Brazilian esports entrepreneur and former Rainbow Six Siege professional player Nicolle ‘Cherrygumms’ Merhy has acquired the entirety of Brazilian esports organisation Black Dragons.
Merhy previously owned 50% of the organisation, sharing ownership with original Black Dragons founder Denis Vidigal da Costa.
The deal was closed in June 2022 after conversations throughout the year. According to Black Dragons’s official statement, the decision was taken ‘in common agreement, due to the distance between the business strategies proposed by both entrepreneurs.’
Esports Insider spoke with Merhy, who revealed that her acquisition of the organisation is the initial phase of her entrance into a big, undisclosed, communications group in Brazil as a business associate.
In her first steps as the sole owner of Black Dragons, Merhy said she would: “Make everything we have today much more solid, both for our current teams and for our fans, expand to new esports, and then also create a communications agency focused on relationship and brand activations in gaming and esports, which will count on my endorsement and will be boosted by the communications group that is about to enter.”
Merhy is a renowned figure in Brazilian esports. She is currently the ambassador for major brands including Intel, Acer, Nike, the bank Next, and AB InBev’s energy drink Fusion to which she also acts as an esports consultant. Merhy was also featured in 2019’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Founded in 1997, Black Dragons received notoriety mostly through its participation in esports such as Rainbow Six Siege and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In 2018 it was chosen ‘The Best Esports Organisation in Brazil’ by popular vote at Prêmio Esports Brasil, the main awards ceremony in the country. Merhy joined Black Dragons in 2016.
“Taking this step now is an assurement that all thoughts and investments of the team will be focused in one only purpose, without second thoughts. I have a wider purpose than to just run an organisation. I have great people with me and I want to grow [the scene]. I want to transform our market, which still has problems, including for women. So I am sure that it will be a big step for the scene as a whole,” Merhy told Esports Insider.
The acquisition marks a change of Black Dragons’s plans from last year, when the organisation disclosed in August 2021 it was preparing for an investment round.
