Mike Rufail re-acquires Envy brand and signs Apex Legends roster

Last week it was revealed that North American esports organisation Envy has been re-acquired from OpTic Gaming by its former owner Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail.

In addition, Rufail also announced Envy’s entry into Apex Legends and the acquisition of the Dallas Fuel and Dallas Empire brands, which used to hold franchise spots in Overwatch and Call of Duty.

Rufail revealed the news on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account on January 18th, together with a short announcement video. The video highlights the achievements of past Envy rosters throughout its esports legacy.

In another post, Rufail further explained that post transaction he will no longer be a shareholder or associated with OpTic. Moreover, his team are expected to gain access to Envy’s social media accounts this week.

Envy was a historic brand within North American esports. The organisation was founded in 2007 under the moniker Team EnVyUs and has competed in numerous titles including Counter-Strike, StarCraft and Overwatch.

In 2021, the brand announced its merger with fellow North American esports organisation OpTic Gaming. The groundbreaking deal resulted in the rebranding of the Dallas Empire franchise into OpTic Texas. Rufail, who had been a Co-Owner and CEO of Envy since 2009, joined OpTic as a Co-Owner and Chief Gaming Officer.

In 2022, however, the Envy brand was sunset entirely, with all its active rosters rebranding into OpTic Gaming. At the time, Rufail described Envy as ‘legendary and solidified in the esports history books’.

The first roster of the revived Envy brand was the signing of orgless team ‘Loan Sharks’, which competed in tier-one and tier-two Apex Legends tournaments throughout 2024. The team was previously signed to BLEED Esports but left in November 2024 due to missed payments.

The team secured second place at the BLGS: 2024 Regional Finals – Americas, which featured top-tier Apex organisations, such as Team Liquid and TSM. As a result, Envy will compete in the ALGS Year 4 Championship.