OpTic Gaming CEO Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez is looking to become the sole owner of the OpTic Chicago Call of Duty League franchise, according to reports from Dexerto’s Adam Fitch. As part of this reported effort and departure from NRG, H3CZ is seeking “financial partners to assist with the acquisition” and has reportedly received a merger proposal from eUnited.
The original owner and founder of OpTic left the iconic brand in September 2019 after it was acquired by the Immortals Gaming Club, who operated the OpTic Gaming Los Angeles CDL franchise in the league’s first season. H3CZ went on to join NRG as a co-owner and co-CEO, but he was able to repurchase the brand back from Immortals in November 2020 after the org left Call of Duty. The NRG-operated CDL franchise Chicago Huntsmen was rebranded to OpTic Chicago with H3CZ in charge, but now he’s reportedly seeking full ownership and control over the franchise and OpTic.
Enter eUnited, an esports organization that’s competed across several titles, but is most well known for its involvement in the pro Call of Duty scene before franchising. A tremendous number of current and former stars have competed for eUnited, including Simp, aBeZy, and Clayster. EUnited won the final CoD World Championship prior to the start of the CDL in 2019.
While many organizations that competed in CoD pre-CDL operate a franchise in some capacity, eUnited hasn’t been involved at all. But now, the org is reportedly looking to get involved through a proposed merger with OpTic, which would unite OpTic Gaming, OpTic Chicago, and the eUnited organizations all under one banner.
This pitch also reportedly suggests that eUnited would field a Halo team in the upcoming pro circuit. But the sources cited by Fitch and Dexerto indicate that the merger is “unlikely to go ahead,” although nothing has been confirmed yet.
