Envy Gaming merges with Native Gaming in latest restructure of the organisation

Envy Gaming announced its merger with fellow esports organisation Native Gaming less than two months after Envy’s re-acquisition by Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail.

Although the financial terms of the merger were not disclosed, Native’s CEO, Dean Duro, has now become a Co-owner of one of esports longest-standing brands.

The deal was announced yesterday via a post on Envy’s X (formerly Twitter) account: “We are excited to announce the merger of Envy and Native Gaming. This partnership marks the beginning of a new era in Envy’s history, Dean and Mike will unite to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Together, we will elevate esports by blending Envy’s championship legacy with Native Gaming’s commitment to growth and the Indigenous community…”

Founded in 2022, Native Gaming is an Indigenous-owned esports organisation that competes in Halo and Apex Legends. On his personal X account, Native’s Duro shared his excitement about the merger as well as his future vision for Envy: “A huge thank you to [Hastr0] for the opportunity and trust to be part of this journey.

I’ll be involved in all aspects of operations, and my goal is to help rebuild Envy and take it beyond its former glory.”

Duro also briefly discussed the future of Native Gaming: “We’ll continue our operations and have some exciting plans in the works – stay tuned for updates in the coming days…”

Similarly, Rufail explained his motivations for the deal on his personal X account: “When I decided to take on the venture of bringing Envy back, I knew this was not a venture I wanted to (or really could) take on alone.

Dean’s determination and support for Native Gaming reminded me a lot of myself and the staff of great people who have made Envy what it is today. He has all the qualities of an org owner who puts his team and family first…”

The legacy of North American esports organisation Envy began in 2017 under the moniker Team EnVyUs. However, the brand merged with OpTic Gaming in 2021 and was sunset entirely only a year later.

Rufail, who had been a Co-owner and CEO of Envy since 2009, re-acquired the organisation in January this year alongside the Dallas Fuel and Dallas Empire brands. Since then, Envy has signed rosters for Apex Legends, VALORANT, and Marvel Rivals.

Last month, the organisation also welcomed Super Smash Bros. Melee player Justin ‘Wizzrobe’ Hallett back into its ranks. Now, fans are wondering if Envy will be competing in Halo.