If you ask a casual fan who started FaZe, they’ll probably scream "Banks!" or "Temperrr!" at you. It makes sense. Those guys have been the faces of the brand for over a decade. But if we’re talking about the literal day the channel was created—May 30, 2010—the names on the birth certificate are actually CLipZ, House Cat, and Resistance.
Honestly, the history is a bit of a mess. It’s a story of teenage gamers, a "stolen" password, and a massive corporate roller coaster that ended up with a $700 million valuation before crashing back down to earth.
The actual founders of FaZe Clan (The 2010 Trio)
Back in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 days, FaZe wasn’t a lifestyle brand. It was just a group of kids hitting "trickshots"—spinning 360 degrees in the air and sniping someone before hitting the ground.
The original group, then called FaZe Sniping, was started by:
- Eric "CLipZ" Rivera
- Jeff "House Cat" Emann (who later went by Timid)
- Ben "Resistance" Christensen
These three were the ones who sat down and decided to make a YouTube channel. They weren't thinking about G-Fuel sponsorships or mansions in the Hollywood Hills. They just wanted to show off their clips. CLipZ was basically the driving force, but within a year, the leadership started shifting in a way that feels like a plot from a teen drama.
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How Thomas "Temperrr" Oliveira took over
By late 2010, FaZe Temperrr joined the mix. He was young, ambitious, and possessed a vision for the brand that the original trio kinda lacked.
There’s this semi-famous story in the community about how Temperrr "stole" the clan. Essentially, there was a massive argument between the original leaders. In the middle of the chaos, the password for the main YouTube account got changed. Depending on who you ask, Temperrr either saved the brand from dissolving or staged a digital coup.
Regardless of the "how," Temperrr became the CEO when he was just a teenager. He’s the one who recruited FaZe Apex (Yousef Abdelfattah) and eventually FaZe Banks (Richard Bengtson). These guys are often called "founders" because they built the modern version of the company, but technically, they were the second wave.
The "Mount Rushmore" of FaZe
While the 2010 trio started the engine, these four names are the ones who turned it into a Ferrari:
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- FaZe Temperrr: The organizational backbone and longest-standing leader.
- FaZe Apex: The content mastermind who helped lead the transition into "lifestyle" videos.
- FaZe Banks: The loud, charismatic face who moved everyone into the first FaZe houses.
- FaZe Rain: The personality who helped bridge the gap between pro gaming and mainstream YouTube.
The 2024-2025 collapse and the return to roots
If you’ve been following the news lately, you know things got ugly. FaZe went public on the NASDAQ, the stock tanked, and the "suits" took over. It was a disaster.
By 2024, GameSquare acquired the company. They brought Banks back as CEO for a while to try and fix the "culture" problem. It didn't quite work. In late 2025, a massive exodus happened. FaZe Adapt, who had been there for 14 years, officially left on Christmas Day. Other heavy hitters like Stable Ronaldo and JasonTheWeen followed.
Banks actually stepped down as CEO in July 2025, citing a lot of debt and frustration with how "fake" the creator scene had become. As of early 2026, the organization is a shell of what it once was. GameSquare has full control, and many of the original "owners" are either gone or just names on a legacy website.
What this means for you
If you’re looking at FaZe as a blueprint for starting your own gaming org, the takeaway is pretty clear: ownership matters. The original founders—CLipZ and Resistance—lost control because they didn't have a formal business structure. They were just friends playing CoD.
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When things get big, the "handshake deals" you made as a teenager will come back to haunt you. If you're building something today:
- Get it in writing. Even if it’s your best friend.
- Control your assets. Don't let one person hold the "master password" to everything.
- Understand your value. The reason FaZe fell apart is because the creators felt like "puppets" for a corporate board that didn't understand gaming.
The brand will probably stick around because the name "FaZe" still has weight in esports, but the era of the "Founder-led" brotherhood is effectively over. If you want to see the real history, CLipZ actually launched a "FaZe History" website recently to preserve the names of the 300+ members who built the legacy before it all got corporate.
Check out the old montages if you want to see where it actually started. Before the drama and the stock market, it was just three kids and a sniper rifle.