FaZe Clan’s new VALORANT team welcomes five women pro gamers to compete under the esports brand in April.
Esports, lifestyle, and entertainment brand FaZe Clan made history on Tuesday with the launch of its first all-woman professional esports team.
Faze signed and welcomed Jennifer “refinnej” Le, Emma “emy” Choe, Vannesa Emely “panini” Emory, Madison “maddiesuun” Mann, and Diane “di^” Tran to compete under its VALORANT banner, the company shared in a release. The announcement comes on the eve of International Women’s Day.
“It’s been a long time coming, but we’re stoked to officially announce bringing on our first all-female esports pro team for VALORANT,” Erik Anderson, FaZe’s head of esports, said in the statement. “Signing this group of talented women is just the beginning of bringing female gamers to the forefront at FaZe, and I can’t wait to watch them play as a team.”
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The FaZe Clan VALORANT Men’s Team was announced in June 2020. Those familiar with the brand know its naming system typically includes FaZe Clan followed by the gaming title. Since there are two teams in the VALORANT category, the new team will be the FaZe Clan VALORANT Women’s Team.
FaZe’s new team will make its first appearance competing in the upcoming 2023 Valorant Champions Tour Game Changers Series season. The series’ first leg kicks off in the US on April 1 at the Riot Games Arena in LA. This VALORANT competition is unique because it launched in 2022 to create opportunities and exposure for women and marginalized gamers with diverse backgrounds.
The prominent gaming and content creator brand has expanded its roster exponentially since it first entered the competitive gameplay space in 2011 with Call of Duty. FaZe now manages 14 pro esports teams, which have won 37 championship titles. Almost all of the company’s rosters, both on the esports and content creator side, are men, aside from Kalei Renay, a Twitch content creator who has been working under FaZe’s brand since May 2021.
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