FaZe Clan, an esports lifestyle conglomerate, helped turn gamers into a new class of influencers on social media. Now, several top executives behind the FaZe Clan are leaving to start a competitive organization called XSET.
Since its founding in 2010, FaZe Clan has grown from a team of Call of Duty gamers to a multi-media company, spanning influence marketing, content production, talent management, and e-commerce. Lee Trink, its CEO, described FaZe when the Dallas Cowboys meet Supreme and MTV.
“Something like who we are has never existed before,” he told The New York Times in November. The organization owes much of its success to embracing influential culture and social media from the start.
But Greg Selkoe, president of the club, who has been with FaZe for the past two and a half years, believes there is room for improvement, especially amid record support for Black Lives Matter and a new wave of criticism for the treatment of the industry. of the women’s game.
So he leaves to start XSET, a gaming organization that he hopes will become the first of its kind built on the principles of inclusion and social good.
“We realized that there was a huge gap that had to be filled in the games market,” said Selkoe. “Players are from all walks of life and from all backgrounds. But if you look at today’s organizations, they look like a fraternity house. They don’t reflect racial and gender diversity in the gaming world. “
Most eSports teams are overwhelmingly masculine; FaZe Clan welcomed its first female member last year. Selkoe said she wants XSET to include more female players from the start. She also hopes to recruit more LGBTQ members and more people of color than most teams so far.
Of his early recruits, most are men. XSET has only announced three female members.
“We have a responsibility to do something that drives change,” Selkoe said. “We intend to have a very clear social mission of incision. We want to defend children who have been bullied or feel that there is no play organization for them. We want our organization to resemble the youth of the United States. “(To that end, the” x “in the XSET name is intended to represent a variable that means” anyone, “along with” set “as a team or group. .
Mr. Selkoe said that XSET will support Black Lives Matter, environmental awareness and mental health awareness. “This is a part of the game culture that people who care about the game, but are totally lacking in the professional gaming landscape,” he said.
“Greg was an asset to FaZe and we wish him the best in his next endeavor,” said Trink, the remaining chief executive of the FaZe Clan. “When it comes to diversity in games, there certainly hasn’t been enough progress in this crucial area, and we will encourage and support anyone who sets out to tackle this vital problem. FaZe has brought diversity and inclusion to the forefront of our priorities, specifically through the formation of a Diversity Council earlier this year, unconscious bias training for our players and employees, and an ongoing commitment to diversify the industry. We welcome anyone who joins us to work toward these incredibly important goals. “
To build XSET, Mr. Selkoe will bring two other members of the FaZe Clan leadership team with him: Wil Eddins, FaZe president of apparel and special projects, and Clinton Sparks, director of business development for FaZe, who also emphasized the need for an esports team that prioritizes diversity and social justice.
“We are not just going to face someone because they are popular and have great numbers,” Sparks said.
The organization will include three professional esports teams competing in Call of Duty, Valorant and Fortnite. Mr. Eddins and Mr. Sparks will also play roles in recruiting notable music artists, brands and celebrities. Mr. Selkoe said he also plans to launch a “raised” clothing line.
“We want the XSET logo to be the Nike swoosh of the games,” he said.
The organization has already recruited several high-profile players and content creators, including Thwifo, a Valorant player; Cory “Bartonologist” Barton, a Call of Duty player; Miami Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy; Minna Stess, a member of the United States National Skateboarding Team; and Fortnite streamer AshleyBTW.
Another factor that aims to differentiate XSET is geography; The company will be based in Boston, rather than Los Angeles, where many of its competitors, including OpTic Gaming and 100 Thieves, are building their own star charts.
“I have worked in games for almost 12 years and in many ways there are games and eSports in this Southern California bubble, both cultural and content,” said Marco Mereu, director of operations for XSET. “We are going back to our roots on the east coast. From Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, we are working with children in the places and spaces they know with the music they know, the fashion they know. “
The gaming world has changed considerably since FaZe started. And with new platforms constantly emerging, founding members of XSET believe there is room to master new territories online.
“The game is no longer about YouTube and Twitch,” said Mereu. “The generation of Fortnite gamers wants their gaming content on TikTok, on memes, on Discord. You have to put the content where they are currently consuming it. We have a fairly robust content syndication model that we are implementing with game highlights, original content and partners in music. “
Younger players are also less likely to view games as a competition and more as a social space to get together and connect with friends. XSET will take a broad approach to gaming, instead of just focusing on first-person shooter games.
“We can play Donkey Kong,” said Selkoe. “We can play Smash Brothers. We can have players in any game. “
However, one of the founders’ most important values is their belief that XSET can find a niche to defend diversity.
“It is time for the games to clean up their performance,” added Selkoe. “It is not really FaZe. It’s about the entire industry. “
