ESIC Issues Verdict On Astralis Controversy At Long Last

At the time, BLAST issued a rather shallow response, but an investigation was started by ESIC: "Astralis declared that br0 was unfit to play in the Fall Final. We aren't able to reveal further details around this reason due to confidentiality. We have never asked teams for doctors notes as we respect/take teams accounts at face value and always have. We are in the process of seeking further clarification from Astralis on this matter and if we feel it is needed, we will look into sanctions/penalties."

What did ESIC’s verdict say

ESIC's report went as the following: "Astralis' substitution request without sufficient validation, relying solely on representations made by the team. This procedural oversight led to a miscommunication, with BLAST announcing the substitution as medically motivated despite no supporting evidence. Astralis benefitted from the misunderstanding and did not promptly correct BLAST’s miscommunication. This behavior breached ESIC’s Integrity Program by failing to uphold the transparency expected of a professional esports team. While Astralis’ actions did not affect the competitive results, the lack of integrity in their conduct underline the importance of robust governance in esports. ESIC remains committed to ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability within the industry."

Alongside the verdict, ESIC has handed Astralis a $15,000 penalty and the forfeiture of their $10,000 prize earnings from the event.

Astralis’s response

Astralis has been quick to respond to ESIC’s verdict: "We take the ruling into account, but we maintain that our actions were in line with applicable Danish employment laws. We are disappointed that ESIC's ruling and decision does not include the employer’s legal obligation to protect its employees in a sensitive situation. In light of the ruling, we have decided to donate $15,000 to the Danish Mental Health Foundation (Psykiatrifonden)."

Hence, the long-ongoing Astralis controversy comes to an end, although fans were hoping for a more severe punishment.