FaZe to focus on esports in 2026 after dramatic exodus of top influencers, content creators

FaZe have announced via a post on X that the organization's focus heading into 2026 will be their esports division following the dramatic collapse of their influencer/content creation this week. FaZe's influencer/content division suffered a major blow this week as all of FaZe's major creators including Adapt, Jason, Ronaldo, Lacy, Rage and Silky left the brand.

Their departures are reportedly due to disputes with Matt Kalish, Chief Executive Officer of HardScope, a significant FaZe investor, per reporting by Cecilia D'Anastasio of Bloomberg.

The dispute between FaZe's now-former creators and Kalish are reportedly centered around efforts by Kalish to get FaZe's creator to sign for HardScope, Kalish's content creator agency, as a means to try and fix FaZe's "unsustainable" financial model. However, the creators found the terms unacceptable and thus left FaZe, with many leaving after more than a decade with the brand.

Fortunately for fans of FaZe Esports, it has been insulated from the chaos as it is a separate division operated by GameSquare, the former owners of Complexity, after they purchased the brand in 2024 for $17 million.

While the loss of their creators will likely see FaZe struggle to retain fans of that side of the business, it may mean extra resources will be dedicated to the esports side of the business. This could be a welcome boon for their Counter-Strike 2 division that saw the team struggle to claim trophies throughout the year.