The Three Unknown Founders: Who REALLY Started FaZe Clan And Where Are They Now?

The story of FaZe Clan begins not with a corporate boardroom or a massive content house, but with three teenagers obsessed with a single, spectacular move in a video game. This global esports and entertainment brand, which once commanded a valuation in the hundreds of millions, was quietly launched in May 2010 under the name FaZe Sniping. The original intention was simple: to master the art of the "trickshot" in *Call of Duty* and upload cinematic montages to YouTube. Understanding who started FaZe Clan requires going back to these overlooked pioneers, whose legacy was later overshadowed by the content creators who turned it into a cultural phenomenon.

As of late , the narrative of FaZe Clan is a complex tapestry of founding vision, meteoric rise, extreme wealth, corporate failure, and high-profile controversies. The original founders laid the groundwork, but the names that built the empire—and who recently faced its collapse—are entirely different, illustrating one of the most dramatic organizational evolutions in internet history.

The Original Founding Trio: From FaZe Sniping to Global Brand

The earliest days of FaZe Clan, then known as FaZe Sniping, were centered entirely around the video game *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2*. The organization was created by three individuals whose gamertags became legendary in the early YouTube gaming scene. They were the architects of the trickshot montage phenomenon, which propelled the group's initial growth.

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• FaZe ClipZ (Eric Rivera): The primary founder and one of the earliest content creators responsible for the initial YouTube channel's success. He was instrumental in defining the "FaZe" style of cinematic, high-skill gameplay. Rivera remains a co-owner and has recently spoken about the organization's origins and future, maintaining a connection to the brand's roots.
• FaZe House Cat (Jeff Emann, later FaZe Timid): A co-founder who helped establish the foundational identity of the clan. Emann is noted for changing his online alias to FaZe Timid, but his role as one of the original three creators of the YouTube channel and the "FaZe Sniping" concept is undisputed.
• FaZe Resistance (Ben Christenson): The third original founder. Along with ClipZ and House Cat, Resistance helped pioneer the unique brand of *Call of Duty* trickshot videos that captured the attention of millions of young gamers. He has since credited other figures, like Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez, for helping the clan grow beyond its initial scope.

These three individuals are the definitive answer to "who started FaZe Clan." However, the group’s transformation from a specialized *Call of Duty* clan into a diverse esports and lifestyle brand was catalyzed by a second wave of members who joined shortly after the 2010 founding.

The Architects of the Empire: Temperrr and Apex

While the original trio founded the clan, the people who turned it into a recognizable global brand were Thomas "FaZe Temperrr" Oliveira and Yousef "FaZe Apex" Abdelfattah. Their arrival marked the pivotal shift from "FaZe Sniping" to "FaZe Clan."

FaZe Temperrr (Thomas Oliveira): The Longest-Standing Leader

Thomas Oliveira, known as FaZe Temperrr, joined the clan in late 2010 and is often cited as a co-founder due to his immediate and massive impact. Temperrr is credited with designing the iconic FaZe Clan logo and, more importantly, shifting the focus from purely trickshotting to broader content creation and competitive esports. He was the organization's first CEO and became the face of the brand for over a decade.

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His Brazilian-American background and entrepreneurial drive helped cement the clan’s identity. The decision to move into a shared "FaZe House" for collaborative content creation—a model later adopted by countless other creators—was largely driven by Temperrr and Apex, transforming FaZe from an online group into a real-life media collective.

FaZe Apex (Yousef Abdelfattah): The Content Catalyst

Yousef Abdelfattah, or FaZe Apex, joined in 2011 and quickly became one of the organization's most recognizable owners and content creators. Apex's focus on daily vlogging and lifestyle content, in addition to gaming, was crucial in attracting a massive, non-gaming audience. He helped diversify the content beyond *Call of Duty* into other titles and, eventually, pure lifestyle vlogs, which provided the financial backbone for the clan's expansion into professional esports.

The Corporate Peak and Recent Controversies

The mid-to-late 2010s saw FaZe Clan reach unprecedented heights. They expanded into major esports titles like *Counter-Strike: Global Offensive* (CS:GO), *Rainbow Six Siege*, *Valorant*, and *Fortnite*, and brought in high-profile members like FaZe Banks, FaZe Rain, and FaZe Jarvis. This era was defined by massive brand deals, celebrity collaborations, and a cultural ubiquity that few gaming organizations have ever achieved. The ultimate peak was the company's decision to go public on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2022.

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The Tumultuous Business End: IPO and Acquisition

The corporate success was short-lived. The company's stock value, which began trading publicly, plummeted dramatically, losing over 98% of its value in a little over a year. The organization faced a risk of delisting from Nasdaq due to its consistently low stock price.

The turbulent corporate chapter reached a definitive conclusion in a recent, major business development: FaZe Clan was acquired by the esports and gaming media company GameSquare for a reported $17 million. This acquisition effectively ended FaZe Clan's run as an independent, publicly traded entity, marking a stark contrast to the organization's former billion-dollar aspirations.

The Downfall of Key Figures: Banks and Temperrr

The corporate failures were compounded by high-profile member controversies, which have resulted in a recent public dissociation from some of the most famous names:

• FaZe Banks (Richard Bengtson): Richard Bengtson, who was instrumental in the clan’s content creation and lifestyle shift, recently resigned as CEO. This decision came amid significant controversy surrounding his involvement in a failed cryptocurrency project, the MLG Coin, and accusations of manipulating its price. The drama surrounding the crypto venture and his eventual resignation was a major blow to the organization's public image.
• FaZe Temperrr (Thomas Oliveira): Despite being the longest-standing member and former CEO, FaZe Clan recently moved to publicly dissociate itself from Temperrr following various internal disputes and accusations made by other former members, notably Nordan "FaZe Rain" Shat. This public distancing from its most loyal figure symbolizes the deep internal rift and a complete overhaul of the organization's leadership and public-facing roster.

The Enduring Legacy of FaZe Clan

The answer to the question "who started the FaZe Clan" is a definitive list of three names—ClipZ, House Cat (Timid), and Resistance—who were united by a passion for *Call of Duty* trickshotting. However, the legacy of FaZe Clan is far more than its founders; it is a story of a business that outgrew its origins, pioneered the concept of the content house, and became a trailblazing force in both gaming and youth culture.

Today, under the new ownership of GameSquare, the organization is attempting to reboot and stabilize its operations. The original founders' simple vision of creating cool sniping videos ultimately laid the groundwork for a multi-million-dollar entity that, despite its recent corporate struggles, fundamentally changed the landscape of online entertainment and competitive esports forever.