Turner "Tfue" Tenney, one of the top professional gamers in the world, is suing his team, FaZe Clan, over claims of unfair business practices and breach of contract.
In a copy of the lawsuit obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Tenney alleges that FaZe Clan retained 80% of the revenue generated from his sponsored videos and advertisement deals, as well as 50% of the revenue generated by his in-person appearances.
"Faze Clan's goal is essentially to 'own' Tenney and other content creators/streamers and professional gamers," the lawsuit alleges. "FaZe Clan, which is not a licensed talent agency, exploits young artists like Tenney through oppressive and predatory long-term contracts whereby FaZe Clan essentially 'owns' the artist and the artist's career."
Tenney, 21, has won more than $500,000 playing in competitive "Fortnite" tournaments, and boasts more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube. He's the third-most popular gamer on Twitch with six million followers, trailing only Tyler "Ninja" Blevins and Michael "shroud" Grzesiek. Like other professional gamers, Tenney relies on sponsorship deals, paid advertisements, and viewer subscriptions and donations to generate income when he's not competing.
FaZe Clan manages a number of popular YouTube personalities and esports teams across multiple games.
Tenny signed a six-month contract with FaZe Clan in April 2018, which was later extended to a 36-month agreement. Tenney's YouTube channel had approximately 150,000 subscribers in May 2018, but that number has grown more than 10 million in the last year, with the help of promotion from FaZe Clan.
However, the lawsuit requests that Tenney be released from his contract, and for financial restitution from FaZe Clan.
Business Insider has reached out to both Turner "Tfue" Tenney and FaZe Clan for further comment.
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