Envy Gaming founder Mike “Hastr0” Rufail announced today that Envy and OpTic Gaming are active in discussions to sell the Call of Duty League franchise slot Envy acquired at the time of its merger with OpTic in November.
Hastr0 tweeted there are “multiple, interested ownership groups” in the vacant CDL slot and that the “earliest of which [Envy and OpTic] are working toward closing with.” Hastr0 added that he’s “optimistic” that the CDL will field 12 teams in the 2022 season, which is the same number of teams the league has had for the previous two seasons.
Envy and OpTic merged in November, at which time the OpTic brand that was previously held by NRG Esports also moved to Envy. The organizations, which have both been a part of the CDL since its inception in 2019, combined parts of their respective rosters to construct a starting lineup for the rebranded OpTic Texas franchise.
Along with the acquisition of the OpTic branding, Envy also acquired the CDL slot previously filled by OpTic Chicago in 2021 and the Chicago Huntsmen in 2020. Washington Esports Ventures, which owns the Washington Justice in the Overwatch League, had reportedly been in advanced discussions to buy the slot and relocate the team to Washington, D.C. until Nov. 2, when it was reported that those discussions had ended.
With a franchise slot in limbo, several players that may be on the radar of a 12th CDL team, such as Methodz, who played for the Toronto Ultra during the previous two seasons and had been rumored to be a part of Washington Esports Ventures’ preliminary roster, will have to wait even longer to see if they will begin the 2022 season in the CDL.
