Actress Grace Van Dien has joined gaming organisation FaZe Clan, and those both inside and outside the group have a lot to say.
Grace Van Dien, best known for portraying the doomed cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham in S4 of Netflix’s flagship series Stranger Things, has made the pivot to streaming after facing sexual harassment in the acting industry. She views streaming as an area where she’s granted more agency, being able to select who she spends time with and getting to control “my own voice”.
FaZe Rain’s Manipulative Act Exposes Grace Van Dien’s FaZe Clan Deal Early
The ground-breaking announcement was leaked by FaZe Rain, an early member of FaZe Clan. Rain has been largely critical of the organisation’s direction in recent years, posting a video exposing the group to his 5.35M subscribers.
Rain, real name Nordan Shat, believes the signing of Grace van Dien was a political move. He claims it’s “not offense to her”, but some think later actions contradict this statement.
FaZe Rain Calls Out FaZe Clan’s Social Media For Hiding Critical Comments
FaZe Clan welcomes Grace with a collage of tweets excited for her inclusion, however FaZe Rain points out how they selected comments that didn’t address the backlash of this decision.
FaZe Rain Attacks Grace Van Dien for Joining FaZe Clan
FaZe Rain rips into Grace Van Dien after she shares how he was not involved in her recruitment, and the two have never met.
Grace Van Dien Fights Back Against Intense Hate
Grace Van Dien, who has the FaZe Clan name FaZe Bluefille, meaning blue girl in French, posted an announcement on her YouTube channel.
The uplifting video is a stark contrast to the response Van Dien laid into following Rain’s attack. She chastises him for comments about her being “mid” and Rain’s comment that he wouldn’t touch Van Dien on his “drunkest night”, as he was in the organisation at the same time as FaZe Mew, a former member under fire for sexual harassment allegations.
FaZe Rain apologised for this comment, saying he knew it was too far and only kept it in to make his point land better.
The Stranger Things Actress Enters Murky Territory By Going Personal
An attack that some viewed as too far coming from Grace was her bringing up FaZe Rain’s past drug addiction, sharing that she knows him as “the person who almost overdosed on a livestream”.
The long time member has been open about his struggle with substance abuse, posting videos updating his fans on his recovery after severe drug use paralysed him.
Grace Van Dien links it to her own experience as a child with a mother who used drugs, repeating that she’s proud of him for recovering.
Many don’t see the connection the Twitch streamer was trying to make, with it being slammed as “disgusting” behaviour.
Others think it was a justified response to the misogynistic hate FaZe Rain was sending Grace’s way.
Gaming Figures Stand Strong for the Esport Team’s New Member
Grace Van Dien has the support from a few notable figures in the gaming space. YouTuber Disguised Toast, real name Jeremy Wang, spoke out in defence of Van Dien joining FaZe Clan.
He attacks members of the FaZe Clan for having no issues promoting a controversial cryptocurrency ‘pump and dump’ scheme to their young fanbase, but deciding the recruitment of the Stranger Things actress is too far.
Content creator Asmongold echoed the sentiment that it was “self defence”, and if Rain chose to make it personal, he should be prepared for retaliation.
Faze Clan’s Finances Spiral Downhill
The gaming organisation initially began as a YouTube group, moving into the developing esports sector in 2013. In 2016, they officially became a gaming org and have competed in a host of games, including Counter-Strike, Overwatch and Call of Duty.
They went public in 2022, a move that neither fans nor corporate are particularly impressed with. In their first day on the market, their shares sank 25%, and things haven’t improved since.
Less than a year later, FaZe Clan’s future looks uncertain, and there’s doubt the company will stay public. Finances for the once hyped sector are disappointing, and the whole industry is in decline. It’s no surprise that FaZe is looking to refresh their brand with public figures.
A Pattern to Bid for FaZe Clan’s Popularity
This isn’t the first casting stunt they’ve pulled. Only months before the company went public, American rapper Snoop Dogg joined the org.
He had a seat on the board of directors, and left after seeing financials plummet.
Fans have noticed a stark contrast between the way each celebrity recruitment has been received.
The Downsides of Converting a YouTube Collective into a Business
With the new pressures of being a publicly listed company, fans feel left behind and that they’re no more than financials to the group who once exclusively existed on YouTube.
Some think the FaZe Clan want to have their cake and eat it too. People think they prioritised financial gain over the group.
In a live stream, FaZe Santana slammed other members of his org for talking badly about the group, but never taking action. He shares that they were all invited to a meeting to discuss the brand’s future, and only a handful of their lengthy roster showed up.
In now deleted tweets, he defended Grace Van Dien’s recruitment. This combined with his critique of long-term FaZe members—Santana only joined in 2021—has resulted in him being sent death threats.
The Latest Developments—Is the Grace Van Dien and FaZe Rain Feud Actually Real?
Grace Van Dien’s Twitter has been set to private following the backlash.
FaZe Rain uploaded an Instagram story, sharing that he and Grace are planning to make a video.
With the possibility of this going ahead, fans are chalking the entire saga up to a PR stunt.
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