Published on: 16/09/2022
FaZe Clan enters The Sandbox
Competitive gaming and entertainment giant FaZe Clan has announced a partnership with The Sandbox metaverse project to create FaZe World, which is slated for a 2023 release.
FaZe World, a gamified place that will embody FaZe Clan’s history, culture and lifestyle, will be developed on a 12 x 12 plot of LAND, a unit of virtual real estate in The Sandbox. It will open alternate revenue streams for the organization and also enable fans to interact and engage with the members and talents of FaZe.
The Sandbox will support FaZe Clan in developing the digital property by creating digital infrastructure, hosting events and games as well as co-producing digital product releases. This partnership will also be FaZe Clan’s first foray into the metaverse.
“FaZe Clan’s leadership position at the apex of gaming and youth culture presents an ideal opportunity to build bridges and lead the gaming community at large into the metaverse,” said FaZe chief executive officer Lee Trink in a press release. “Through FaZe World and our partnership with The Sandbox, our already digitally native fans can experience FaZe Clan in a new immersive way.”
Besides FaZe World, the LAND around FaZe Clan’s property will be up for sale, giving fans a rare opportunity to become digital neighbors to the organization. The details of the sale for the LAND surrounding FaZe World will be announced later this year.
“FaZe Clan has established itself through the power of the gaming and esports communities as a leading gaming, esports, entertainment, and culture brand,” said The Sandbox co-founder and chief operations officer Sebastien Borget.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate in bringing FaZe World to The Sandbox as we prepare to launch many exciting activations that put players and creators in control of the next phase of Internet culture comprising user-generated content, Web3, metaverse and gaming.”
The partnership means that FaZe Clan will now be joining other big names in The Sandbox’s metaverse ecosystem, such as Ubisoft, Snoop Dogg, Warner Music Group, Tony Hawk, Adidas, Atari and Deadmau5.
FaZe Clan’s previous experience
While FaZe Clan may be new to the metaverse, it is no stranger to NFTs and blockchain technology. It previously partnered with crypto payments firm MoonPay in 2021 to build “culture and community-led digital goods” and find ways to express “the FaZe brand in new and innovative ways”. The collaboration was also meant to educate FaZe’s audience on blockchain technology and Web3, considering FaZe Clan’s exceptionally broad reach within the general gaming sphere.
“We’re focused on building a culture and community-led digital goods and NFT business that excites our fans and expresses the FaZe brand in new and innovative ways. As a leading voice in youth culture, it’s vital that we also deliver on our responsibility to protect our community as the world starts to embrace Web 3,” said Trink, as per GamesBeat.
FaZe Clan also said that it was looking into ways to integrate NFTs and blockchain technology into esports due to the organization’s competitive gaming focus, such as managing press access with NFTs that would allow media access to its limited events.
