When it rains for FaZe Clan, it pours.
According to a report by The Blast, the esports organization has been quietly dealing with a lawsuit from defunct social media platform Hubrick. The two sides have been locked in a legal battle since 2018 for “intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and misappropriation of trade secrets,” with Hubrick seeking over $1 million in damages.
Per the report, Hubrick helped build FaZe during its initial rise to prominence by growing the team’s presence on YouTube, recruiting new players, and bankrolling some of the organization’s early operations, including a $1.3 million transfer of funds. At some point, FaZe ended its relationship with Hubrick and allegedly broke into the company’s offices in the dead of night to steal gaming hardware, office furniture, and all the information stored on Hubrick’s computers. Hubrick closed operations in 2018.
Though FaZe has been battling Hubrick in court for a long while now, the story only adds to the organization’s souring reputation.
FaZe Clan Lawsuits Add Up
Last month, FaZe Clan became a national interest when news broke that Turner “Tfue” Tenney had filed a lawsuit to split from the organization. The star Fortnite player’s court filing contained a number of explosive allegations against the team including preying on young esports talent and signing them to exploitative contracts.
While the would have cast a negative light on the organization on its own, things quickly spiraled out of control when FaZe COO Richard “Banks” Bengtson had a meltdown on Twitter. During a days-long rant he lashed out at Tfue as greedy and a traitor, but also inexplicably agreed with the allegation that FaZe was signing players to unfair contracts. This was exacerbated further when Tfue called on FaZe to make his contract public, a challenge Banks initially accepted but later backed down from.
In addition to the initial backlash from the Tfue case, FaZe recently saw one of its most compelling acts come under fire.
In Tfue’s court filing, he alleged the organization had signed an 11-year-old streamer and pressured him and his family to lie about his age in order to maintain his presence on social media. This claim led reporters to unearth evidence that purported 13-year-old FaZe streamer H1ghsky1 was not actually old enough to use most social media platforms, which resulted in his Twitch channel being deactivated.
Though the ongoing litigation with Hubrick is nothing new for the organization, its revelation comes at a time where its precious clout with fans has nearly run out.
