis Group.
— Martin Lynge (@Deficiolol) September 15, 2020
Despite the ending, then I have really enjoyed my time here, learned a lot, and met a bunch of good people!
Best of luck to Astralis while I consider my future and my next home.
As part of the announcement, it was also revealed that general manager Martin “Deficio” Lynge and founder xPeke would be stepping away from the organisation. Both veterans of the European League of Legends Scene, Deficio has since seen multiple roles from broadcaster to manager. Meanwhile, xPeke has primarily been known for his ownership of Origen. Both will now move on to new opportunities.
New Name, New Opportunities?
However, the name change isn’t all good. As Origen rebrands as Astralis, the team leaves behind a plethora of hashtags, nicknames, and memes which have energised their player base. But as some are quick to point out, Origen’s brand is one that has drastically fallen in stock during its six years of existence.
To be frank, it's not like changing away from the OG brand loses an active user base. While the social footprint of OG was massive, I doubt it was actually engaged to a meaningful degree. Changing brand is a refresh to fix the dead horse they've been trying to ride to relevance.
— Froskurinn (@Froskurinn) September 15, 2020
Astralis, on the other hand, is one of the biggest names in CS:GO. They’re also a rising star within the esports scene as a whole. Since their rise to prominence, the team has had its fair share of controversies and scandals. But overall remains a strong brand. The revitalised team will enter the next scene with a new identity and perhaps a chance for a fresh start.
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