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Team FaZe’s reality TV hunt for new member

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London, UK
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If you’re looking for some filler between Love Island, The Voice, and Strictly, revered gaming clan FaZe is launching a reality show to find their next team member.

One of esports’ OG clans FaZe has devised a unique way of scouting the gaming talent pool for new teammates while extending its brand reach in 2020. The 60-member strong clan is launching a reality show dubbed ‘FaZe Up’ on mobile-centric streaming service Quibi this April. And come its end, one talented contestant will emerge as a fresh-faced addition to FaZe’s roster as the outfit navigate another demanding esports season.

This bold move represents something of a first for the industry, as conventionally ‘pro gamers’ are either cherry picked from pro circuits, are scouted for table topping stats in global leaderboards, or have already cultivated a large following on social media and/or streaming sites like Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer. This time however, the best performer in the competition will be rewarded with a place on the team regardless of online clout or ‘professional’ experience.

Before you get too excited, it has to be said: anyone who makes the preliminary six slots will have to be something special when it comes to competitive gaming. Fluking a clean sweep on a single game of Search and Destroy may be enough to get a foot in the door, but it won’t be enough to land the cash prize or the pro contract as things hot up.

Host network Quibi does introduce another interesting dimension to the competition though. One that doesn’t necessarily involve being a virtuoso of gaming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89HKjodNEoI

As with 99% of reality TV shows, viewer popularity will play a pivotal role in getting contestants through each round. Quibi is pushing audience interaction and influence as a key feature ahead of its autumn launch, and showrunners William Silva Reddington and Harrison Nalevansky are looking to take full advantage of the super active and fervent audience that follow all things gaming.

What the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Liam Hemsworth, Catherin Hardwicke, and Antoine Fuqua are envisioning with this feature in their heavily touted Quibi projects is a bit harder to forecast.

FaZe’s new show will utilise this voting tool by giving Quibi subscribers the power to choose six contestants from a huge selection of gameplay submission videos on the app. The lucky six will then be flown to in to live at the team mansion, and will compete in a series of both gaming and reality ‘show-style’ events to determine who deserves a spot in the clan.

This latest coup from FaZe is another pretty shrewd move as they continue to evolve into just as much of an entertainment and lifestyle brand as a top esports competitor. And their successes outside the gaming arena could see them become trail blazers for other teams as the sport continues to grow.

If you think we’re jumping the gun a little, you’ll be surprised to hear that around 85% of the current FaZe group have no affiliation with esports whatsoever; with content creation and influencers taking precedent instead.

I mean, I don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to speculate that Lil Yachty probably wasn’t drafted into FaZe for his CoD trick shots.

Gaming Editor London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Editor in Chief at Thred. Keeping up with gaming and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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