Envy and OpTic have their own stadium, making them a global leader in esports

There’s a hospitality room at Esports Stadium Arlington that’s larger than the others. Seth “Scump” Abner of OpTic Texas wanted his team to get it for the upcoming Call of Duty League Major I.

Mostly for the ping pong table.

Texas didn’t get the pampering it expected at an event in January, which was the first for Envy Gaming since acquiring the operating rights to Esports Stadium Arlington, which has a max capacity of 2,500.

Now they can make the ping pong table happen at Major I, which runs Thursday through Sunday, and can brainstorm bigger and better amenities at events.

“The esports arena is top tier,” said OpTic Texas star Seth “Scump” Abner, the face of Call of Duty esports and a content star in his own right. “It feels like home for us, we’ve been there so many times now. For it to be our stadium, it’s cool … I hope we get the big room this time with the ping pong table.”

Abner, who was on a phone call with The Dallas Morning News for a post-match interview, was with Lussier at the time. His hopes were answered.

“We got the big room? Let’s go, we got the big room.”

If the esports industry isn’t in its infancy anymore, then it’s barely a teenager. Organizations are still crafting their respective footprints. FaZe Clan went public in 2021, 100 Thieves collaborated with massive fashion brands. The always-competitive Envy Gaming, which has stable financial backing, acquired operating rights for its own stadium for $2.35 million over eight years, instantly becoming a global leader in the space.

Other organizations have big plans to build their own venues in the next half decade, but no construction was needed for Envy and OpTic, who now have doors opened to content and events unlike any other team in the space.

Esports organizations are still not profitable for the most part, but live events can help speed up the process. However, Envy sees other positive outcomes from the reminted venue, org president Geoff Moore said.

There will be revenue from ticket sales, parking, concessions and merchandise, but Envy mostly wants as many new eyes on its teams and the overall product as possible. That’s what made Envy’s acquisition of a stadium meaningful. They drive the bus now.

“We have something that people like and will spend money to enjoy in a social live energetic setting,” Moore said. “It’s better for the broadcasts when there’s a live audience so that people watching at home alone can then feel connected to the energy and the same things they’re feeling inside.”

Live events are critical for esports growth and they were rather dormant for much of the past two years due to a global pandemic. Only now are they resurfacing, and many people who are attending events like Call of Duty League’s Major I, are attending their first event. (For perspective, 50.6% of ticket sales for Major I came from outside Texas, an Envy spokesperson told The News).

“More often than not the majority of the audience this is their first time actually going to an event,” Envy executive director Corey Dunn said. “And I want them to feel like they are getting an esports experience, not just a glorified broadcast inside an arena.”

Live events have always been the pinnacle of esports competition and they’ve grown up since their debut, which was over 20 years ago.

Why it’s a big deal

North Texas is one of the largest esports hubs in North America, and that was well before Envy acquired ESA. Dunn fondly remembered grassroots events in Dallas from decades ago.

There was one in lower Greenville for the Cyberathlete Professional League, which was founded by Angel Daniel Munoz in Dallas in 1997. It did not include massive LED screens or thousands of fans in attendance.

“You had some of the best players in the world doing boot camps,” Dunn said. “Not the best town, not the best area during the time frame. It was very grunge. It was awesome because these were the best players in the world.

“Back then prize money was OK, but it was all pride.”

Dunn cashed his first paycheck in 2004 doing CounterStrike commentary, but his career expanded into event operations at ESA and he was contracting with Envy and OpTic a decade before he joined their team. His understanding for live events has guided Envy through its major decision to obtain an event home of its own.

Dunn understands what both players and fans want. OpTic Texas personnel like that.

Lussier is as original of a Call of Duty personality as it gets. He was playing Call of Duty: World at War in 2008 on a tube TV with shoddy internet and an XBOX microphone that didn’t have game sound.

“That’s definitely old school,” Lussier said. “No Scuf controllers back then, just pure, raw talent.”

The competitive side of esports has already refined from those early days. The top players travel and compete for large sums of cash to put on a show. Younger generations want to be pro gamers because of them, and that’s important to remember. Getting that product in front of as many eyes as possible is the task that encompasses esports.

Envy can do that with their teams, and Moore suggested that getting ESA was the step that made the most sense.

“The process we are going through is normal,” Moore said. “It’s new for this industry, but in terms of sports and entertainment and general terms, whether it’s the development of a movie theater or sports facility, it is a normal progression that we are starting with.”

As normal as it may be, most orgs don’t live a half hour from a dedicated esports venue. OverActive, the parent company of the Call of Duty League’s Toronto Ultra, took matters into its own hands by getting their own 7,000 capacity venue approved – it’s expected to be completed by 2025 with a $400 million estimated overall budget for the venue and hotel.

“Our decision to build a venue came with our decision to get into esports,” said OverActive head of esports Adam Adamou. “Our longterm view is that esports is going to continue to professionalize and become a bigger part of the esports and entertainment pie. In order to be competitive long term in the broader sports entertainment system, we need to have a dedicated facility for esports.”

It’s not like any organization could just have a venue and instantly be a global leader, though. Envy and OpTic are well positioned because of their financial backing with investors like Post Malone and Gray Television, as well as their content gurus like OpTic president Hector Rodriguez and OpTic executive producer Robert Rogers

“Whether it be relatable or amateur comedians, these guys have great on-camera chemistry,” Rogers said. “We always talk about OpTic as this family bond, but you can truly see it on camera. I think people are gravitated towards that, and that’s what makes OpTic successful.”

World leader

Yun “RUSH” Hee-won, head coach of the Overwatch League’s Dallas Fuel, grew up in South Korea where esports made big steps toward the mainstream.

He once competed in StarCraft in a subway station that was used for an amateur tournament. It was spacious and open so people could walk by and see what was happening. It wasn’t about showing off, it was about getting exposure.

Yun experienced ESA for the first time in 2021 when the Fuel defeated the Houston Outlaws in an online match that was held with only the Fuel performing live for over 1,000 attendees.

While South Korea was good for esports, this was a unique experience for Yun.

“Compared to a lot of the teams overseas, there are not a lot of stadiums in Korea in general,” Yun said via interpreter. “Normally they would try to have a makeshift stadium out of a place that has an open space, or maybe borrow a space. Korea has a big gaming industry, but for any team to try to own or get their own stadium, they don’t profit off of that.”

Envy isn’t focused on immediate profit, which is partially why it was willing to skip steps. Envy was also comfortably funded during their Series C investment round of $40 million in March 2021, including $28.5 million from Gray television. Yun saw Envy’s acquisition of the space as a broader representation of North American esports.

“I feel like the region here is actually starting to excel,” Yun said, “and they are about to surpass Korea.”

ESA isn’t the largest venue by any means, and live esports competition isn’t a North American exclusive – there are also big crowds at events across Europe, where esports continues to evolve.

But Envy can turn events on a dime now. It held a Warzone tournament in February that had Davis “Hitch” Edwards hosting from a lounge coach in the middle of an empty stadium with all the big screens running the matches.

Envy and OpTic have personalities they believe will attract an audience, and they want to test their followers’ attendance.

“Having all the square footage, facilities and production, it’s just massive for OpTic,” Rogers said. “It is slept on. We plan to put it to full use this year.”