by Nicolle “Cherrygumms” Merhy, a Brazilian esports entrepreneur who formerly competed as a professional Rainbow Six Siege player, recently completed the acquisition of Black Dragons. Cherrygumms now owns 100% of the Brazillian esports organization.
Cherrygumms had a previous ownership stake of 50% in the organization, which she held jointly with Denis “Pings” Vidigal da Costa, the original founder of the Black Dragons.
After negotiations spanning the entirety of the first half of the year, the transaction was finalized in late June. According to an official statement issued by Black Dragons, the decision was made “in common agreement, due to the distance between the business strategies proposed by both entrepreneurs.”
The franchise took to its official Twitter page to make the announcement of Pings’ exit from the organization. The tweet read;
“We are saying goodbye to Denis Vidigal, or better known in games as PINGS! Pings was a fundamental part of the birth and growth of Black Dragons and that’s why we want, as a family, to thank you for all the dedication and love he’s had over these more than 20 years.”
Cherrygumms also reacted to the development, reassuring the Black Dragons fanbase of her commitment to growing the franchise. She was appreciative to them for staying through to the organization and hinted at the possible collaboration with a top media company.
“Today, the company is being 100% commanded and managed by me and, soon, we will announce that we will be working together with one of the largest communication groups in the country,” Cherrygumms said. “I promise to shake the scene and make BD transcend. Thank you to everyone who cheers for the team, thank you!”
She disclosed that the acquisition of the organization is the first phase of her entry into a large communications group in Brazil in the role of a business associate. She also shared some insights into the first things she will tackle as the sole owner of Black Dragons.
“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,” Cherrygumms stated.
“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,” Cherrygumms continued. “I have a wider purpose than to just run an organization. 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.”
Cherrygumms was included on the 2019 edition of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. As a well-known figure in the esports community in Brazil, she is the esports consultant for major companies such as Nike, Next bank, Intel, and Acer. She also represents these companies as brand ambassadors.
The Black Dragons organization was established in 1997, and it gained popularity primarily due to its participation in various esports titles including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rainbow Six Siege. the franchise was voted “The Best Esports Organization in Brazil” in 2018, at Prêmio Esports Brasil took place, which is the most important awards ceremony in the country. In 2016, Merhy became a member of Black Dragons.
