FaZe Clan likely has another difficult battle on its hands.
According to a report by Upcomer, the supposed 13-year-old Fortnite esports star H1ghsky1 is in reality only 12 years old. If true, the report confirms allegations against the organization from fellow FaZe Clan Fortnite pro Turner “Tfue” Tenney.
The report is based on archived social media posts made by the parents of H1ghsky1, which include references to their son’s age. Based upon the dates of the posts and their mentions of his age, Upcomer believes that he was signed at just 11 years old and is 12 today. This would put him in violation of the terms of service for most social media platforms and disqualify him from competing in professional Fortnite events. This aligns with a specific claim made in Tfue’s lawsuit against FaZe Clan.
“It is also widely publicized that Faze Clan has recently signed an eleven year old gamer/artist,” the court filing said. “Upon information and belief, Faze Clan has not only lied about the minor’s age, but has also pressured the minor and his family to do so. Such conduct by Faze Clan was in violation of Labor Code § 1700.36.”
This is a hard shot to FaZe Clan, and one that could put H1ghsky1’s competitive future in jeopardy.
Fortnite Esports’ Youngest Star at Risk
H1ghsky1 has been one of FaZe’s biggest social media successes in recent months. The youngster has over 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, 900,000 on Instagram, and over 400,000 followers on Twitch. This has come alongside some real success in Fortnite tournaments, including raking in thousands of dollars from the Blackheart Cup and the Fortnite Winter Royale Series, respectively.
Those are impressive numbers, but those achievements are now threatened by this report.
YouTube and Twitch both require content creators to be at least 13 years old. This also applies to Fortnite esports, which demands competitors be in their teens or older for both live and online Fortnite tournaments.
If the report is true, and if YouTube or Twitch choose to pursue it, this could see H1ghsky1’s social media presence suspended or possibly deleted. Meanwhile, he could be removed from competitive Fortnite until he reaches the legal age, including being barred from the remainder of the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers.
No party involved has yet released a statement on the report.
