Amid a mini-controversy involving their brand new Anime Warfare collaboration with Siberia Hills, prominent esports organization FaZe Clan have now responded to allegations of wrongdoing.
On March 14, FaZe Clan revealed their brand new line of merchandise line called Anime Warfare, which was produced in collaboration with fashion designers Siberia Hills.
The new line currently consists of two hoodies, one black and one white, both featuring the same anime image at the center.
However, almost immediately following the announcement, controversy began to brew on Twitter after several fans pointed out that a part of the image they used for the hoodies was identical to one found online.
With the image rights belonging to the image’s original artist, many began bashing FaZe and accusing them of essentially having stolen the artwork, changed its color scheme, and used it on their new merch without having paid for its rights.
Yo @FaZeClan you bought this right? https://t.co/52YM8N4ToV
— SoaR Paji (@Paji__) March 14, 2019
In the midst of this social media barrage, we reached out to FaZe Clan for a comment regarding this stream of allegations and backlash that was starting to pour harder and heavier as time passed by.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
According to the org, they have not been involved in any wrongdoing when it comes to designing their new merch, and that their use of the images is fully legitimate and legal.
“We looked into it and believe any allegations being made on this subject are false,” they said. “We own the image rights from our collaboration with Siberia Hills.”
Only time will tell whether this statement will be enough to convince those on social media who have been so sure in their accusations against FaZe.
For the record, the original artist of the image has not commented on the matter, so the only allegations facing FaZe are those from the court of public opinion.
We will update this article with any new information as it becomes available.