The Optic brand looks to be shifting hands once more as Envy Gaming are looking to purchase the rights from NRG Esports.
The off-season for the Call of Duty league has already brought about its fair share of shocks and surprises. But one that many were not expecting to hear was a report stating that Hector "HECZ" Rodrigues, with the backing of Envy Gaming is looking to acquire the OpTic brand from NRG Esports.
The Situation As Of Now
This news which took the COD community by complete surprise has left many trying to work out how all of this transpired. It is well known that H3CZ has been looking to break away from NRG for quite some time now; as was reported by Dexerto back in May.
H3CZ, who joined NRG following Immortals Gaming Club's acquisition of OpTic Gaming back in 2019, has been in charge of managing their CDL franchise since the inception of the new league. Since re-acquiring the brand from Immortals, HECZ has been laying the groundwork for him once again assume complete control over OpTic; the organization which he owned for over a decade.
As stated by from DotEsports' report, NRG had previously agreed that, upon generating the necessary funding, they would allow H3CZ to buy back the OpTic Gaming brand within an undisclosed amount of time. H3CZ however seemed as though he was struggling to gather enough funding in order for him to fully divest from NRG; that is, until Envy came into the picture.
Now it seems as though H3CZ, with the backing of longtime friend and owner of Envy Gaming Mike "Hastro" Rufail, the possibility of him reacquiring his beloved brand is looking like a reality.
Implications of the Deal.
While a deal has yet to be finalized by all parties involved, there are some pretty big implications that could come out of this deal. For starters, if the deal would see both OpTic Chicago and Dallas Empire being merged into one entity. A situation that, more than likely, means the end for the Dallas Empire brand. A move that may explain why Crimsix, Envoy, and Vivid were all released from their respective rosters.
Furthermore, according to earlier reports, it appears as though NRG will be looking to sell the Chicago franchise spot for Season 3 of the CDL. And with big names such as Cloud9 and eUnited eyeing up the chance to enter the league, there is no telling what will happen with the slot.
But the biggest takeaway from this is that OpTic Gaming and Team EnVyUs, two of the biggest names in COD esports, are about to become one unified entity. While from a fan point of view this means that there will no longer be any big matches between the two of them, it pails in comparison to this monumental moment in esports history.
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