FaZe ClipZ Talks Founding FaZe Clan, NFTs And FaZe’s Future

We spoke to one of FaZe Clans founder about everything FaZe and esports

Recently ESTNN had the opportunity to sit down with one of the three Founders of FaZe Clan, Eric “FaZe ClipZ” Rivera. We discussed FaZe’s origins, NFTs, esports and the future of FaZe Clan.

The full interview can be found on YouTube below.

The Start of FaZe Clan

You started creating content with two friends, Resistance and Housecat. How did the idea of creating content come about?

I knew about OpTic Gaming and stuff like that way back in the day. I was inspired by that and one day I was just like, you know, I don't think I'll ever be able to join OpTic so let's try to start my own thing with my friends. Then I said, we should name it FaZe or HaZe, because I always had that in my clan tag. We ended up going with a FaZe Clan and Housecat started the YouTube channel the next day. We had ILLCAMS out by the end of the week and the rest is history.

How did you come up with the name FaZe?

COD was the only thing that let you add something to your name with a Clan Tag. So I’d always put FaZe or HaZe because it sounded cool. I was already inspired by OpTic and was trying to do something like that, so I thought that was my own version of that.

FaZe’s Exponential Growth

FaZe has become more of a lifestyle brand than a gaming clan nowadays. Did you ever imagine FaZe becoming this big?

I don't think anybody could have predicted what was going to happen with FaZe and how it happened. But definitely with how and where it's headed, I wouldn't see it any other way. Everything fits so well. We started as some kids doing what we love, what we're passionate about, and it continues to show with other people who we connect with, other brands and other partnerships continue to bridge the gap and continue to show creativity. So I just think it's awesome. I can't wait to see what more happens in the whole gaming scene.

How has content creation evolved from when you started in 2010 to now?

The whole gaming space has changed. You have way more platforms to showcase your content and showcase who you are as a creator. So that to me is so important. And unfortunately, with the pandemic, you're not able to go to gaming events and stuff like that. But that's also progressed tenfold from way back then, too. You have all these different chances to go out there and to just put yourself out there.

Back in the day, it was just YouTube, I had a few things locally that I was lucky enough to have in my small city. But not everybody gets that chance. However, now with the Internet, you’ve got these kids from their house, like Bugha, for example. He played in an online tournament, qualified for something that then made him three million dollars. So that right there is a perfect example that anything's possible for anyone, especially in the gaming scene.

NFTs and the Future of FaZe

You’re very interested in the Crypto and NFT scene, and we’ve seen NBA Top Shot be a real success. Do you think FaZe and esports could take advantage of this tech?

I think anyone, not just FaZe, anybody in the space could take advantage of the whole blockchain and crypto space. It’s in such a beginning stage and I encourage more people to learn about it if you don't know about it. We already have skins and video games, so it's just a matter of time until those transition into where you not only own it in just that game, and if the game disappears, it doesn't disappear forever. You'll be able to transfer that to other things. So I'm excited for that part of it, too.

Where do you see yourself, and FaZe in the future?

I'm so excited to see what happens in the next two, five, ten years. I want to see maybe a FaZe stadium. Maybe in Atlanta, we already have Atlanta FaZe. Maybe we see Atlanta FaZe Stadium with not only esports but other big sports in America. For myself, I just want to continue being innovative, creative, you know. I’m grinding in the gaming scene, but also, just helping out the world in a positive way in any way that I can. That's what I'm about. I got a content house, me and some homies, we’re grinding on TikTok. So we're going to be moving out to Vegas soon, hopefully within the next month or so. I'm excited about that. We’re going to be pumping out a bunch of gaming content, going to be live streaming exclusively via TikTok. So that's going to be fun.

All this plus much more was spoken about in the full interview, which can be found on our YouTube Channel.