Noah Romsdal Hallundbæk Sørensen
From Counter-Strike legend to co-creator. dupreeh opens up about why Skyward Masters feels different.
When Philip Wittendorff reached out to dupreeh about Skyward Masters, it wasn’t just another inquiry about a gaming project.
For the former professional Counter-Strike player, it quickly became about something else: passion, ambition, and the feeling that there was already a real product behind the idea.
“My first thoughts were of course that I could feel there was passion around it, especially with the story they had.”
It wasn’t enough that someone had an idea for a game. What mattered was that there was already something tangible to work with.
“I think I could feel that these were guys who wanted something more than just making a game.”
For dupreeh, however, it was also a new area. He knew how to perform at the absolute highest level, but investment, startups, and game development were something else entirely. That’s why Frederik Byskov became an important part of the decision.
“I didn’t really have any understanding of startups and investments, and it was also very new to me.”
That made it crucial to have someone involved who could handle the business side.
“It was also important for me to have Frederik involved, because he took care of everything regarding investments, what the ambitions were, and what the expectations for the project were.”
Not Counter-Strike 2.0
With dupreeh’s name attached to a new shooter, it’s natural that many immediately think of Counter-Strike. But that was exactly not what he wanted to help create.
“I wasn’t going to be part of making Counter-Strike 2.0.”
In the beginning, his thoughts were still shaped by the world he came from. But the longer he has been part of Skyward Masters, the clearer it has become that the game needs to do something different.
“The more we build on the game, the more it has developed its own identity, and I think that’s important both for the game and for how people perceive it.”
For him, it’s about making sure players don’t feel like they’re playing a cheap version of something they already know.
“Skyward has its own identity, as well as its own unique concept and gameplay.”
That’s also why development is still crucial. Skyward Masters is not finished, and dupreeh does not try to hide that. But he can feel the progress.
“There’s still a long way to go, but the great thing is that we’re constantly moving forward.”
He explains that the game previously felt more uneven and heavy, but that the development from event to event is clear.
“The build we have now is 100 percent better than what we had at Copenhagen Gaming Week.”
There are still bugs and things that need to be adjusted. But the difference is that it now feels fun in a completely different way.
“There are still plenty of bugs, and many things that need balancing, but it’s fun in a completely different way than it was at Gaming Week.”
When Counter-Strike was no longer enough
The conversation naturally shifts to the transition away from his professional career. dupreeh emphasizes that Skyward Masters was not the reason he stopped playing Counter-Strike.
“It wasn’t Philip who made me stop playing Counter-Strike.”
The decision was about something more personal. Family, children, and the time required to perform at the highest level began to matter more.
“My reason for stopping was my family and my kids, and the travel time, and the time it required to keep being good at Counter-Strike.”
He still had ambitions, but his body and everyday life began sending different signals.
“I almost looked more forward to coming home than I did to going away to events.”
At the same time, the performance pressure had become heavy. When you have won as much as he has, there is also an expectation that you always deliver.
“People had this idea that dupreeh always has to perform, he’s always good. It was hard to live with all the time, and I felt like I always had to deliver my best.”
When a bad match doesn’t just feel like a bad match, but something that affects your body and everyday life, your relationship with the game changes.
“It made me a worse version of myself, and it confused me and clearly affected my mood and my daily life.”
So stopping was not about a lack of love for Counter-Strike. It was about realizing that life needed to move in a different direction.
A project without the same pressure
Skyward Masters is not his new professional career in the same way Counter-Strike was. That is exactly part of what makes the project interesting to him.
“I’m involved in a lot of smaller projects, and I’ve invested in Trinor, and I have an interest in Skyward Masters becoming a project born out of ambition and love for the genre rather than the next big cash cow.”
He is involved because he can contribute, and because it feels right.
“I do it because I know it contributes to the product.”
His role is not to code the game or run the company. It is about experience, instinct, and understanding what makes games work.
“I try to think about the bigger picture—what is it that makes Apex Legends great, and League of Legends great? What gives those games their identity? What makes them fun, and what works well in them?”
For dupreeh, it is satisfying to see ideas turn into something real inside the game.
“I think it’s really fun to see the things I’ve talked about suddenly being part of a game that people want to play.”
Experience from Astralis and the competitive mindset
dupreeh especially brings one thing from his time in Astralis and Counter-Strike: the competitive mindset.
“There is definitely a competitive mindset in the game that I always carry with me.”
Skyward Masters needs to be fun for casual players, but he also thinks about whether it can eventually support a more serious competitive layer.
“I want it to appeal to players who want to take it seriously and compete, but also to those who just want to have fun.”
That balance is difficult. A game can quickly become too hardcore or too shallow. So a lot of the work is about adjustments, balance, and the feeling of what works.
At the same time, in the long term, he can see the potential for the game to move in a more competitive direction.
“Maybe in 10 years, there is the potential for it to become an esports path. If I can help create a game that can fill an arena, that would be insane.”
He knows that is far in the future. But because he has experienced the biggest stages himself, he also knows what that dream requires.
“It’s fun to be part of”
Perhaps the most striking thing about the interview is how dupreeh describes Skyward Masters as something that feels different from much of what he has done in recent years.
“Right now, that’s just how it feels—it’s fun to be part of.”
He describes it as a project that is not primarily about money, prestige, or making the strategically correct move.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been part of a project where it hasn’t been about money or prestige.”
Instead, it is about people, energy, and the desire to be part of something that is still being built.
“It’s great people, and it’s fun to be part of, and it’s a completely different way of living.”
It also gives the project a personal dimension for him.
“There is also a lot of personal development in it for me.”
Star power, but also a real contribution
At GameBox, it becomes clear that dupreeh’s name carries weight. His presence draws people to the booth, and he is fully aware that it gives the project an advantage.
“It’s star power.”
At the same time, he also sees how the team’s branding, connections, and experience from the esports and gaming world give Skyward Masters a different starting point compared to many small indie projects.
“Because we have the branding, both from me being involved, but also because Frederik has helped create awareness, and we have the right connections.”
He does not hide that it helps. But it is not just about fame. It is also about opening doors, creating attention, and giving the game a chance to be tested by more people.
“We definitely benefit from that.”
At the same time, he also gets something out of it himself. Many of those who come by are not necessarily kids, but parents or older fans who followed him during the Astralis era.
“It’s the older generation who followed Astralis—it’s often a father who wants a picture, not the son.”
It reminds him that he still holds a strong place in Danish gaming culture, even after his active playing career.
“I’m reminded that I’m still a big name.”
From legend to co-creator
dupreeh stands at an interesting point in his career. He is no longer a professional Counter-Strike player in the same way as before, but he is not done with gaming either.
Skyward Masters gives him a new role. Not as a star player who has to deliver on the server, but as a co-creator, sparring partner, and someone who can bring experience from the very top of esports into a Danish game project with big ambitions.
He knows what competition can do to a game. He knows what it takes to fill an arena. And he also knows how the pressure at the top can come at a personal cost.
That is why Skyward Masters feels like more than just an investment. It is a project where he can use his experience without carrying the same pressure that followed his playing career.
And maybe that is exactly why the engagement feels genuine.
For dupreeh, Skyward Masters is not about reinventing Counter-Strike.
It is about being part of creating something new.
