According to sources close to the parties involved, NRG Esports, Envy Gaming, and Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez are in talks to merge the Empire and OpTic brands and to sell the Chicago CDL slot to a third party.
It isn’t a secret that H3CZ has been looking to break off from NRG Esports, the current owner of Chicago OpTic, one of the competing teams in the Call of Duty League.
If the rumors are true, this would most likely mean the retirement of the Dallas Empire brand, with the CDL team taking on OpTic’s name and branding.
NRG and H3CZ have been trying to figure things out for a while now but have so far not come up with a solution that satisfies both parties.
NRG originally stipulated in the contract that H3CZ was allowed to look for outside investors to buy them out of the OpTic organization, so he could take over the brand and slot. According to sources, H3CZ didn’t find those investors in time.
The Call of Duty League even approved a special deal that saw H3CZ become responsible for the operational costs and payroll of OpTic, avoiding the tedious vetting process imposed by the league on new organizations. In the end, NRG had to step in and take over, because H3CZ couldn’t pay those costs.
This left both parties in a stalemate until Envy Gaming stepped into the picture.
The Chicago slot is currently for sale without any branding attached, and Rodriguez is looking to broker a deal that would see his OpTic move to Texas to become the Dallas OpTic.
Read More:
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