Six influencers recently announced they are leaving the esports group FaZe Clan following unsuccessful contract negotiations with new management. The influencers, known as Adapt, Jason, Ronaldo, Lacy, Rage, and Silky, comprised the entire roster listed on the FaZe Clan website.
Adapt wrote on social media that he had spent 14 years as part of FaZe Clan, stating, “Over half of my life, I’d be lying if I said this didn’t hurt, but it had to be done.” Another FaZe Clan member who left in August had previously described a situation where the influencers felt they had “no control, and it’s like we’re puppets.”
The group had reportedly been negotiating with FaZe Clan investor HardScope and its CEO, Matt Kalish, for the past six months. Kalish plans to continue the group without the departed influencers. He told reporters, “My best guess is they’re all good kids and have a lot of people in their ear and are confused.” He also claimed that the group’s current financial structure is “unsustainable.”
FaZe Clan went public in 2022, but the company was acquired by GameSquare for $17 million the following year, and its CEO was fired.