On May 20, a controversy broke that, one of the most popular streamers of Fortnite, Turner Tfue, sued FaZe Clan. He wanted to terminate the contract owing to the unfavorable conditions. Let’s have a look chronology of the conflict and talk about what happened and who is to blame.
What didn’t Tfue like?
Initially, the incident became known from third parties. The Hollywood Reporter portal published an exclusive material, which initially stated that FaZe take up to 80% of Tfue revenues. What is important, the lawsuit does not specify the details. It is not known how often and for what activities the club allocated the large portion of the money to itself.
The article also mentions other shocking claims from Tfue. According to him, the organization forced him to live with other streamers, and before he became an adult, he was forced to drink alcohol and participate in gambling. He also noted that the organization entered into a contract with an 11-year-old gamer and “forced” his parents to lie about their son’s age. Tenney also appealed to the labor protection commission.
Tfue’s requirement is to terminate the contract between him and FaZe. He already tried to break the contract unilaterally in September, but he failed. Tenney wants to work with sponsors on his own.
How could all of this happen?
Tfue has been associated with FaZe for quite while, since April 2018. During this time, he has become one of the most popular Twitch streamers (regularly included in the top 10). He also ranks second in terms of winning prizes at Fortnite – more than $ 500,000. All this happened during the period of his appearances for FaZe.
Tfue and the club did not advertise the situation with the contract, so for most of the audience the conflict was quite shocking. Moreover, the representatives of FaZe Clan were also surprised.
The reaction of FaZe
FaZe Clan made an official statement , where the organization mentioned that Tfue received 100% of its revenue from prize money, Twitch, YouTube and other media platforms. The club admitted that it “took” 20% from Tfue from sponsorship deals (in total – $ 60 thousand), while the American “earned millions”.
FaZe Clan’s response to today’s press article regarding Tfue: pic.twitter.com/eVdRVMnRpl
— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) May 20, 2019
On May 21, Tfue’s Fortnite partner Dennis Cloak Lepora commented on the situation . He did not take sides, but called on Tfue fans not to insult the owner of the organization Banks.
The co-owner of the club Richard Banks Bengtson, seemed really upset about the Tfue situation and even recorded a video on the matter. He also joked that he feels stupid, because on his body there is a tattoo “Code Tfue”, which shows his support for the Streamer.
Representatives of the industry considered that a precedent could become very important for all e-sports. For example, Alan Nahaz Bester and Paul Redeye Chaloner talked about the fact that it is important for players to assert their rights and to contact lawyers in a timely manner.
