Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen – Astralis in-game leader and rifler – has stepped away from social media following death threats and online harassment after the team’s elimination from IEM Cologne Major 2026. The Danish captain made the decision to distance himself from online platforms as abuse escalated following Astralis’ surprise exit.
HooXi serves a twin role as the tactical leader and rifler for Astralis’ Counter-Strike 2 roster, with the 27-year-old instrumental in the team’s strategic approach since joining as their shot-caller.
The harassment intensified after Astralis was eliminated from IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 2 with a 1-3 record. Beating GamerLegion in their opening match proved to be a false dawn as they followed it up with three defeats, with paiN Gaming effectively ending their major campaign prematurely – a defeat that left HooXi “in shock.”
Organization condemns harassment
Regarding the recent abuse our players have faced online. pic.twitter.com/jYptK35JBy
— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) June 9, 2026
Astralis was quick to condemn the harassment and gave Nielsen their full backing. Team owner Jonas Gundersen issued a statement calling the abuse “unacceptable” and said it was something the organization would “never understand.”
The team stated that players are “humans trying their best” in their official response to the situation. Astralis made clear that any online harassment of players and staff members won’t be tolerated.
The incident is sadly nothing new, with online harassment of professional esports athletes a growing trend. League of Legends star Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok from T1 has had to deal with a number of death threats over the years, including an incident in 2023 when a user on DC Inside threatened to visit T1’s team accommodation and harm Faker with a weapon.
The threat was treated so seriously that it led to a police investigation and prompted the League of Legends Champions Korea to strengthen their own security measures at LoL Park. Faker has also in the past pursued legal action against individuals who have posted malicious comments online.
Esports organizations have been quick to react to threats, putting in place stronger measures against online harassment. For example, Gen.G CEO Arnold Hur announced earlier this year that his organization had created an entire legal team tasked with tackling online attacks and harassment directed at everyone involved in some way with the organization, including players and their families.
Industry response expected
Astralis Major history since their last Major trophy 😬 pic.twitter.com/bCcPd3cduO
— Limitless Esports (@lmtless_esports) June 8, 2026
Naturally, all Astralis fans were upset to see their team exit the competition so early, with some noting their pattern of starting well before nosediving. HooXi himself said that his team lacked rhythm at times and had to fight super hard. But one thing remains clear: Fans, communities and the organizations themselves need to always balance passion with player welfare.
It’s one thing to support our teams and to voice measured, constructive criticism as most fans do after a loss, but quite another to turn this into online abuse. Players are, after all, competing under huge pressure every time they play in a major tournament.
And while some solutions are in place to deal with the abuse, it’s still likely that Astralis will face questions about additional support systems in light of HooXi’s decision to quit social media.
To this end, Gunderson has called for social media companies to do more and has appealed for tighter regulations. HooXi wasn’t the only Astralis player to receive online abuse after his team’s elimination but he bore the greater weight of it.
The team’s next competitive appearance will be closely watched as they work to rebuild momentum following the way their tournament ended.
