Several top execs at FaZe Clan, an esports lifestyle conglomerate, will leave the group to start XSET, a competing firm. Founded in 2010, FaZe Clan has promoted gamers as social media influencers in their own right and grown from a small gaming club to a media giant that covers influencer marketing, content production, talent management and e-commerce.
Lee Trink, the CEO of FaZe Clan, says the organization purposely embraced influencer culture and social media before others, yet Greg Selkoe, the club’s president, says the company must evolve, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the gaming industry’s own #MeToo moment.
Selkoe, one of the execs launching XSET, hopes the organization will be guided by inclusivity and social awareness. He adds that current gaming culture shows no diversity in terms of race, gender or sexual orientation. In particular, most esports teams are male, so Selkoe wants to attract women to XSET from the start as well as people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Despite its good intentions, XSET has so far only revealed three female members, though Selkoe insists that the organization will resemble “the youth of America.” In addition, he hopes to support Black Lives Matter as well as environmental and mental health awareness.
Trink considers that Selkoe was an asset to Faze Clan and will support the exec in his mission to foster more inclusivity. His organization formed a Diversity Council this year and offers bias trainings for its gamers and staff. “We welcome anyone who will join us in working toward these incredibly important goals,” Trink says.
At XSET, Selkoe will be joined by Wil Eddins, FaZe’s president of apparel and special projects, and Clinton Sparks, FaZe’s director of business development, both of whom hope to diversify the esports community as well. “We’re not just going to take on somebody because they’re popular and have big numbers,” Mr. Sparks said.
The organization has already recruited a number of celebrity gamers and content creators like Thwifo, a Valorant player; Cory “Bartonologist” Barton, a Call of Duty player; the Miami Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy; Minna Stess, a member of the U.S.A. Skateboarding National Team; and the Fortnite streamer AshleyBTW.
READ NEXT: FaZe Clan Is Developing A Feature-Length Movie
XSET is also leaving Los Angeles for Boston, where OpTic Gaming and 100 Thieves already promote numerous esports stars. The new organization will encourage gaming as a social community rather than just a competitive space.
“It’s time for gaming to clean up its act,” Selkoe says. “It’s not really about FaZe. It’s about the whole industry.”
Source: New York Times
