How much might Astralis pay NiP for dev1ce?

It’s been more than nine months since we’ve seen the Ninjas in Pyjamas star AWPer Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz play an official CS:GO match, with the talks about his potential return never quite simmering down. However, the most recent reports suggest a comeback in an exciting fashion. 

The previous rumors about dev1ce being put on the market are now being followed by a report alleging that the Danish Counter-Strike legend is in talks with his former team Astralis. According to a report by Jaxon.gg, the two organizations have supposedly already agreed to a price for dev1ce’s transfer.

Back-and-forth transfer

If the reports are true, dev1ce could return to Astralis soon, as the organizations allegedly settled on a fee of approximately €600,000. This is about a similar price to what NiP bought dev1ce for in the original transfer from April 2021. While the exact price of that transfer was never confirmed, the financial results for 2021 released by Astralis revealed that the organization made around 4.5 million DKK ($700,000).

However, while Jaxon.gg’s sources say that dev1ce’s biggest wish is to reunite with his former team, neither of the organizations has confirmed the news about the transfer. 

Recovering from burnout

As a part of one of the most notable CS:GO roster moves of the last year, dev1ce signed a three-year contract with the Swedish esports organization NiP in a surprise move first revealed in early 2021. His first official tournament with the new team — Flashpoint 3 — ended with a second-place finish for NiP, bringing a lot of new hope and excitement for Ninjas and their fans. 

However, dev1ce’s time with NiP didn’t last too long, as fatigue and burnout pushed him to temporarily step away from CS:GO action. In December 2021, the Danish marksman decided to take a break from the competitive scene in order to take care of his mental health. The Group Stage of IEM Winter 2021 were his last official matches played under the team’s banner and he’s been on sick leave ever since. 

That said, dev1ce’s FACEIT match history shows that he hasn’t stopped playing CS:GO completely, but rather has been keeping up with the game throughout the whole year. Specifically in September, he played nearly 100 games, so in terms of practice, he should be fairly ready to get back on track. 

Will dev1ce finally return to action? 

Following his departure from Astralis, dev1ce, who was at the time of transfer already living in Stockholm for some time, cited mental health and the fact that he wanted to be able to have his team close to him, as some of the factors in his decision to sign with NiP. 

According to the speculations that circulate among the fans and the CS:GO community, dev1ce was living in Stockholm with his former girlfriend Emilia Hult, who had led him to move countries. However, the couple broke up shortly after dev1ce joined the Swedish org, and given the fact that they were together for several years, it most likely impacted both his performance and mental health.  

All things considered, it really seems that probably the best thing for dev1ce could be returning to Astralis, with whom he reached the peak of his former glory. After all, he’s widely considered one of the best CS:GO players of all time, and if his talent clicks so well with the Danish org, it would be too bad for CS:GO if he didn’t try again. If the transfer comes to fruition, it would be probably the biggest return in CS:GO history, similar to Ronaldo returning to Manchester United in football. 

dev1ce to replace k0nfig? 

Finally, it could also be a good thing for Astralis, who have been struggling to secure notable placements since the beginning of 2021. With that, another question arises: If the dev1ce transfer comes through, who will be replaced in the current Astralis roster? 

Based on another recent report made by Jaxon.gg, the org intends to remove Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke from its active CS:GO lineup as a result of his alleged involvement in a physical fight that supposedly occurred in Malta on September 18 following Astralis’ elimination from the ESL Pro League Season 16.

Two days later, Astralis announced that k0nfig will miss the IEM Rio 2022: EU RMR A tournament due to a severe ankle fracture, which appears to be the consequence of the said brawl in Malta. However, this hasn’t been confirmed, and k0nfig also dismissed the claims about his removal from the team as rumors.

Header: Ninjas in Pyjamas