Jonas Gundersen, CEO of Danish esports organisation Astralis, has confirmed a delay to its December payroll, impacting members of staff and its Counter-Strike 2 roster.
First reported by Danish tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet, salaries due to be paid on December 1st were not received.
According to the report, staff have been notified of a two-week delay to December’s payments as a result of ‘challenges’ encountered by the organisation’s new owners following its acquisition by Fusion Esports Group in September 2025.
To compensate for the payment delay, Gundersen revealed that all affected staff members will receive a ten per cent supplement when the salaries are processed.
“It is not optimal, but it is about the fact that we have taken over a company with some challenges, which we were fully aware of from the start,” said Gundersen in a statement to Ekstra Bladet. “It is really bad timing for the employees here in the middle of December.”
Gundersen also confirmed that the delay has impacted the organisation’s Counter-Strike 2 players currently competing at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. For Astralis, this is the first time in three years that it has competed at a Valve-sanctioned event, having failed to qualify since 2022.
Astralis’ Financial and Competitive Struggles
Prior to the takeover, Astralis published its financial statement for 2024, revealing a DKK 31.3m (~£3.6m) net loss as a result of the team’s underperformance in tournaments and Valve’s decision to restructure the Counter-Strike esports ecosystem in 2023.
The restructuring resulted in the end of franchised leagues that provided esports organisations with a guaranteed revenue stream while competing in events operated by several tournament organisers.
Astralis is now looking to qualify for Stage 3 of the Budapest Major, which would put the organisation within five rounds of a potentially lucrative place in the playoffs. The team will face off against Team Liquid in a best-of-three series on December 2nd, with the winner advancing to the next phase and the loser heading home.
