In a move that wasn’t seen coming by anyone involved, OpTic Gaming has withdrawn from Rocket League esports. It was a sudden switch-up that left everyone standing in the dust, from fans of the organisation to the players themselves, as revealed on Twitter. There was no warning – OpTic Gaming pulled out of the Rocket League scene in what felt like an instant, dropping all of its players and any support staff dedicated to the game.
It hasn’t been made clear exactly why OpTic Gaming felt the need to abandon Rocket League esports, but there are theories circulating. One theory suggests that it’s a representation of the state of North American esports organisations seeking to claw back spending and gain a more solid financial position in the current economic climate. There’s another theory that suggests OpTic Gaming is ‘streamlining’ and pulling out of more titles, focusing more specifically on just a few and putting more resources into content creation.
Farewell, OpTic Gaming
Image Credit: Psyonix
Earlier this year, OpTic Gaming was hit by the downturn in the economy that impacted so many tech titans. There were several layoffs made across the company, with an undisclosed number of esports management and social media staff being dismissed by the Texas-based organisation.
Unfortunately, OpTic Gaming never made impressive waves in the Rocket League esports space. In a relatively short period of time, the organisation failed to secure any victories – but notched up some high-place finishes. In the space of just a year, the organisation earned around $120,000 in winnings – which some OpTic Gaming squads have managed to win in a single tournament in other esports titles, such as Call of Duty, VALORANT, and Halo.
On Twitter, some of the players and support staff that had been unscrupulously dropped from the organisation expressed their feelings at the decision:
In the world of esports, things remain fluid, dynamic, and ever-changing. In the last few months, we’ve seen countless organisations either strain or buckle under the weight of the struggle to become profitable in this industry. While others have the ability to weather the storm, stand firm, and keep up appearances, others do unfortunately need to throw in the towel and call it a day, withdrawing from markets the world over.
Is OpTic Gaming Still Strong?
As an organisation, OpTic Gaming is still strong. It was a while ago now that the organisation merged with Envy to form a larger corporation, bringing more talent under its umbrella than ever before. It bolstered its content creation angle, boosted merchandise sales, and reimagined its teams in VALORANT, Call of Duty, Halo, and Apex Legends.
Late last year, the OpTic Gaming VALORANT squad disbanded after coming in second place during the VALORANT Champions Tour, knocking out another sizeable chunk of the firm’s business. However, despite that crushing blow, the organisation remained strong in other areas.
It’s hard to predict the future, but as one of the longstanding trailblazers of the industry, it’d be a massive hit if OpTic Gaming were to ever close its doors on esports.
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