Origen rebrands as Astralis, Origen GM Deficio steps down

Astralis Group has announced that it will merge all activities and teams into the Astralis brand, including the LEC team Origen.

The merge will happen with immediate effect, which means that Origen and the FIFA roster Future FC will now be known as Astralis. According to Astralis Group CEO Anders Hørsholt, the merger of all team brands will “position them as a leading organization in international esports”. The Astralis logo is already well known among the Counter-Strike scene and will now be looking to grow on a wider global scale within the world of esports.

“Digitally, physically and team-wise, all our future activities will be done in the Astralis name and based upon the same values that characterize the organization,” Anders Hørsholt said.

The merger will help collect the different Astralis Group brands and put them all under the same roof. This means that fans of all kinds can come together from different games, while the merchandise and fan-related products have even more potential to grow.

Origen made its return to prominence in League of Legends when it was bought by Astralis Group, then known as RFRSH Entertainment, which acquired a franchise in the LEC. Since then, Origen has had mixed results in the LEC, making it to the final in its first split in 2019. The successful debut gave fans and experts a lot of hope for Origen, but they it managed to deliver on a consistent basis.

The team didn’t qualify for LoL Worlds 2019 after losing to Splyce in the Regional Finals. For the 2020 season, Origen picked up star bot lane Elias “Upset” Lipp who was expected to take Origen to greater heights. Sadly, the star-studded roster did not manage to get things together, finishing the spring split in fourth place, followed up by a disappointing 10th-place finish in the summer split.

Deficio steps down as General Manager

Not only will the League of Legends team be known as Astralis from now on, but the organization around the team will also see changes. Most notable is the departure of general manager Martin “Deficio” Lynge, who was a big part of building the Origen lineup back in 2018. Deficio was previously an EU LCS caster and will now be looking for new opportunities within the esports scene.

Coach André “Guilhoto” Guilhoto’s role is yet to be determined according to Astralis Group, but it’s likely that the team will be looking for a completely new coaching staff. The founder of Origen Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño will step down but will remain as a shareholder in Astralis Group.

The new core of Astralis’ LoL staff will be:

• Head coach: Baltat “AoD” Alin-Ciprian
• Assistant coach: Bjørn-Vegar “iHansen” Hansen
• Performance Manager: Lars Robl

“We wanted a coaching team with a clear concept and vision, with a passion to challenge the existing together with the new Performance Manager,” Director of sports Kasper Hvidt said. “We have found this in Alin and Bjørn-Vegar, who, together with Lars Robl, will have the responsibility to build a strong performance culture and clear playing style.”