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FaZe Clan

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FaZe Clan
Faze Clan.svg
Short nameFaZe
Games
FoundedMay 30, 2010; 12 years ago (2010-05-30)
Location
Colors   
Owners
PresidentZach Katz[1]
CEOLee Trink
Partners
Websitefazeclan.com Edit this at Wikidata
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2010–present
Genregaming
Subscribers8.68 million[2][3]
Total views1.1 billion[2][3]
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg 100,000 subscribers 2011[4]
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg 1,000,000 subscribers 2012[4]
Last updated: July 3, 2021

FaZe Clan (formerly FaZe Sniping) is a professional esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA. Founded on May 30, 2010, the organization has players from around the world, across multiple games, including Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Halo Infinite, Valorant, Fortnite Battle Royale, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In 2020, the organization expanded into the Asian market, acquiring a Thai PUBG Mobile and FIFA Online roster.

History

FaZe Sniping made its debut on YouTube on May 30, 2010.[5] Originally, the group were a Call of Duty clan founded by three players, Eric "CLipZ" Rivera, Jeff "House Cat" Emann (now known as "Timid") and Ben "Resistance" Christensen.[6] The trio garnered a reputation for innovating trickshotting in the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[7] Their YouTube content took off when Ted "Fakie" joined the clan. It was then when FaZe unveiled the most popular series on their channel, ILLCAMS.[8] FaZe Clan's focus on trickshotting and a personality/social-media approach led to FaZe Clan becoming one of the first popular YouTube video game channels, compared to other Call of Duty channels which were focused on winning tournaments.[5] In 2012, the channel had one million subscribers, and the clan began to branch out into esports competitions.[9][5] Teams under the FaZe name began competing in competitions such as the Call of Duty Championship and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships, who were separate from the clan's YouTube content creators, splitting members of FaZe Clan into two mostly autonomous camps.[9] Originally, FaZe Clan did not have a corporate structure, however the original CEO was Brazilian Thomas "Temperrr" Oliveira, who had been a member of FaZe since he was 16 years old.[9] Oliveira and COO Richard “Banks” Bengston created the first FaZe shared home in 2014 in Plainview, New York, where they could incorporate lifestyle content with their gaming content.[10]

In 2015, former social media platform Hubrick, run by Norwegian entrepreneur Sebastian Guerts, decided to invest in FaZe Clan.[9] Hubrick recruited former record executive Lee Trink to serve as CEO.[9] In January 2016, FaZe Clan acquired European esports team G2 Esports's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive international lineup,[11] who competed as FaZe Clan in the 2016 MLG Major Championship: Columbus,[12] The team won second place in ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018, losing to US-based Cloud9.[13] In 2017, Bengston moved to Los Angeles, starting a new shared home with YouTubers called the Clout House.[10] FaZe Clan were the runners up in ESL Pro League Season 6 in 2017,[14] and second runners up of ESL Pro League Season 7 and ESL One Cologne 2018. FaZe Clan were the champions of ELeague CS:GO Premier in 2017, winning $500,000 of prize money.[15]

In 2018, Greg Selkoe, founder of streetware web retailer Karmaloop, became the president of FaZe Clan, with CEO Lee Trink stepping into the CEO role full-time.[16][5] In late 2018, FaZe Clan opened its series A funding round. Throughout 2019, musicians Ray J, DJ Paul, Offset, Swae Lee, Yo Gotti, Pitbull, and Disco Fries, basketball players Meyers Leonard, Josh Hart, Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray, footballer Gregory van der Wiel, skateboarder Nyjah Huston, radio host Big Boy, music executives Sylvia Rhone, Troy Carter and Guy Oseary and actor Chris O'Donnell invested in FaZe Clan.[17][18][19][20][21] In December 2019, FaZe closed its series A led by entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine and mobile e-commerce platform NTWRK.[22][23]

In January 2020, FaZe Clan obtained a $22.7 million investment loan from a private lender. FaZe was advised on the transaction by Canaccord Genuity, a Canadian financial company.[24][25] On June 18, 2020, FaZe Clan announced its co-ownership of CTRL, a food supplement company.[26] In December 2020, FaZe Clan was worth $305 million. That same month the revenue of FaZe Clan was estimated $40 million.[27] It also released the film Crimson under FaZe Studios in 2020, with Brian "Rug" Awadis in a leading role.[28]

On June 10, 2021, FaZe Clan became the first esports team to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[29] The same year it announced it was merging with special purpose acquisition investors B. Riley Principal to become a public company listed on NASDAQ, with an initial valuation of about $1 billion. As part of this merge, FaZe would receive $291 million from B. Riley, and would be renamed to Faze Holdings Inc. and refocus itself as a brand for "the voice of youth culture".[30] The merger was approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,[31] and the company went public on July 20, 2022, however with a lower than announced valuation of $725 million.[32]

Current divisions

Call of Duty

FaZe France

On September 19, 2013, FaZe eSniping, their competitive Call of Duty sniping division, was announced with the joining of Raphael "Zydar" Zydar, Elliot "Hyspe" and Kevin "RanbOw", led by Anil "WaRTeK" Brancaleoni.[33] On April 3, 2014, FaZe Clan announced the rebranding of FaZe eSniping to FaZe France.[34] RanbOw left the team after one and a half years, with Anthony "Toto" replacing him.[35][36] On May 26, 2015, the players and staff of FaZe France stated they weren't satisfied with FaZe's plans and left to create their own organization.[37]

Atlanta FaZe

Main article: Atlanta FaZe

On May 2, 2019, Activision Blizzard announced that Atlanta Esports Ventures had purchased one of the first five franchise slots for the Call of Duty League. According to ESPN, the publisher was looking to sell slots for approximately $25 million per team.[38] "We have the opportunity to—once again—play a pivotal role in Atlanta's diverse esports community by bringing the future of Call of Duty esports to the city," said Hamilton in a release at the time.[39] AEV and FaZe Clan partnered together for the team, and in October 2019, they announced that the team would be named the Atlanta FaZe.[40]

Rosters

FaZe Clan rosters
CS:GO
Handle Name Nationality
rain Nygaard, Håvard Norway
broky Saukants, Helvijs Latvia
Twistzz Van Dulken, Russel Canada
karrigan Andersen, Finn Denmark
ropz Kool, Robin Estonia
olofmeister (I) Kajbjer Gustafsson, Olof Sweden
FIFA Online
Handle Name Nationality
TDKeane Songsaisakul, Teedech Thailand
Michael04 Rojjanasinlapin, Sorawit Thailand
JubJub Varanan, Phatanasak Thailand
Fortnite Battle Royale
Handle Name Nationality
Nate Hill Hill, Nate United States
Megga Ackenine, Noam United States
Dubs Walsh, Daniel United States
Martoz Martinez, Manuel Netherlands
Mongraal Jackson, Kyle United Kingdom
Bizzle Miller, Timothy United States
Halo
Handle Name Nationality
Bound Gray, Adam United States
Bubu Dubu Moeller, Jesse United States
Falcated Garcia, Michael United States
Snip3down Wrona, Eric United States
Towey Towey, Ryan United States
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Handle Name Nationality
Fuzzface Tillberg-Persson, David Sweden
Aitzy Kapustin, Ivan Russia
ubah Jahnsen, Ludvik Norway
Gustav Blønd, Gustav Denmark
rawryy Substitute player Logue, Rory United Kingdom
PUBG Mobile Mobile
Handle Name Nationality
Beerii Phomrat, Peerapol Thailand
Lycan Boonrat, Apiwat Thailand
BulShark Maneerat, Ratchapol Thailand
Vintorez Pluksang, Tharit Thailand
MR5 Murasri, Thiraphong Thailand
TonyK Muensa, Nattawut Thailand
Rainbow Six Siege
Handle Name Nationality
cameram4n Hespanhol, Gabriel Brazil
Astro Buzzachera, Leonardo Brazil
Bullet1 Victor, José Brazil
cyb3r Ramos, Jaime Brazil
soulz1 Romero Schinke, Lucas Brazil
Rocket League
Handle Name Nationality
Sypical Pellegrin, Caden United States
AYYJAYY (I) Aebi, Austin United States
Firstkiller Corral, Jason United States
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Handle Name Nationality
Spargo Valdez, Edgar United States
Valorant
Handle Name Nationality
babybay Francisty, Andrej United States
dicey Tran, Quan United States
supamen Le, Phat United States
POISED Ngo, Kevin Canada
POACH Brumleve, Jake United States
Rawkus (I) Flaherty, Shane United States
flyuh (I) Carlson, Xavier United States
LarryBanks (I) Doyi, Chris Canada
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (L) On loan
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness


Partnerships and collaborations

FaZe Clan has been partnered with caffeinated drink mix brand Gamma Labs' G Fuel since 2012, which is currently one of the longest promotional collaborations in esports.[41] As a part of the collaboration, the company released FaZe-themed flavors, such as "FaZe Clan's Battle Juice" in 2019.[42] On May 2, 2019, Atlanta Esports Ventures announced the purchase of a franchise spot in Call of Duty league in partnership with FaZe Clan.[43] The resulting team, Atlanta FaZe, was announced on October 26, 2019.[44]

On November 22, 2018, FaZe Clan collaborated with sportswear manufacturer Champion to release exclusive clothing.[45] In 2019, Champion released exclusive clothing with FaZe on four occasions.[46][47][48][49] Champion is manufacturing most of the clothing released by FaZe. On March 14, 2019, FaZe Clan collaborated with clothing brand Siberia Hills for a limited-time hoodie release.[50]

On March 21, 2019, FaZe Clan announced its partnership with automobile manufacturer Nissan.[51] Nissan started producing two original series on FaZe's YouTube channel.

On September 26, 2019, football club Manchester City announced its partnership with FaZe Clan for content creation and clothing.[52]

On July 20, 2019, FaZe Clan opened a booth at ComplexCon 2019, where they sold exclusive clothing in collaboration with Champion, label Lyrical Lemonade and clothing brand 24karats.[47] They collaborated with 24karats again on August 16, 2019, to release clothing accessories,[53] and with Lyrical Lemonade on November 27 of the same year.[54] On September 17, 2019, FaZe Clan collaborated with headwear company New Era.[55] Through November 3 to 22, 2019, FaZe Clan collaborated with designer Warren Lotas, sportswear brand Kappa and clothing brand CLOT respectively to release exclusive clothing.[56][57]

In August 2021, FaZe Clan announced a sponsorship with McDonald's. The companies will partner on a series of content and other projects featuring major FaZe Clan stars.[58]

In September 2021, FaZe Clan and DC Comics collaborated on a limited edition comic book, written by Josh Trujillo and illustrated by Scot Eaton, featuring Batman and several members of the FaZe Clan.[59]

Philanthropy

On March 15, 2020, FaZe Clan unveiled Fight 2 Fund, its four-week charity Call of Duty: Warzone event, in which social media influencers, YouTubers, streamers, celebrities, sportspeople and musicians participate. Viewers could donate money, which would be donated to charities helping people impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019.[60] The event raised over $124,000.[23]

References

  1. ^ Beresford, Trilby (May 19, 2022). "FaZe Clan Appoints Zach Katz as President and COO". the Hollywoord Reporter. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "FaZe Clan's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "About FaZeClan". YouTube.
  4. ^ a b "Fazeclan Monthly YouTube Statistics - Socialblade.com". March 19, 2015. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Lorenz, Taylor (November 15, 2019). "Can FaZe Clan Build a Billion-Dollar Business?". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  6. ^ @FaZeClan (August 7, 2014). "Correct answer was Resistance, Housecat, and Clipz! Thanks for being a fan :) @ohPoison_" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Mazique, Brian (July 23, 2018). "HOW FAZE CLAN IS REDEFINING WHAT CELEBRITY—AND A TEAM—CAN BE". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "FaZe ILLCAMS". YouTube. June 2, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e Gutelle, Sam (April 26, 2018). "From Trickshots to Trophies: FaZe Clan Is The Massive Network Redefining Gaming On YouTube, Twitch, And Beyond". Tube Filter. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Webb, Kevin (April 21, 2020). "The story behind gaming giant FaZe Clan's new mansion in LA, which costs $80,000 per month and was once rented by Justin Bieber". Business Insider. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  11. ^ Raven, Josh (January 25, 2016). "With $700,000 price tag, FaZe becomes the most expensive CS:GO team in history". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Gonzales, Dennis (March 30, 2016). "3 Storylines to watch at MLG Major Championship: Columbus". The Score Esports. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  13. ^ Tullis, Matt (February 17, 2018). "The Big Wins Seen in ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018". Medium. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Bishop, Sam (December 12, 2017). "SK Gaming win the ESL Pro League Season 6 finals". Game Reactor. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "FaZe Clan win $500,000 after ELEAGUE CS:GO victory". MCV UK. October 16, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "Faze Clan, 100 Thieves, And How Hip-Hop And Video Games Collide". Vibe. April 24, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Fitch, Adam (August 15, 2019). "FaZe Clan receives investment from Offset". Esports Insider. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  18. ^ "Rapper and Entrepreneur Ray J Invests in Tech and Esports". Cheddar. February 20, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  19. ^ Michael, Cale (April 13, 2019). "NBA player Meyers Leonard invests in FaZe Clan, plans to work on content creation". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  20. ^ "LA Laker Josh Hart Tells Why He Invested in FaZe Clan". Cheddar. June 11, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  21. ^ "FaZe Clan Reveals $40 Million Series A Details". PR Newswire. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  22. ^ Settimi, Christina (April 9, 2020). "FaZe Clan Closes Funding Round With Jimmy Iovine And Celebrity-Backed E-Commerce Company NTWRK". Forbes. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Seck, Tobias (April 18, 2020). "FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink Shares Insights on the Team's $40M Series A Investment". The Esports Observer. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  24. ^ "FaZe Clan". Canaccord Genuity. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Hitt, Kevin (February 3, 2020). "FaZe Clan Obtains $22.7M Investment Loan From Canadian Lending Firm". The Esports Observer. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  26. ^ @FaZeClan (June 18, 2020). "Today we're incredibly proud to announce FaZe Clan are now co-owners of @DrinkCTRL - the healthy Meal Replacement that tastes like the bottom of a Cereal bowl 🥣" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Settimi, Christina. "The Most Valuable Esports Companies 2020". Forbes. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  28. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (October 30, 2020). "YouTube Superstar FaZe Rug on His New Horror Film 'Crimson'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  29. ^ Bosch, Jef Van den (June 11, 2021). "FaZe Clan featured on Sports Illustrated cover - Esport". eSports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  30. ^ Partis, Danielle (October 25, 2021). "Faze Clan goes public with $1bn valuation". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  31. ^ Horetski, Dylan (June 22, 2022). "FaZe Clan set to become public company as merger approved". Dexerto. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  32. ^ Peters, Jay (July 20, 2022). "Faze Clan goes public in $725 million SPAC deal". The Verge. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  33. ^ @AnilBrancaleoni (September 19, 2013). "Tout mes mates sont avec moi !" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ @FaZeClan (April 3, 2014). "We are happy to announce we have officially re-branded our French division headed by WaRTeK to FaZe France!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ @IRanbOw (February 23, 2015). "Je quitte @FaZe_France j'ai plus grand chose a faire dedans, j'ai plus les moyens de stream ni l'envie" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ @Sy_MrToto (January 18, 2015). "Je vous annonce officiellement que je fait partie de la Team FaZe France !" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Reynier, Carl (May 26, 2015). "Au revoir FaZe, nous débutons une nouvelle aventure !". TwitLonger (in French). Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  38. ^ Pei, Annie (May 2, 2019). "Activision Blizzard announces first 5 teams for Call of Duty esports league". CNBC. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  39. ^ Shenke, Jarred (October 22, 2019). "Esports Team Owned By Cox Enterprises Buys Atlanta Property". Bisnow Atlanta. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  40. ^ Duran, Heidi B. (October 28, 2019). "FaZe Clan, Atlanta Esports Ventures Reveal Call of Duty League Team, Atlanta FaZe". The Esports Observer. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  41. ^ Nicholson, Jonno (March 10, 2020). "FaZe Clan extends and expands partnership with G FUEL". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  42. ^ "Gamma Labs is bringing back Pineapple as Battle Juice G Fuel". Stack3d. January 3, 2019.
  43. ^ Bhat, Keshav (May 2, 2019). "Five cities have purchased a spot in the upcoming franchised Call of Duty league". Charlie INTEL. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  44. ^ Bloom, David (October 26, 2019). "Call of Duty League Adds FaZe Clan To Atlanta Franchise Partnership". Forbes. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  45. ^ FaZe Clan [@FaZeClan] (November 22, 2018). "For Champions, by Champion" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  46. ^ FaZe Clan [@FaZeClan] (April 15, 2019). "F/Champion collab Round" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  47. ^ a b FaZe Clan [@FaZeClan] (July 16, 2019). "FaZe x Champion" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  48. ^ FaZe Clan [@FaZeClan] (October 24, 2019). "F/Champion for Breast Cancer Awareness Month" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  49. ^ FaZe Clan [@FaZeClan] (December 11, 2019). "FaZe Clan by Champion, the full Capsule Collection" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  50. ^ FaZe Clan [@FaZeClan] (March 14, 2019). "FaZe Clan x Siberia Hills" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ "Nissan levels up into the world of esports with FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming partnership". Nissan News USA. March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  52. ^ "City and FaZe Clan launch collaboration". Manchester City FC. September 26, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  53. ^ @24karatsTOKYO (August 17, 2019). "【FaZe Clan×24KARATS POP UP】8.17(SAT)にFaZe Clan×24KARATS POP UPをPKCZ GALLERY STORE 中目黒にて開催いたします。今回のPOP UPの為に製作したFAZE CLAN × 24KARATS Collaboration Itemがリリースとなります。※詳しくはこちら 24karats.jp/blog/date/2019" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  54. ^ @FaZeClan (November 29, 2019). "FaZe Clan by @LyricaLemonade Black Hoodie & Grey Hoodie Now Available Online for Purchase" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  55. ^ @FaZeClan (September 17, 2019). "FaZe Clan by @NewEraCap Now available only at: fazeclan.com" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  56. ^ @FaZeClan (November 3, 2019). "FaZe Clan by Warren Lotas is now available for an extremely limited time" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  57. ^ @FaZeClan (November 22, 2019). "FaZe Clan x Clot" (Tweet). Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  58. ^ Stubbs, Mike. "McDonald's Sponsors FaZe Clan In Major Deal". Forbes.
  59. ^ Beresford, Trilby (September 8, 2021). "FaZe Clan and DC Unveil Batman Comic Book Collaboration". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  60. ^ Moyer, Phillip (March 21, 2020). "FaZe Runs Call Of Duty: Warzone Tournament To Fund Coronavirus Charity". TheGamer. Retrieved May 24, 2020.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by PGL Major Antwerp 2022 winner
2022 		Succeeded by
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