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GamingFaZe Clan Fallout Explained: How Will FaZe Esports Really Be Impacted?
Over the Christmas festivities, one of the biggest esports and content organizations in the world seemed to completely fall apart. FaZe Clan waved goodbye to its creators that have dominated Twitch for the last two years, and company stalwarts who have been around for well over a decade. But what actually happened, and how are FaZe’s esports operations going to be affected?
In July 2025, Ricky “Banks” Bengtson stepped down from his role as CEO of FaZe Clan, amid crypto scam allegations.
Then, in September, founder Thomas “Temperrr” Oliveira left the organization, following sexual misconduct accusations against a minor from former FaZe star Nordan “Rain” Shat.
While none of this seems particularly relevant to the topic at hand, it’s clear that there has been serious discontentment and disillusion in FaZe Clan for some months now – and that came to a head on Christmas Day.
All FaZe Clan Creators Leave
Across Christmas, almost every major creator announced their departure from FaZe. This included the likes of Alexander “Adapt” Prynkiewicz and Alexander “Apex” Prynkiewicz, who had been with the org for almost 15 years, as well as their new stars like Nick “Lacy” Fosco, Rani “StableRonaldo” Netz, and others.
FaZe Clan posted a statement on December 28, confirming the end of “this era” of the organization.
“It’s heartbreaking to see this era of FaZe come to a close,” they said. “It’s beyond tragic the way it all ended, it’s been an emotional few days.
“We wish the boys the best not only as creators, but as people too. FaZe has always felt like a family, so we will always unconditionally root for and support them.”
However, the final sentence in the statement is perhaps the most interesting: “FaZe esports has always operated as a separate entity, nothing on that side will change. Rather it will become our main focus moving forward.”
Our main focus moving forward.
FaZe to Hone In On Esports Focus
FaZe has always been creator-led, through both good and bad times. The brand expanded far beyond its hardcore gaming roots over the years, becoming one of the most recognized global brands in gaming and attracting the interest of major names like Snoop Dogg and Kyler Murray, among others.
That said, they’ve been no slouch on the esports side either. They’ve won multiple championships in Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and PUBG. Their teams have dominated and earned huge fan bases in their own right.
But if you only followed the streamers, you probably wouldn’t know any of that was even happening.
Now, though, it’s going to be the main focus of the organization, as reiterated by Kaysan, the man that has consistently straddled the line between FaZe Esports and FaZe Media, the officially-recognized names of the two sides of the business.
“There will be no impact whatsoever to FaZe esports,” he said in his Twitch stream. “The CS team is fine, the Call of Duty team – who also has an incredible owner in Paul Hamilton [of Atlanta Esports Ventures] running the show… We also have ZooMaa, who in my eyes is every part the identity of what FaZe should be.”
He also reiterated his commitment to the organization, saying that he’s “all in” on growing FaZe esports even further.
Already Changes in FaZe Esports
Not long after the announcements, there were actually some changes in the FaZe esports ecosystem, though its unclear how much it correlates to the changes within the organization.
Fortnite star Shane “EpikWhale” Cotton said on December 28 that he has now parted ways with FaZe. However, with changes coming to Fortnite in 2026 including a switch to duos, changes were expected here regardless.
Of course, things may change more going forward, but the renewed focus on esports will be a breath of fresh air for fans of the organization’s competitive endeavors.
There’s likely to be a process over the coming months where the changes will become clearer, but if someone like Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto really is the blueprint for the future of FaZe, we may see them take on a role more similar to long-time rivals OpTic Gaming, whose content has always focused on their esports teams and players.
