Swedish team NIP has unexpectedly announced that Danish cyber athlete Nikolaj «» Ridz, who previously played for Astralis for five years, will now move to the team on a permanent basis. One of the most renowned cybersports players, who has won multiple times at major tournaments, has now signed a three-year deal with NIP. In it, he will take Tim «nawwk» Jonasson's place.
Ridz has been a part of Astralis since its inception in January 2016. He was a major contributor to the team's achievements between 2018 and 2020, when it became one of the world leaders and won numerous international titles. He also holds a record number of MVP honors, and has consistently been a top five overall player for the past six years.
A few weeks ago, he mentioned in an interview that he should expect any changes in his career, and now he spoke about the decision in more detail. He said that parting ways with Astralis is difficult and the band will always be seen as family to him, but the pandemic has made him rethink his career. Device mentioned that he is inspired by the prospect of being a part of one of the promising young teams.