Astralis, one of Counter-Strike’s most recognized organizations, has confirmed that employees and players did not receive their scheduled salaries at the start of December. The confirmation appears in a written statement sent by CEO Jonas Gundersen to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, who first reported the story.
Salaries delayed across the organisation
According to Ekstra Bladet, multiple Astralis staff members and the Counter-Strike roster competing at the CS2 Major in Budapest were expecting their monthly salary on December 1, but payments never arrived. Employees were reportedly only informed of the delay on the day they were supposed to be paid.
Gundersen described the timing as “far from ideal” and said the organisation expects salaries to be processed within roughly two weeks. Astralis plans to add a ten percent compensation bonus once payments are made.
Ownership transition cited as the cause
Astralis was acquired two months ago by Fusion e-sports group, which now owns the organisation in full. In his statement to Ekstra Bladet, Gundersen attributed the missing payments to complications that arose during the takeover, saying the new ownership “inherited challenges” from the previous structure. He did not provide further details.
Spotlight during the CS2 Major
The situation comes at a crucial moment, with Astralis competing at the year’s biggest Counter-Strike event. Despite fielding superstar AWPer Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, the team has struggled early and faces the risk of a quick elimination. Should they exit on Monday, Astralis would earn only €10,000 in prize money, a minor amount compared to the top share of the multimillion-euro prize pool.
We at Pley.gg will follow up on the situation in Budapest.
