FaZe Clan is in turmoil: the FaZe brand is an edgy money brand built on dudebros in basketball jerseys who pull off spinning trick shots in Call of Duty, but in recent years there has been a huge controversy surrounding the NASDAQ listing, the current status of FaZe and the controversy between the former FaZe; FaZe's stock price has plummeted from an August high of about $20 to 54 cents a share at the time of this writing.

In other words, while the video may be all dollar bills and swag life, the reality is that this organization (even Snoop Dogg abandoned ship) is in dire need of a rebuild. A big reason for this is that roster members have been embroiled in various scandals, esports-related drama is interchangeable, and the perception that FaZe is like a boy's club is widespread.

Recently, the perception that FaZe is like a boys' club is growing.

Recently, the ugliness behind the brand surfaced when FaZe enlisted actor and streamer Grace Van Dien. Van Dien shared the announcement on social media: "From the first time we met with FaZe, we shared the same vision of working together to create lasting change for women gamers. We chose each other for a reason and are excited to play an important role in pushing women to the forefront. Let's Go."

Aside from the inevitable online silliness, one might expect Van Dien to be welcomed with open arms by FaZe's fans and members. After all, not only have her various film and television appearances (most recently in the fourth season of "Stranger Things"), but she has been streaming for some time, and FaZe is now as much about merchandise and streaming as it is about competitive esports.

It didn't turn out this way. Van Dien was unwittingly lost in the middle of an ugly battle over FaZe's future; FaZe Rain was fired in 2020 and is no longer a member of the organization, but he believes he is fighting a lawsuit for the soul of the company, and despite not being a current member, he is openly Fighting, Rain describes FaZe as a "brotherhood" and is adamantly opposed to brand extensions and celebrity alliances such as Van Dien's. [His disdain was initially expressed in its most contemporary form: reaction videos, with FaZe Rain posting his reactions to various scenes in Van Dien's announcement video, rather cruelly ridiculing her (especially her line about joining FaZe being like "going home"). line).

Putting the childish elements of the video aside for a moment, Rain's point is that Van Dien does not have the credentials and knowledge of the game to bring value to FaZe. He was not alone in that opinion, and other FaZe members, including Adapt, Censor, and Banks, joined the chorus, as did the legions of FaZe fans who happily jumped on board to see where the wagon was headed.

However, instead of stepping over the line, Rain completely ignored it, saying a few things that went over the edge. Rain says that while Van Dien founded FaZe and "made his first million dollars in this industry," he "must have been playing with Barbie," declaring that she is "unbearably half-hearted" and someone he "would never let touch on a drunken night."

Van Dien, referring to Lane's public struggle with prescription drugs (in his words, "benzos and opioids"), responded with a jab about Lane overdosing on the stream, and the wheels really turned from there. After a public online exchange, Van Dien and Rain agreed to meet in person, where she admitted that her overdose remark had gone too far, but challenged Rain about various previous public statements and aspects of FaZe. Rain accused her of being emotional and unable to take a joke, and as the encounter became increasingly unpleasant, Van Dien called him a "terrible person" and left the room in tears.

On her way out, Van Dien says she will leave FaZe once the video is released. Ignoring (or welcoming) her warning, FaZe Rain uploaded a video with his own comments mixed in. The video can be seen here, and below is an unedited clip subsequently posted by Van Dien.

It is appalling, and Rain's own reaction video to it clearly shows that he is fully aware of what he is doing. In one scene where he begins to blame Van Dien for causing him to contemplate suicide and leaving his mother without a son, he interrupts the exchange to say, "I'm an actor too, bitch." Lane continues in this aggressive tone for another 30 seconds or so until Van Dien gets up to leave the room, at times sobbing can be heard.

There is more to these exchanges, and while Van Dien hits back at Lane's overly personal and misogynistic aggression, the truth is that Lane has been turning against FaZe for some time and Van Dien is just his latest target. As the argument goes on, the goalposts keep moving, and of course many FaZe fans are on Rain's side. Van Dien tried to refute Rain's claims, but unfortunately, the situation was such that anything she said would only make things worse.

It is indicative of the state of the organization that Van Dien was hired to help FaZe's public image of women, which quickly devolved into personal insults, misogynistic comments, and ridicule of her gaming knowledge. Van Dien subsequently locked her Twitter account (which is now public again) and removed references to the FaZe Clan from her bio.

"FaZe is no stranger to contrasting perspectives and passionate opinions about the future of the brand," a May 31 statement from the official FaZe account said. 'FaZe's official account released a statement on May 31 stating, "We are not unaware of the contrasting viewpoints and passionate opinions about the future of the brand. However, unfair treatment of new members is never acceptable. Grace joined FaZe hoping to have her voice heard and we are on her side."

Two founding members of the FaZe clan countered. Said FaZe Banks, "You guys have lost the plot." 'And FaZe Banks said. But they are not the side you think they are on. It is clear from other comments that this is an ongoing battle between some FaZe founders and the current FaZe, rather than Van Dien's specific situation. asked what happened to FaZe, Tempeler replied: "We are not selling anything. We are not selling anything. The corporate skulls have ruined our brand, squeezed it to the last drop imaginable, and continue to repeat the same process."

I contacted the FaZe Clan to clarify whether Van Dien was still a part of the organization: quite oddly, they did not answer that simple question, but reverted me back to the above statement, adding that they had "no further information to share at this time. I contacted Grace Van Dien's office and FaZe Rain directly.