The N.Y. TIMES' Taylor Lorenz profiled FaZe Clan as part of its "Fast Forward" series, noting it has become more than a "media company, or an esports team, or an influencer marketing agency." It is a "direct-to-consumer e-commerce business, releasing merchandise and apparel; an in-house content production studio; a talent-management business; a sales team acting as a mini advertising agency negotiating brand deals; and a technology arm that develops software to meet the demands of talent." FaZe this weekend opened its first storefront in L.A. It "consists of 34 content creators and 15 professional esports players, and 11 hybrid creators who are both pro players and entertainers." Members are "easy to recognize online" as they refer to themselves "using their gamer tags, which always start with 'FaZe.'" They make things for the "their channels, the collective FaZe channels, or for brands." In addition, FaZe has done advertising deals this year with Fortune 500 brands including Nissan and Burger King. The company in September announced a partnership with EPL club Manchester City to "create content around the sports franchise and to partner on merchandise" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/17).
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