Layoffs appear to have happened at OpTic Gaming. The number of people affected is currently unknown. However, in the past hours, several posts have emerged on social media from people who claimed to have been impacted. The organization has yet to officially comment on the matter.
OpTic Gaming was founded in 2006 and the team was part of XBOX Live. According to their website, they claim they are “one of the first collections of gamers to record their gameplays and create content of it to be shared on the internet”. They eventually transitioned to Esports.
“Guess today makes it official. It’s my last with OpTic,” wrote former employee Gerbz on X. “I hope I inspired at least one person during this historic run. It’s been 2 years full of blood, sweat, tears, and laughter. Taking the week to get things sorted and then we’re back better than ever.”
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OpTic Gaming, owned by Hector Rodriguez, is based in Frisco, Texas. According to their LinkedIn page, they have between 11-50 employees (although it seems the page has not been updated in a long while), but 122 people were associated with the page.
There was no mention of the layoff on LinkedIn. However, GameBaba Universe discovered that some of the company’s employees have updated their profile to add the infamous green #OpenToWork badge.
It seems employees were informed about the layoff in early August but the layoff only took effect at the end of the month. On one of the posts shared by OpTic Gaming on August 2, advertising their new outfit a former employee Osbourne Cox commented, “Sheeeeeit. If I didn’t just get laid off I’d be all over this. How long will this stay up?”
Sheeeeeit. If I didn’t just get laid off I’d be all over this. How long will this stay up?
— Osbourne Cox (@rockandrollov3r) August 2, 2024
However, On September 1, 2024, Cox shared another tweet that read, “Day 1 of unemployment”. That helped us to connect the dots.
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Day 1 of unemployment
— Osbourne Cox (@rockandrollov3r) September 1, 2024
Also unclear is the cadre of employees affected by the layoff. One post on X from Esports journalist Jacob Hale claimed he was told by a source that “it’s mainly talent, upper management, and some production staff that remain with the company”.
Starting to see more posts now confirming that a number of OpTic staff have been laid off in the last 24 hours or so.
One source told me that it’s mainly talent, upper management and some production staff that remain with the company. pic.twitter.com/jxnCANClWU
— Jacob Hale (@JakeHaleee) August 31, 2024
Last year, OpTic Gaming also laid off several staff members, joining the ugly trend of mass layoffs in the esports and gaming industry. Back then, the company also failed to disclose how many people were laid off. It appears the same script is playing out this time too.
In 2021, OpTic merged with Envy, another powerhouse in the esports space. Although they started with Call of Duty, OpTic Gaming now competes in other esports games including Rocket League, Apex Legends, and Halo.
