From Stand-In to Permanent Leader
Astralis has officially signed Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen as their new in-game leader. The 30-year-old joins the Danish team on a free transfer after stepping in as a stand-in during the PGL Astana 2025 tournament.
HooXi was initially brought in to replace Casper “cadiaN” Møller, who was benched after the team failed to qualify for the Austin Major. At the time, the move seemed temporary—but HooXi quickly proved his value.
In Astana, he led the team to their first LAN final since 2019. Astralis defeated opponents like ODDIK, paiN, Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere, and Aurora before falling to Team Spirit in the grand final. The results exceeded expectations and showed signs of a roster with renewed structure and energy.
HooXi’s Own Words
In a statement, HooXi shared his excitement about the move:
I’m both happy and proud to finally call myself IGL for Astralis and to be back in the game with both new and familiar faces.
Playing for Astralis has been a long-time dream of mine—the brand and the organization’s results speak for themselves, and it also feels truly special to once again play on an all-Danish team.
It will take time and a lot of hard work, but I both hope and believe we can continue what we started in Astana and give back to the many fans who have already shown us incredible support
Final Thoughts
Astralis has taken a bold step by committing to HooXi. His leadership helped spark one of their strongest showings in years, and the chemistry appears to be in place. With this signing, Astralis hopes to move forward with renewed focus and stability.
