Quibi has linked up with the popular esports team FaZe Clan on a new game show that would let six subscribers for the new short-form streaming service compete for a slot on the FaZe roster.
The show is called “FaZe Up” and it’s an example of the new types of entertainment and game shows Quibi’s looking to try to appeal to younger demographics.
For FaZe Clan, one of the dominant esports franchises in popular culture, the game show is a chance to find new talent and extend the reach of its entertainment studio, gaming teams and fashion line onto another platform. For Quibi, bribery is certainly one way to win an audience.
WndrCo, the parent company for Quibi, is keeping the production in its family of portfolio companies, as the show is being produced by the WndrCo-backed entertainment and sports media company, Whistle Sports.
“We have had an incredible partnership with FaZe and couldn’t be more excited to take it to new heights with this show, especially on a unique platform like Quibi,” said Michael Cohen, president of Whistle. “Whistle is all about incorporating our fans into our content and so the fact that the Quibi audience gets the ability to participate and immerse themselves in this experience is a truly perfect fit.”
Quibi describes the show as part contest, part competition show “and 100% FaZe.” Six contestants, chosen from Quibi’s audience of subscribers, will get the chance to win money and a slot in the FaZe Clan roster.
Directed by William Silva Reddington and produced by FaZe Clan, Nathan Gaines, Dennis Lisberger and Mike Basone, with showrunner Harrison Nalévansky, the new show will use voting tools from Quibi and FaZe Clan’s key members to select contestants for eligible slots to compete and eventually join FaZe Clan.
The six winners will then be flown to the FaZe Clan mansion to live at the house and compete in gaming and reality show-style events to determine who deserves a slot on the team.
“Over the past 10 years, FaZe Clan has not only contributed to the growth of the gaming lifestyle and the esports community, but we have broken barriers and are not afraid to disrupt the status quo,” said FaZe Clan Head of Content Oluwafemi Okusanya. “In 2020, we plan to do the same with content creation and media distribution. The ‘FaZe Up’ show represents our next chapter in content creation with our first premium production effort and in collaboration with innovative partners like Whistle and Quibi.”
The addition of FaZe to the roster of creative talent that Quibi has amassed puts a different spin on the company’s pitch of high-end, short-form content. The company has already attracted Jennifer Lopez, Liam Hemsworth, Catherine Hardwicke and Antoine Fuqua, who are all attached to projects slated to debut on the platform.
Quibi doesn’t debut until April, but it’s teasing updates and information about what’s to come — including more news about “FaZe Up” at Quibi Insider, its newsletter about all things Quibi.