YouTuber and Twitch streamer Turner “Tfue” Turner’s contract may have leaked online after he spoke out about the lawsuit he filed against esports organization FaZe Clan. On Monday, Turner filed a lawsuit claiming the contract he was given by the organization when he first signed up wasn’t fair, and that he wanted out of the deal. Among other grievances, the lawsuit claimed FaZe was entitled to “80 percent” of Turner’s earnings from brand deals.
FaZe Clan quickly responded, telling Newsweek that they had only taken “$60,000” from Turner since he joined the organization. Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson claimed in an emotional video that he had helped jumpstart the Fortnite pro’s career by signing him to the organization, understand the intricacies of YouTube content creation (like thumbnails) and by being his friend.
On Wednesday night, Turner released a video of his own which asked for FaZe to “release the contract” publically. “I should never have signed (this contract) in the first place, Turner says in the video. “What’s in this contract is so bizarre, so f—ed, I wish you guys could see this thing.” He claims that any time over the next three years, FaZe can take all his “hard earnings and work” and that these contracts are ripping off “kids in esports.” The video has pulled in more than 3 million views in 12 hours, with many online demanding FaZe show the contract.
FaZe Banks responded on Twitter saying that the organization had offered Turner a new contract, with “$1 million a year with a zero percent split across the board” which would have nullified the previous contract but it was turned down. The esports organization will release the contract, potentially by the end of the week, writing “we will release the contract with all the context in the world when we can.”
So yea I’ll say it again. We ARE releasing the contract momentarily. This wasn’t about standing up for what’s right, it’s manipulative to suggest that. This was about what Tfue’s dad believed was in his best interest (leaving FaZe) and stopping at nothing to accomplish it.
— FaZe Banks (@Banks) May 23, 2019
Before FaZe Clan had the chance to release the contract, a leaked version appeared on celebrity news site The Blast. Though the legitimacy of the leaked “Gamer contract” has not been officially confirmed, YouTuber and Drama Alert host Daniel “Keem” Keemstar tweeted that his sources at FaZe confirmed it is real.
The leaked contract confirms that FaZe was entitled to “80 percent” of the earnings from sponsorships brought by the organization, along with 50 percent of the earnings from in-game merchandise, appearance fees and brand deals brought in by Turner. Epic Games has a “Support a Creator” program for Fortnite, where players can use a code when they purchase in-game cosmetics so a percentage goes to their favorite creators. The “Tfue” code was one of the most popular in the game and has potentially brought in millions of dollars, which according to the leaked contract FaZe could take half of at any time.
Though FaZe says it has only taken $60,000 from Turner, the contract allows them to take more of a percentage over the three years the contract is active. The Blast ‘s sources claim that Tfue is pushing “$10 million a year.” Turner’s lawyer Bryan J. Freedman told The Blast, “this is the most unfair contract I have ever seen in almost 30 years of practicing law.”
