Mentioned in this article
- RFRSH Entertainment is splitting its esports teams, Astralis and Origen, off into a separate company that is temporarily called RFRSH Teams.
- The company expects the split to be fully completed by the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) StarLadder Berlin Major in August, and expects interest from outside investors.
- RFRSH Entertainment plans to focus on its BLAST Pro Series CS:GO tournaments brand and related properties.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
(CS:GO) team Astralis and League of Legends team Origen are being split off from parent company RFRSH Entertainment , owner of the CS:GO BLAST Pro Series .
RFRSH Entertainment CEO Nikolaj Nyholm told HLTV that the company plans to focus “on the BLAST Pro Series and other BLAST properties.” Nyholm also told the publication that RFRSH has already begun the process of completely splitting the teams off from RFRSH Entertainment, and that Astralis and Origen are currently operating under a separate company with the temporary name, RFRSH Teams.
Nyholm said that RFRSH is gradually lessening the number of people who hold positions of power in both companies, and that the teams “will be fully separated” from RFRSH Entertainment by the CS:GO StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 , which begins on August 20. The company also expects interest from outside investors.
Astralis has been the most dominant CS:GO team since early last year, earning $3.65M in prize money in 2018 alone. Origen competes in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and finished second at the LEC 2019 Spring Finals. RFRSH Entertainment acquired the Origen branding last November after being selected for an LEC franchise spot.
Related Article: Astralis Owner RFRSH Entertainment Raises €10M In Additional Funding
Nyholm commented further on the situation on Twitter, writing, “We’re proud of the sports performance model and infrastructure we brought to Astralis (and Origen). Now it is time for the teams to stand on their own legs. Astralis is profitable and Origen among the three best League teams in the West, easily top brands for the next 50+ years.”
The moves come following questions about potential conflicts of interest, given RFRSH’s ownership of the BLAST Pro Series, which Astralis participates in. Nyholm told HLTV that the split had been planned since 2018, however.
This is the third recent instance of an organization divesting itself of a League of Legends franchise obligation. In June, LCS team Clutch Gaming merged with Dignitas, while Immortals Gaming Club acquired Infinite Esports & Entertainment, parent company of LCS team OpTic Gaming . Both Dignitas and Immortals will rebrand their respective LCS squads in 2020.
