After rumors online over the summer, North Texas is set to get a new esports team.
Dallas franchise Envy Gaming has merged with esports and entertainment company OpTic Gaming, launching a new Call of Duty League team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are building the beginning moments of the new age of sports,” said OpTic owner Hector “HECZ” Rodriguez in a statement.
As part of the move, Envy will rebrand its Dallas Empire team to OpTic Texas with plans to sell off the league slot left open by OpTic Gaming. Rodriguez will serve as president of the brand, which will operate a content creation hub in Frisco, while training at Envy’s headquarters in Victory Park. According to a statement, OpTic plans to keep all employees and content creators following the move.
The OpTic Texas roster includes Seth “Scump” Abner and Brandon “Dashy” Otell, along with former Empire players Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal and Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro. Leading the team is head coach Ray Lussier.
OpTic Gaming was founded in 2006, with Rodriguez coming on as CEO the next year. In 2018, Infinite Esports & Entertainment, a firm co-founded by Texas Rangers co-owner Neil Leibman, acquired a majority stake in OpTic. The following year, it was acquired by Immortals Gaming Club in a deal reportedly valued at more than $100 million. A few months later, Rodriguez left OpTic, only to purchase the ownership and control of the franchise in 2020, while serving as co-CEO of OpTic Chicago (formerly the Chicago Huntsmen).
The companies said the merger will help expand operations surrounding gaming and content creation. In September, Envy announced hiring Eric Duncan as its new head of marketing and Erin Schendle as its new senior VP of sales and partnerships, in an effort to boost its marketing and collaborations with other brands. Revenue in the esports industry is set to grow to $1.08 billion globally in 2021, a growth of more than 14%, according to Newzoo.
“Organizations are going to have to attract more eyeballs and operate a business that can scale,” said Mike “Hastr0” Rufail, Envy’s founder and chief gaming officer, in a statement. “We’re strengthening the future of what esports will be ten years from now with the decisions we are making today.”
The merger announcement follows Envy landing a $40 million Series C funding round in March led by TV station owner Gray Television, which joined an ownership group that includes Rufail, Rodriguez, former NGP Energy Capital Management Co-founder and CEO Kenneth Hersh, and local rapper Post Malone. That funding brought Envy’s total raise amount to at least $95 million since it launched in 2007.
“Announcing the merger of these two great brands opens up new abilities for creators and professional esports players to expand their reach,” Envy wrote in a press release.
