Streamers Who Were Brutally Honest About Their Time In FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan has grown into one of the biggest gaming content organizations in the world, but it seems that there are a handful of creators who have spent time with the org and weren't pleased by the way it operates. This isn't to say that the company's business model hasn't been a successful one, of course. The group currently consists of 78 listed members and the FaZe website claims that it now has over half a billion fans worldwide. That said, many of those same fans might find it surprising to learn that several gaming professionals who've been associated with FaZe over the years have come forward with numerous complaints against the company, ranging from contract disputes to poor content management. A few of these situations have even resulted in legal battles between the creators and the company.
Some of the following creators were only briefly associated with FaZe, but others have been members of the organization from the very beginning. Here are a few of the streamers and pros who have come forward to share brutally honest testimonies about their time in FaZe Clan.
Blaze wasn't invited to join the FaZe Clan mansion
FaZe Clan built a massive mansion back in 2019, which reportedly cost somewhere in the 10-30 million dollar range. This was designed so that numerous members of FaZe Clan could live in the house and easily create content together. But just a few months later, "Call of Duty Warzone" streamer and content creator Lucas "Blaze" Mosing revealed that he was not invited to join the new FaZe house.
He explained in a video on his YouTube channel that he was initially somewhat blindsided by the revelation, as he had been living in the old FaZe house and the plan had been for him to join the others in the house. He said that this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though.
"Living at the FaZe house out in LA was not a good environment for me," he told his fans. "I wasn't productive and I wasn't happy. A lot of stuff happened behind closed doors, when the camera gets turned off, that I didn't really share with you guys because it's hard for me to talk about, just, sad things." He didn't go into details about what happened, but he seemed much happier living on his own and still expressed his gratitude to FaZe.
Since then, as explained in a more recent TikTok video, Blaze has described himself as feeling a great amount of distance between himself and the day-to-day goings-on at FaZe Clan.
@blaze FaZe Blaze speaks on being distant from FaZe Clan #FaZe
Tifu sued FaZe over his contract
A few years ago, Turner "Tfue" Tenney and FaZe Clan threw down in one of the most public contract disputes in content org history. The content creator and esports pro sued FaZe over a contract that his reps called "grossly oppressive, onerous, and one-sided." Not only did Tfue contend that he wasn't being paid his fair share, but he also claimed the org pressured him into participating in a dangerous lifestyle that included underage drinking and gambling.
After the org denied all wrongdoing, Tfue posted a famous clip to his YouTube channel in which he urged FaZe Clan to publicly release his contract for the world to see. He walked back the language from the lawsuit surrounding the underage partying, but reiterated that he should never have signed such a binding contract at such a young age. "This contract basically allows FaZe, at any point in three years, to just f***ing take all my hard earnings, all my hard work, and just strip it."
FaZe Clan retaliated with a lawsuit of it's own, claiming that Tfue had not shared tournament winnings that the org was contractually owed. The most awkward part? Tfue was still legally part of FaZe Clan during the whole ugly ordeal.
In August 2020, the two parties announced the legal battle had come to an end. No settlement figures were released, but it seems like FaZe Clan and Tfue were happy to put the whole thing behind them.
Cloakzy left FaZe after a two-year contract dispute
Denis "Cloakzy" Lepore is a former pro "Fortnite" player who now primarily streams "Call of Duty" on Twitch. He was a member of the FaZe Clan for over four years, but left after a dispute regarding his contract that dragged on for two years. The period toward the end of this contract was incredibly strained, during which Cloakzy openly complained about the org to his viewers. It was clear that Cloakzy wanted to leave FaZe well before it ended, but he was not allowed to do so until it expired.
Around the same time that Tfue's first lawsuit against FaZe was being thrown out, Cloakzy complained that FaZe was uncommunicative when he attempted to negotiate an early release from his contract, then continued to be unresponsive when he attempted to buy himself out. He was also concerned that the organization would try to sell his contract right as it was about to expire.
This ultimately didn't come to pass, though. Cloakzy was released from his contract in March 2021. He posted a tweet apologizing for his negative comments about FaZe Clan and expressing gratitude that they'd come to an agreement.
I want to apologize for everything negative I've said about FaZe Clan as we worked through my contract. I am grateful for everything they've done for me, and am happy we have come to an agreement to part ways. I wish nothing but the best for everyone over at FaZe.
— cloakzy (@cloakzy) March 9, 2021
Some of his fans argued that this apology seemed a little too congenial, however, and wondered if it was perhaps a press statement that he was forced to post as part of his agreement to get out of his contract.
Rain thinks FaZe is losing engagement
FaZe Rain is a "Call of Duty" streamer and content creator who has been with FaZe since 2012. Over the last few years, fans have followed along on his journey as he's battled addiction and feuded with various members of the group after being asked to move out of the org's mansion.
In late 2022, he posted a YouTube video on his channel titled "Exposing FaZe Clan," in which he reiterated his numerous issues with the company over the years. He said that the organization owed him money, that some of their debts to him had taken as long as six years to be paid, that he'd never gotten a brand deal through FaZe and that he had several other frustrations which he couldn't talk about on camera, but his biggest concern was that outside investors who were not part of the community were starting to take control.
He made another post (that has since been deleted) in which he repeated his fears and also said part of the problem was that FaZe's content was starting to lose engagement with its audience. He claimed that the content that performed best were memes or clips that took advantage of other creators' popularity. In essence, he claimed content that directly represented FaZe Clan was the least likely to do well.
Teeqo claims FaZe favors new creators over veterans
"Valorant" streamer and content creator Jakob "Teeqo" Swaerden joined FaZe all the way back in 2011, just one year after the organization was founded. Like rain, Teego has spoken out about the org's issues on a number of occasions. In addition to the problems pointed out by Rain, Teego has claimed the group's leadership regularly offers lucrative deals to attract new creators while simultaneously neglecting those who have been with the org for over a decade.
"How are you going to be the biggest organization in the world — leaders in this scene, pushing this industry forward, leading by example — and you can't even take care of your members [who have] been in for twelve f***ing years," he said in a video posted to his YouTube channel. He then went on to claim that FaZe made "fake promises" that they never upheld, which led him to believe that they were stringing him along while never intending to follow through.
Teego revealed that his contract was as bad as Tfue's at one point. He said that "someone else can come in as late as last year who's not from this industry, never lifted a finger for FaZe — probably didn't even know what FaZe was — and get three times the amount of shares that I have, and ... a salary that's more money than I've ever been paid by FaZe."
Teeqo said that while FaZe always claims to put "talent first," it rarely feels that way for the creators in their organization, regardless of how long they've been with the group.