Astralis leaves competitive Rainbow Six Siege

The departure of big organizations from the Rainbow Six Siege competitive scene continues. Many organizations have recently announced that they are withdrawing despite achieving good results.

Now, just days after the end of the Six Invitational 2023, where G2 Esports won the champion’s hammer and took home the $1,000,000 prize, Astralis has announced its departure from the R6 competitive scene.

Astralis exits R6 despite fourth place finish at the Six Invitational 2023

Last Wednesday, February 22, Astralis announced its exit from the Rainbow Six Siege competitive scene. This information has surprised many fans of both the team and the video game, as the organization just finished in fourth place at the Six Invitational 2023 and took home $170,000.

Astralis’ Tweet reads:

“Today is our last day in R6. The decision is made with a heavy heart ’cause what a journey and what great people we have met along the way! Thank you to everybody involved, from staff to players, competitors, and the amazing R6 community.”

On the other hand, the official blog details the reasons why the organization has decided to part ways with the R6 scene details:

“Due to the development of the league agreement, the conditions for operating a healthy team organization in Rainbow 6 have deteriorated significantly. Therefore, it is regrettable that Astralis announces the withdrawal from the Rainbow 6 organization and further participation in the North American League.”

Astralis comes from good results in 2022

The news surprises many because 2022 was an excellent year for the organization in Rainbow Six. Recall that Astralis was a finalist in the Six Charlotte Major and finished fourth in the 2023 Six Invitational. Moreover, Astralis finished on top of the North American League 2022 in phases 1 and 2 last season.

Astralis was not even three years old on the R6 scene, as they decided to create this division in September 2021, when the Danish organization took over the Disrupt Gaming lineup.

Astralis is not the only organization to withdraw from the scene in the past few days

As we mentioned, Astralis joins the exodus of large organizations deciding to exit the Rainbow Six Siege competitive scene in recent weeks. Recall that organizations such as TSM, FURIA Esports, and Luminosity Gaming did so a short time ago.

Anders Hørsholt, CEO of Astralis, said:

“We entered Rainbow 6 and the North American league with high ambitions and the best intentions, and our US organization has done everything humanly possible to fulfill these ambitions. But, unfortunately, despite everyone involved’s dedicated and extremely loyal efforts, the league’s development and lack of prospects make it impossible for us to continue.”

The CEO of Astralis concluded by saying:

“We appreciate all the efforts made, but unfortunately, we did not find a solution where we could continue operations while meeting our obligations and standards regarding working conditions for our staff and players. So today, we end our Rainbow 6 adventure. The performance of our team at the Six Invitational and the love we received from the fans do not make it easier to share this announcement, but on the other hand, what better way to go out than on top of our game.”

Header: Astralis