Gaming frat house and influencer group FaZe Clan is going back to its roots, apparently. Co-founder Richard “Banks” Bengston assumed control of the organization late last year, and on April 27, he decided to purge 17 members in a devastating reboot that left content creators shook by the decision-makkng.
Since March 4, the main FaZe Clan account had been silent on X/Twitter. But Banks, who returned to the organization after it was acquired by the brand marketing company GameSquare Holdings, Inc. in October 2023, snatched up the keys to the gaming collective’s social media channels. And on April 27, he posted a short video announcing that the slate had been wiped pretty clean.
Banks clarified on his X/Twitter account on the same day that most of the folks of FaZe Clan have been kicked. Instead of roughly 30 people, the organization has been reduced to just 14 core creators, including controversial streamer Nickmercs. “Everyone else is out,” Banks said. “That is the roster.” This means that 17 FaZe Clan members—like Call of Duty players Agony and Bloo, both of whom were part of the collective for at least a decade—were booted. Even Warzone streamer Kalei, the sole woman member of FaZe Clan, was kicked.
Twitch streamer Logan posted a 5-minute clip to X/Twitter, accusing Banks of “dropping the ball” for “killing the base of the fucking company.” Banks responded to Logan in an 8-minute video, explaining that the FaZe Clan reboot has been “a long time” coming and the decision was all about the core family.
“I can’t apologize for doing what feels right. I can’t apologize for wanting this to be fun again. I can’t apologize for trying to do right by the brand,” Banks said. “Because, in all honesty—myself included—if it was the right decision to step away, or get the fuck out of the way, I would do that in two seconds because I’m indebted to FaZe Clan. I’ve seen FaZe mismanaged and abused and fucking the life sucked out of it for so long that, like, all I want to do is, I want to see the brand run, and win, and thrive because it deserves to. It’s changed so many fucking people’s lives. It’s a fucking super important thing. FaZe belongs in history books and in a museum, not on a bag of fucking pizza rolls.”
Founded in 2010, FaZe Clan started out as a collective of friends shooting the shit, both figuratively and literally, as they grouped up together to share videos of themselves playing games online. FaZe Clan ballooned not too long after hitting the scene, growing into a massive esports organization that competes in Call of Duty, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Valorant tournaments worldwide. But in recent years, the group has struggled—FaZe Clan lost nearly $US55 million in 2022 alone. And when it went public on the stock market in January 2023, its price was a measly dollar, prompting rapper Snoop Dogg to bail out from investing and Wall Street to put a fire under FaZe Clan’s ass to get its shit together. In spite of these financial woes, FaZe Clan remains one of, if not the, most popular gaming organization. Maybe that’s why Banks feels like the collective belongs in history books and museums.
Kotaku has reached out to FaZe Clan for comment.
This is just the most recent controversy FaZe Clan has been engulfed in. Last year, the gaming collective was lambasted for signing Stranger Things star Grace Van Dien, which resulted in her leaving the organization. Nickmercs also got FaZe Clan in trouble last year when he went on an anti-LGBTQ+ rant that saw Activision pull his Call of Duty skin.
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