Popular Fortnite streamer Nick “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff has signed with FaZe Clan in a surprise turn of events. The organization announced the signing via its official Twitter account.
Both FaZe and NICKMERCS have had significant public disputes in the last week.
FaZe Clan’s is arguably more pertinent. The long-standing esports organization may have been in violation of California labor laws when it signed alleged 11-year-old Fortnite pro h1ghsky1, as stated by Turner “Tfue” Tenney in his contract lawsuit against FaZe Clan.
Tfue claimed that FaZe could take up to 80% of the money from any brand endorsement he made while under the banner of the organization, in addition to large percentages of other incoming revenues. That lawsuit is ongoing.
NICKMERCS’ situation is far more murky. The streamer claims he was promised up to 5% equity in the 100 Thieves esports organization, but when it came time for owner Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag to put that down in writing, the amount on the contract was for significantly less than NICKMERCS alleges was agreed to.
According to Liquipedia, NICKMERCS has won over $100,000 playing Fortnite, which included third place finishes in weeks two and six of the Fortnite Summer Skirmish.
The merger is a big potential win for FaZe, who will gain one of Fortnite’s most watched streamers and a beloved figure in the community. NICKMERCS first made a name for himself in the Gears of War and Call of Duty scenes, and still uses a Scuf PS4 controller to play Fortnite competitively.
100 Thieves signed Jack “CouRage” Dunlop as a content creator to ease the pain of NICKMERCS leaving. NICKMERCS gets a new organization to play for in FaZe, while FaZe Clan gets a publicity win by signing one of Fortnite’s most popular players.
