by FaZe Clan have announced a partnership with entertainment heavyweight Disney. The deal is expected to last for a year as the North American esports organization continues its expansion in the retail and consumer product line.
It has been revealed that the first apparel collaboration’s first product to be released will be a tech-vamped version of Mickey Mouse. The iconic character has been transformed and will be called ‘Mickey On The Grid’.
The product will be available for purchase at Faze’s pop-up store, The Armory, from May 28. Those waiting for the online drop will be granted access to place their orders from May 30, which marks the organization’s 12th anniversary.
FaZe’s lead designer James Casper Vine and creative director Jay “JVY” Richardson are responsible for coming up with the design, with input from Disney’s creative team.
According to the release, Richardson revealed that there might be other drops in the future, while also thanking Disney for the trust to pull this off.
“We are beyond proud to collaborate with Disney on this special ‘Mickey On The Grid’ capsule collection, and it’s extra meaningful both for our talent and our fans for this to drop on FaZe Clan’s 12th anniversary. This year-long collaboration is a part of our ongoing expansion into retail and consumer products,” he said.
“Myself and the product team at FaZe are honored Disney trusted us to take a creative and modern approach to such an iconic character like Mickey Mouse, and we are excited to continue developing innovative concepts that will bring Disney’s beloved characters to life through shoppable product. This capsule is just our first offering, and we can’t wait to share what’s up next with our fans.”
Since the start of the year, FaZe have gone into partnership with a number of companies and notable individuals alike. Earlier this month, they also announced a deal with delivery company DoorDash, which was their most recent collaboration before Disney.
While the organization thrives on the commercial front, it has also recorded some success in the competitive esports scene.
FaZe have been exceptional on the Counter-Strike front this year, overthrowing Natus Vincere to become the number one CS:GO team in the world. They have won all tournaments they have participated in, bringing their win total to three.
The NA team won the Intel Extreme Master XVI Katowice, ESL Pro League Season 15, and most recently the PGL Antwerp Major, which came with a US$500,000 grand prize. They also finished as joint winners in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups, alongside OG Esports and Team Vitality.
So far, FaZe are the only team to qualify for the 2022 BLAST Premier World Final. They took both slots available in the Pro League and Antwerp Major, giving room for one more team to be decided through the global rankings.
Unfortunately, their Valorant roster is not operating at the same level. The organization effected a roster change before the start of VCT 2022 NA Challengers 2, but that has not helped their cause thus far.
FaZe lost their first two games in the group stage against OpTic Gaming and Luminosity Gaming. They failed to win one map in the best-of-three series against both teams.
There is a chance that they finish in the top four and advance to the playoffs. However, they will have to be perfect in the remaining three group games.
