The CEOs of FaZe Clan, 100 Thieves, and OpTic will square off in a ‘Call of Duty’ tournament

A trio of esports legends are getting together to summon some early 2010s nostalgia. Gaming CEOs Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag of 100 Thieves, Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson of FaZe Clan, and Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez of OpTic will lead teams for The Founding Fathers LAN, a Call of Duty tournament that will be streamed across multiple accounts on May 30.

Haag, Bengtson, and Rodriguez all made names for themselves in the 2010s, when they parlayed their esports backgrounds into sizable social media followings.

The man known as H3CZ took control of OpTic’s esports operation in 2010 and established a presence in the Call of Duty scene shortly thereafter. FaZe Clan’s level-up occurred around the same time, and Bengtson’s sniping skills in CoD made him one of the faces of the organization, even as drama swirled around his personal life. Haag’s rise began around 2017, when he established 100 Thieves as a hybrid between an esports org and an apparel brand.

For OpTic, FaZe, and 100 Thieves, the going has been a bit tougher in the 2020s. All three organizations have experienced layoffs over the past

few years, but their joint LAN party will be a chance to put those hardships aside and enjoy a competitive Call of Duty session. All three companies will offer Twitch streams of the event; Haag will handle the 100 Thieves feed, FaZe ZooMaa will be on hosting duty for his squad, and OpTic Scump will round out the list of broadcasters.

Founding Fathers began as an exchange of tweets between Haag and Bengtson. The 100 Thieves frontman questioned FaZe Banks’ Call of Duty credentials, which led Bengtson to throw down the gauntlet. Even though he says he hasn’t played CoD in “years,” he boasted that he could still defeat Nadeshot in a one-on-one duel. The two gaming CEOs brought Rodriguez into their plans, and Founding Fathers was born.

The LAN tournament will be split into three events. A four-on-four showdown in Modern Warfare 2 will feature teams affiliated with all three participating organizations. After a second four-on-four in Black Ops 2, Haag and Bengtson will settle their score with one final one-on-one showdown.

A press release from FaZe Clan states that Founding Fathers will bring the Call of Duty scene “back to the nostalgic early 2010s.” There are plenty of creators who hold fond memories of that era, and FaZe is inviting viewers to recall its heyday.

That strategy is in line with the organization’s current direction. Since FaZe’s acquisition by esports company GameSquare, its original leadership team has been reinstalled, with founding members Banks, Temperrr, and Apex taking on topline executive roles. By putting that group in charge of FaZe, GameSquare implicitly sided with the organization’s OGs, who had previously called out leadership for their inability to properly respect FaZe’s pioneers.

Founding Fathers is one of the first events FaZe Banks has participated in since he became the FaZe Clan CEO. The participants are sharing screens (and a local internet connection) to prove a point — that the esports industry of the past decade is worth revisiting.

The timing is convenient for Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard as well. The next installment of the blockbuster FPS franchise, Black Ops 6, is due out in October.