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Envy Gaming, formerly known as EnVyUs, has retired its brand name. According to an announcement made by the North American esports organization on Monday, following its merger with OpTic Gaming in the latter half of 2021, it will henceforth use the OpTic brand name for all of its esports teams and events.
OpTic founder Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez and Envy founder Mike “hastr0” Rufail made the announcement in the most recent edition of H3CZ’s Eavesdrop podcast that the two franchises would no longer cohabit in the organization. Despite the fact that several teams within the organization had accepted the OpTic name after the merger – like OpTic Texas of the Call of Duty League, and the OpTic Valorant team – other teams within the organization kept the Envy identity. This change is to take effect instantly, as the organization’s Rocket League team has immediately been renamed.
Over time it became abundantly evident that the separation of OpTic and Envy was no longer beneficial to the company in any way. According to Hastr0, the separation of the company’s resources and the attention paid to its two brands ultimately proved to be more detrimental to the business than beneficial. These problems reached a critical point at the beginning of June, hence the decision to retire the Envy name and adopt OpTic across board.
Hastr0 revealed that the initial strategy for the merger was to keep going with the dual-branding, build both brands simultaneously, and just continue on the route that both companies had independently mapped out for themselves as their goal. He did note, though, that he had always had in mind the possibility of retiring the Envy name and placing utmost attention to OpTic.
Because of the reputation that OpTic has earned over the years, this decision makes perfect sense. Although Envy has seen its fair share of success and has a significant amount of history, it does not have the same level of popularity as OpTic. Nevertheless, there will be a significant number of Envy fans who will be saddened by the disappearance of the brand’s name and insignia.
Hastr0 shared the same reservation as he spoke about the attachment that exists with the Envy name, stating that some fans have the brand logo tattooed on their bodies. He, however, agreed that it was important to keep the company afloat and it was time to let the name go.
“There are guys out there with tattoos of our logo,” Hastr0 said.
“There are fans out there that have supported us for almost 15 years, and I’m thinking about these guys the whole time. But at the same time, we have to survive. This business has to continue to survive… I’m the one that’s more attached to that Envy brand than anyone, [but] I think it’s time we put all of our resources into one brand.”
However, the name of one of the teams in the organization will not be altered in any way. The Overwatch League team known as the Dallas Fuel will maintain its current name and branding. Hastr0 stated that the team has one of the most dedicated fan bases in the competition and that the brand is “ingrained” in both the game and the league.
Other teams that competed under the Envy banner will have their names changed to better align with the OpTic brand. This change also applies to the content creators within the organization, which includes streamers from Envy, such as the Botez sisters, Alexandra and Andrea, who play chess, as well as Justaminx, a regular on Just Chatting.
