Tfue And FaZe Clan's Battle Has Finally Come To An End

In the last year, one of the biggest stories in the esports world has been the continuing legal battle between Tfue and FaZe Clan. The story has been full of plenty of ups and downs, but it seems as though it has finally come to a peaceful end.

According to a report from Forbes, both Tfue and FaZe Clan have agreed to settle the matter out of court. This information was obtained from an email from both parties' legal representation. How Forbes came about this email is unclear, but it seems to have been sent to the publication by someone close to the case.

The email read, "Faze and Turner Tenney are pleased to announce they have resolved their disputes and settled their litigations. The parties wish one another the best of luck in future endeavors." 

Last year, Tfue sued FaZe Clan over what was referred to as an "oppressive" contract. Tfue alleged that the org had withheld payments that were rightfully his and had consistently put him and others in physical danger. Back in July, Tfue's first lawsuit against FaZe Clan was dismissed, which left the future of Tfue's legal battle more uncertain than ever. 

While it's good to know that the longstanding battle between Tfue and his former teammates has come to an end, it's worth noting that the phrasing in the email is rather generic. There's no mention of any amount of money exchanged between the two groups or how this amicable decision came about. However, that is probably exactly the way both parties would prefer things to stay.

It should be noted that FaZe Clan's chief legal officer made a few comments back in July that insinuated that the courts had mostly been on Tfue's side during the majority of the legal battle. With that in mind, Tfue more than likely received a decent paycheck from FaZe Clan when it was decided to settle out of court. Of course, that's just speculation at this point. It's highly unlikely that the specifics of how this was settled will ever be shared publicly.

Attorney Brian Blum spoke with Forbes regarding the entire situation, and he had some interesting things to say regarding whether or not the outcome of this lawsuit would have a lasting impact on the esports industry. According to Blum, there are so many factors in this case that cannot be applied to other situations in the same industry. Still, Blum seemed to be of the opinion that the lawsuit had made people take a closer look at certain aspects of the esports world and talent contracts.

Blum said, "Many of the biggest issues with Tfue's agreement were outliers relative to the standard esports player contract, so I don't see it as representative of macro problems in the space ... With that said, the suit shined a light on some of the interesting dynamics that arise when a player shifts from being purely a professional player into a full-time content creator that also plays in some esports competitions."

In other words, much of the issue with Tfue's contract was that the metrics of what was expected from him changed significantly, but the paycheck he received did not. Tfue's main issue seems to have been that he had become a massively popular content creator and generated a good bit of money for FaZe Clan, but his contract did not reflect that growth in stature.

Blum continued, "The typical esports player contract hasn't changed much as a result, but the contracts between teams and content creators have, mostly in the sense that we've begun creating bespoke terms for these types of arrangements because they vary so much from influencer to influencer."

This would seem to suggest that things are at least getting better for content creators in the wake of Tfue's lawsuit. This can hopefully be seen in the business models of newer esports organizations like XSET, which is made up of former executives from FaZe Clan. When XSET announced its launch, the company described itself as an inclusive collective of players and creators, formed with the specific goal of opposing the kind of toxicity that has been prevalent within the industry. Without directly saying it, XSET has essentially positioned itself as the anti-FaZe Clan.

Fans of Tfue and FaZe Clan can now rest easy knowing that the two parties are no longer at legal odds. For a long while, Tfue was stuck in this weird middle ground where he was still technically a member of FaZe Clan. It should be interesting to see what he does now that he's officially a free agent.