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CS:GO League of Legends

Origen rebrands as Astralis ahead of 2021

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.

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.

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. 

https://twitter.com/Froskurinn/status/1305791153728520192

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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League of Legends

LEC/LCS Veteran Kold Announces Retirement, departs Origen

It’s always sad when seemingly young pro’s call it quits. However, today’s announcement that Jonas “Kold” Andersen would be retiring takes the cake. Kold announced his retirement today on social media, accompanied by a longer explanation on TwitLonger.

In his post, Kold describes the issues that had plagued him during the 2019 Summer Split – problems which eventually caused him to step down from Origen. The star Danish jungler had been under tremendous amounts of stress which had manifested into physical symptoms. In light of the threat to his health, Kold took a break from the competitive scene.

Now, just over 12 months later, Kold has officially announced his retirement. He’s not completely leaving the scene though. The talented former-player now looks to put his skills to work as a coach in either the LEC or LCS.

Any team that picks up Kold would benefit from his years of competitive experience, dating back to 2013 and the foundation of the modern LoL pro-scene. First rising to prominence on the now defunct Cloud9 Eclipse, a European branch of the NA organisation, Kold’s biggest break would come as part of H2k-Gaming.

Kold would later move regions to NA, playing on Enemy eSports, before returning to Europe. Here he found one of his most successful seasons with Splyce. However, despite their seeming mastery of Macro play, Splyce would find themselves eliminated in the group stage. Following this, Kold played on European teams including Unicorns of Love and finally Origen.

He departs his pro career with a legacy that includes international competition, a Rift Rivals victory, and several LEC runners up prizes.


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