FaZe Banks explains why esports franchising won’t work
Instagram: FaZe BanksCall of Duty league will fail, while labelling esports in general as “mumbo-jumbo bullsh*t.”
Banks is co-owner of one of the most historic organizations in all of esports in FaZe Clan, with the organization seeing major success in games like CoD, CS:GO and Fortnite, although the YouTuber admitted that he sees himself more as a spiritual CEO than an active member of the organization’s management team.
While for many, esports is the pinnacle of gaming, it seems FaZe Banks doesn’t agree, making his feelings for the competitive aspect of video games clear during his appearance on the No Jumper podcast.
FaZe Banks is co-owner of the organization, but had some harsh words for esports.
While discussing FaZe Clan with No Jumper host Adam ‘Adam22’ Grandmaison and Mike Majlak from the Imapulsive podcast, Banks revealed that he views the organization as a lifestyle and culture brand, and that esports is just a tiny part of operations.
The 27-year-old also discussed franchising, and the rumored $30 million cost of a Call of Duty franchise, stating that he thinks that franchised leagues in general will go “nowhere.”
Banks stated: “They’re organizing leagues inside one singular game, and they’re making people pay fucking $30 million for a spot in the league. They’re trying to imitate what the NFL or NBA do, but why it will never work is because gaming is an umbrella thing.”
“You could be a gamer who only players League of Legends or Fortnite. Games pop off and then they fall off, so to spend on a league spot and look to get a return on a league spot in 10 years? You’re flushing money.”
While Banks may not have a particularly good opinion of esports, he did reveal that the organization are raising $300 million in funding, with some of that likely earmarked for esports, perhaps with one eye on the Call of Duty league that Banks is so pessimistic about.
The league is scheduled to kick off in 2020, with teams currently submitting bids for to acquire the franchise spot for some of the United State’s biggest cities.
