People Are Shocked That OpTic Gaming Will Be No More

When Call of Duty: Modern Warfare first debuted, every gamer everywhere knew that they were playing a truly special title. The first-person shooter even managed to become popular in markets that historically wanted nothing to do with them, like Japan. The fast-paced, ridiculously fun and expertly crafted game was nothing short of a phenomenon that changed gaming forever and helped to popularize e-sports.

And one of the most popular outfits that continually ruled the roost at COD, OpTic Gaming, has announced that they're officially ending.

What?!

That's pretty much the response of gamers and spectators everywhere who heard the news. It just doesn't make any sense, considering the team's stalwart record. So...

The Call of Duty World Championship finals took place August 14-18 and while many thought OpTic would take home the trophy, they ended up losing to 100 Thieves.

Hector Rodriguez, aka "H3CZ," posted a heartfelt message to fans and supporters on Reddit following the loss and said that his tenure with the team was an amazing, life-changing experience. While many thought that the team's loss in the finals is the reason OpTic disbanded, this really isn't the case.

So here's what happened: earlier this year in May, H3CZ lost a bidding war to the Immortals for Infinite Esports & Entertainment. The announcement of the high-profile acquisition was officially announced on June 12 for a whopping $20 million. The sale was spurred, reportedly, by a glaring mismanagement of finances, which would explain the huge layoffs that occurred in the organization.

Kotaku reported that the same mismanagement applied to OpTic's team. A string of poor investment decisions and false reporting grossly inflating the profits made by the team contributed to the ultimate demise of one of COD's most beloved band of gamers. This means that OpTic is owned by the Immortals. This caused a swell of "mourning tweets" from fans all over the world, marking the end of OpTic's tenure as the premiere Call of Duty team.

In case you aren't familiar with the history of the team, let's bring you up to speed: OpTic was first established in 2006 by KR3W, but only a year later, H3CZ took control and his impact was immediate. Taking the team's exploits to YouTube, OpTic not only racked up wins but garnered themselves a ton of views and a rabid fanbase in the process.

COD wasn't the only game that the team found success in: OpTic also did fairly well in Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Halo. They didn't really make a splash in the e-sports world until 2010, when they derailed Envy's hype train in only the first round of the Major League Gaming Nationals.

OpTic's success wasn't just confined to the world of gaming; however, the team managed to create a New York Times bestseller with their book OpTic Gaming: The Making of eSports Champions. I know, a book about video games outselling pretty much everything else on the shelves at one point is absolutely crazy.

Their amazing tenure in COD helped OpTic to become the third most-followed gaming outfit on social media. So the impact of their departure as a team from the gaming world immediately reverberated throughout the internet.

This probably isn't the last any e-sports fan will see of the OpTic team members. They are remarkable talents and will surely pop up somewhere else, either on another team or crushing it in other games.