Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-266435
PROSPECTUS
FaZe Holdings Inc.
Up to 5,923,333 Shares of Common Stock (for issuance)
Up to 64,035,579 Shares of Common Stock (for resale)
Up to 173,333 Warrants to Purchase Shares of Common Stock (for resale)
This prospectus relates to the issuance by us of up to 5,923,333 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 (Common Stock), of FaZe Holdings Inc., consisting of: (i) shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below) that were issued upon the separation of the Private Placement Units (as defined below) that were issued in a private placement simultaneous with the IPO (as defined below) and (ii) shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants (as defined below) that were issued to stockholders as part of the units issued in the IPO.
This prospectus also relates to the resale by certain of the selling securityholders named in this prospectus or their pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees, successors (the Selling Holders) of: (1) up to 64,035,579 shares of Common Stock, consisting of (i) 40,512,679 shares of Common Stock issued to pre-Business Combination (as defined below) securityholders of FaZe (as defined below) in connection with the Business Combination; (ii) 520,000 shares of Common Stock issued upon the separation of the Private Placement Units that were issued in a private placement simultaneous with the IPO; (iii) 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock issued in the PIPE Investment (as defined below); (iv) 4,312,500 shares of Common Stock converted from the Founder Shares (as defined below); (v) 8,517,067 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of those Legacy FaZe Options (as defined below) that converted into FaZe stock options in connection with the Business Combination; (vi) 173,333 shares of Common Stock that may be issued upon exercise of the 173,333 Private Placement Warrant; and (2) up to 173,333 Private Placement Warrants, issued upon the separation of the Private Placement Units.
On July 19, 2022, FaZe Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (formerly known as B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp., BRPM) (the Company or we, us, our or similar terms), consummated its previously announced business combination (the Business Combination) pursuant to that certain Merger Agreement (the Merger Agreement), dated as of October 24, 2021 and amended on December 29, 2021 and March 10, 2022, by and among BRPM, BRPM Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of BRPM (Merger Sub), and FaZe Clan, Inc. (Legacy FaZe). As contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into Legacy FaZe, with Legacy FaZe surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of BRPM. As a result of the Merger, and upon the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the securityholders of Legacy FaZe became securityholders of BRPM and received shares of Common Stock (or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock) at a deemed price of $10.00 per share, and BRPM was renamed FaZe Holdings Inc. Additionally, BRPMs Class B common stock, which was initially purchased by the Sponsor in a private placement prior to the IPO at a price of approximately $0.006 per share, was converted into BRPMs Class A common stock and BRPMs Class A common stock was reclassified as Common Stock upon the filing of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State upon completion of the Business Combination.
Additionally, on July 19, 2022, we consummated our previously announced private placement (the PIPE Investment) for an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $10.00 per share to certain investors (the PIPE Investors) pursuant to a series of Subscription Agreements, dated as of October 24, 2021, by and among BRPM and the PIPE Investors (Subscription Agreements). At the Closing, investors that had committed to invest approximately $71.4 million in the PIPE Investment defaulted on their commitment. Pursuant to its backstop commitment under the Sponsor Support Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2021 (Sponsor Support Agreement), by and among BRPM, B. Riley Principal 150 Sponsor Co., LLC (the Sponsor) and Legacy FaZe, in which the Sponsor committed to purchase, or cause an affiliate or designee to purchase, the portion of the PIPE Investment not purchased by third-party subscribers to cause the actual PIPE Investment received by BRPM to equal $100.0 million (including the $20.0 million PIPE Investment made by an affiliate of the Sponsor), B. Riley Principal Investments, LLC invested approximately $53.4 million in the PIPE Investment (the Sponsor Backstop Amount).
See Selected Definitions below for certain defined terms used in this prospectus.
We are registering the resale of the shares of Common Stock and Warrants pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined below) and the Subscription Agreements. Our registration of the securities covered by this prospectus does not mean that the Selling Holders will offer or sell any of the shares of Common Stock or Warrants. Subject to the terms of the applicable agreements, the Selling Holders may offer, sell or distribute all or a portion of their shares of Common Stock or Private Placement Warrants publicly or through private transactions at prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. We provide more information about how the Selling Holders may sell the shares of Common Stock or Warrants in the section entitled Plan of Distribution. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our Common Stock or Warrants by the Selling Holders. We will, however, receive approximately $68.0 million if all of the 5,923,333 Warrants outstanding are exercised for cash at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, whether cash exercised by the Selling Holders or by public holders after the resale of the Warrants hereunder, and we will receive approximately $2.9 million in proceeds from the exercise of converted Legacy FaZe Options to the extent holder(s) thereof exercise such stock options for cash. We expect to use the proceeds received from the cash exercise of the Warrants and converted Legacy FaZe Options, if any, for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See the section of this prospectus titled Use of Proceeds. As of the date of this prospectus, our Warrants are in the money. However, if at any time in the future our Warrants are out-of-the money, which means that the trading price of the shares of our Common Stock underlying our Warrants is at such time below the $11.50 exercise price (subject to adjustment as described herein) of the Warrants, we would not expect warrantholders to exercise their Warrants and, therefore, we will not receive cash proceeds from any such exercise. See the risk factor entitled At any time in the future, our Warrants may not be in the money, and they may expire worthless for more information.
This prospectus also covers any additional shares of Common Stock that may become issuable upon any anti-dilution adjustment pursuant to the terms of the Warrants by reason of stock splits, stock dividends, and other events described therein.
Approximately 76% of the total shares of Common Stock outstanding as of September 15, 2022, are being registered for resale under this prospectus (assuming no exercise of any of our Warrants or Legacy FaZe Options), and would represent over 95% of our public float assuming the sale of all shares registered hereunder for resale at the effective date of this prospectus. Following the expiration of the applicable lock-up restrictions described herein, the sale of all of the securities registered for resale hereunder (and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of our Warrants and Legacy FaZe Options), or the perception that such sales may occur, may cause the market prices of our securities to decline significantly. As illustrated in the table below, despite such a decline in price, our Sponsor, the pre-Business Combination FaZe securityholders and the PIPE Investors may still experience a positive rate of return on the shares purchased by them due to the lower price per share at which their respective shares were purchased. Additionally, the units sold in BRPMs IPO were sold at prices below the current market trading price of our Common Stock, and accordingly, purchasers in this offering may not experience a similar rate of return on the securities purchased due to differences in the purchase prices and the historical trading prices of our securities. BRPM sold units in its IPO at a price of $10.00 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of Class A Common Stock (reclassified as Common Stock after the Business Combination) and one-third of one warrant, exercisable for one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50; the unit components automatically separated upon the closing of the Business Combination and were valued at $10.00 per share or exercisable for $11.50, respectively. Based on the closing price of our Common Stock on September 23, 2022 of $14.22 per share, if the holders of the units sold in the IPO were to sell the shares underlying the units, such holders would receive net proceeds of $4.22 per share, and if the holders were to exercise their warrants and sell them, they would receive net proceeds after the payment of the warrant exercise price of $2.72 per share. If our stock price remains above $10.00 or $11.50, respectively, these holders may earn a positive rate of return on their investment even if other holders of Common Stock experience a negative rate of return.
Selling Shareholder |
Number of Offered Shares |
Original Issuance Price per Offered Share |
Representative Net Proceeds per Offered Share(1) |
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BRPM initial shareholders |
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Founder shares |
4,312,500 | $ | 0.006 | $ | 14.21 | |||||||
Private Placement Shares issued as part of the Private Placement Units |
520,000 | $ | 10.00 | $ | 4.22 | |||||||
Shares underlying Private Placement Warrants |
173,333 | $ | 11.50 | $ | 2.72 | |||||||
PIPE Investors |
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B. Riley Principal Investments and Affiliates |
7,542,500 | $ | 10.00 | $ | 4.22 | |||||||
Other PIPE Investors |
2,457,500 | $ | 10.00 | $ | 4.22 | |||||||
Company Shareholders |
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Pre-Business Combination securityholders of FaZe |
49,029,746 | (2) | $ | 10.00 | $ | 4.22 |
(1) | Based on the closing price of our shares on September 23, 2022 of $14.22. |
(2) | Includes 8,517,067 shares issuable upon the exercise of options held by FaZe Option holders |
You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or amendment carefully before you invest in our securities.
Our Common Stock and Warrants are traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Nasdaq) under the symbols FAZE and FAZEW, respectively.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company as those terms are defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, are subject to certain reduced public company reporting requirements.
On September 23, 2022, the closing price of our Common Stock on Nasdaq was $14.22 per share and the closing price of our Warrants on Nasdaq was $1.44 per Warrant.
Investing in our securities involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 9 and in any applicable prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is October 3, 2022.
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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION |
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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F-1 |
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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any applicable prospectus supplement prepared by us or on our behalf. Neither we nor the Selling Holders have authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus we have prepared. We and the Selling Holders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date on the front of those documents only, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement, or any sale of a security. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) using the shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the Selling Holders hereunder may, from time to time, sell the securities offered by them described in this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale by such Selling Holders of the Common Stock or Warrants offered by them described in this prospectus. We will, however, receive approximately $68.0 million if all of the 5,923,333 Warrants outstanding are exercised for cash at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, whether cash exercised by the Selling Holders or by public holders after the resale of the Warrants hereunder, and we will receive approximately $3.2 million in proceeds from the exercise of converted Legacy FaZe Options to the extent the holder(s) thereof exercise such stock options for cash. We expect to use the proceeds received from the cash exercise of the Warrants and converted Legacy FaZe Options, if any, for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See the section of this prospectus titled Use of Proceeds.
A prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information included in this prospectus. Any statement contained in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in such prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified will be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus only as so modified, and any statement so superseded will be deemed not to constitute a part of this prospectus. You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. See Where You Can Find More Information.
This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described in the section entitled under Where You Can Find More Information.
Unless the context indicates otherwise, references to the Company, we, us and our refer, prior to the Business Combination, to BRPM or Legacy FaZe, as the context suggests, and, following the Business Combination, to FaZe Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, also herein referred to as FaZe or FaZe Clan.
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TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS AND TRADE NAMES
This prospectus may contain some trademarks, service marks and trade names of the Company or of third parties. Each one of these trademarks, service marks or trade names is either (1) our registered trademark, (2) a trademark for which we have a pending application, or (3) a trade name or service mark for which we claim common law rights. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks of any other company appearing in this prospectus belong to their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are presented without the TM, SM and ® symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our respective rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks and trade names.
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Unless stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| A&R Registration Rights Agreement means the Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, effective on the Closing Date of the Business Combination, by and among FaZe, BRPM, the Sponsor, certain officers and directors of FaZe and certain other stockholders of Legacy FaZe prior to the Business Combination. |
| BRPM means B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation (which, after the Closing is known as FaZe Holdings Inc.). |
| BRPM Class A common stock means the shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of BRPM. |
| BRPM Class B common stock means the shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of BRPM. |
| BRPM units means the units of BRPM, each consisting of one share of BRPM Class A common stock and one-third of one BRPM warrant. |
| BRPM warrants means the warrants of BRPM, each exercisable for one share of BRPM Class A common stock, at an initial exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment in accordance with its terms. |
| Business Combination means the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the Merger. |
| Closing means the closing of the Business Combination. |
| Closing Date means July 19, 2022, the date on which the Closing occurred. |
| Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. |
| DGCL means the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. |
| Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
| Effective Time means the effective time of the Merger. |
| fan means an individual reached by FaZe content across any platform. The term fan embodies the related term subscriber, which refers to a fan who accesses FaZe content on a platform that refers to its users as subscribers (e.g., YouTube), and the related term follower, which means a fan who accesses FaZe content on a platform that refers to its users as followers (e.g., Instagram). The term fan does not necessarily represent one individual if such individual engages with FaZe on multiple social media platforms and with multiple content creators. |
| FASB means the Financial Accounting Standards Board. |
| FaZe means FaZe Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (which, prior to the Closing, was known as B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp.). |
| FaZe Board means our board of directors following the Business Combination. |
| FaZe Incentive Plan means the FaZe Holdings Inc. 2022 Omnibus Incentive Plan, approved and adopted by the BRPM Board on October 24, 2021, effective as of the Closing of the Business Combination. |
| FaZe PIPE Investor means AEV Esports, LLC (AEV), an affiliate of Cox Investment Holdings, Inc. (Cox) and, following a reorganization and assignment by Cox to AEV, an assignee of Coxs rights and obligations under Coxs Subscription Agreement, the Cox notes, the Cox Consent Letter and certain related documents (each such term as defined below). Prior to the assignment, Cox was a PIPE Investor and securityholder of Legacy FaZe. |
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| Founder Shares means the aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of BRPM Class B common stock purchased by the Sponsor in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.006 per share, which were converted into 4,312,500 shares of BRPM Class A common stock and BRPM Class A common stock was reclassified as Common Stock upon the filing of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State upon Closing of the Business Combination. Pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, 50% of the Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture following Closing if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. |
| FaZe Stockholder means each holder of FaZe capital stock or securities exercisable for or convertible into FaZe capital stock prior to the Closing. |
| GAAP means United States generally accepted accounting principles. |
| IPO means BRPMs initial public offering of the sale of 17,250,000 BRPM units at $10.00 per unit. |
| JOBS Act means the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. |
| Legacy FaZe Awards means the Legacy FaZe Options and Legacy FaZe Restricted Stock Awards. |
| Legacy FaZe capital stock means Legacy FaZe common stock and Legacy FaZe preferred stock. |
| Legacy FaZe common stock means the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Legacy FaZe. |
| Legacy FaZe Incentive Plan means the FaZe Clan Inc. Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time. |
| Legacy FaZe Option means an option to purchase shares of Legacy FaZe common stock granted under the Legacy FaZe Incentive Plan. |
| Legacy FaZe preferred stock means the Series A preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share, of Legacy FaZe. |
| Legacy FaZe Restricted Stock Award means an award of shares of Legacy FaZe common stock granted or acquired under the Legacy FaZe Incentive Plan that are subject to vesting and/or a right of repurchase (including, without limitation, any such shares acquired upon early exercise of a Legacy FaZe Option). |
| Merger means the merger of Merger Sub with and into Legacy FaZe. |
| Merger Agreement means that Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 24, 2021, as amended on December 29, 2021 and March 10, 2022, by and among BRPM, Merger Sub, and Legacy FaZe. |
| Merger Sub means BRPM Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of BRPM prior to the consummation of the Business Combination. |
| Person means any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, joint stock company, governmental authority or instrumentality or other entity of any kind. |
| PIPE Investment means the purchase of an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of BRPM Class A common stock pursuant to the Subscription Agreements. |
| PIPE Investors means those certain investors participating in the PIPE Investment pursuant to the Subscription Agreements. |
| Private Placement Units means the 520,000 units purchased by the Sponsor at the time of the IPO, each unit consisting of one share of BRPM Class A common stock and one-third of one BRPM warrant. |
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| Private Placement Warrants means the BRPM warrants included in the Private Placement Units, each of which is exercisable for one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, in accordance with its terms. |
| Public Warrants means the BRPM warrants included in the BRPM units issued in the IPO, each of which is exercisable for one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, in accordance with its terms. |
| Sponsor means B. Riley Principal 150 Sponsor Co., LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. |
| Sponsor Related PIPE Investors means the affiliates of Sponsor participating in the PIPE Investment. |
| Subscription Agreements means the subscription agreements pursuant to which the PIPE Investment was consummated, each dated October 24, 2021, between BRPM and the PIPE Investors. |
| Subsidiary means, with respect to a Person, a corporation or other entity of which more than 50% of the voting power of the equity securities or equity interests is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person. |
| talent means a creator of content used by FaZe. |
| Total Reach means the aggregate number of fans that subscribe to or follow FaZe content across YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch, measured at the end of the reporting period and based on publicly available data. Our calculation of Total Reach may count the same individual multiple times if an individual follows or subscribes to FaZe content on multiple platforms; therefore, our Total Reach metric may inflate the number of individuals, as opposed to user accounts, reached by our content. |
| Transfer Agent means Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. |
| Trust Account means the Trust Account of BRPM that held the proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Units. |
| Trustee means Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. |
| Warrants means the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants. |
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as estimate, plan, project, forecast, intend, expect, anticipate, believe, seek, strategy, future, opportunity, may, target, should, will, would, will be, will continue, will likely result, or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, our expectations concerning the outlook for our business, productivity, plans and goals for future operational improvements and capital investments, operational performance, future market conditions or economic performance and developments in the capital and credit markets and expected future financial performance, as well as any information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations.
Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results or events may differ materially from those projected or implied in those statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to:
| the incurrence of significant costs in connection with and following the Business Combination, including unexpected costs or expenses; |
| the sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents and investments to meet our liquidity needs; |
| potential litigation or conflicts relating to the Business Combination, and litigation and regulatory proceedings relating to our business, including the ability to adequately protect our intellectual property rights; |
| our limited operating history and uncertain future prospects and rate of growth due to our limited operating history, including our ability to implement business plans and other expectations; |
| our ability to continue to monetize our platform; |
| our ability to grow market share in our existing markets or any new markets we may enter; |
| our ability to maintain and grow the strength of our brand reputation; |
| our ability to manage our growth effectively; |
| our ability to retain existing and attract new Esports professionals, content creators and influencers; |
| our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, directors and other key employees or independent contractors; |
| our ability to maintain and strengthen our community of brand partners, engaged consumers, content creators, influencers and Esports professionals, and the success of our strategic relationships with these and other third parties; |
| our ability to effectively compete within the online entertainment industry, as well as the broader entertainment industry; |
| our reliance on the internet and various third-party mass media platforms; |
| risks related to data security and privacy, including the risk of cyber-attacks or other security incidents; |
| risks resulting from our global operations; |
| our ability to maintain the listing of our Common Stock and Warrants on Nasdaq; |
| our securities potential liquidity and trading, including that the price of our securities may be volatile; |
| future issuances, sales or resales of our securities; |
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| the grant and future exercise of registration rights; |
| our ability to secure future financing, if needed, and our ability to repay any future indebtedness when due; |
| the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| the impact of the regulatory environment in our industry and complexities with compliance related to such environment, including our ability to comply with complex regulatory requirements; |
| our ability to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting; |
| our ability to respond to general economic conditions, including market interest rates; |
| changes to accounting principles and guidelines; and |
| other factors detailed under the section entitled Risk Factors. |
We caution you not to rely on forward-looking statements, which reflect current beliefs and are based on information currently available as of the date a forward-looking statement is made. Forward-looking statements set forth herein speak only as of the date of this prospectus. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described in the section entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 9 of this prospectus. Other sections of this prospectus describe additional factors that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business, or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, including with respect to COVID-19, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.
We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. In the event that any forward-looking statement is updated, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. Any corrections or revisions and other important assumptions and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, including discussions of significant risk factors, may appear in our public filings with the SEC, which are or will be (as appropriate) accessible at www.sec.gov, and which you are advised to consult. For additional information, please see the section titled Where You Can Find More Information.
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This summary highlights certain information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that is important to you. You should carefully read this entire prospectus and the other information referred to in this prospectus, including the information presented under the sections titled Risk Factors, Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information, and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus before making an investment decision. The definition of some of the terms used in this prospectus are set forth under the section Selected Definitions.
Company Overview
FaZe Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: FAZE) is a digital-native lifestyle and media platform rooted in gaming and youth culture, reimagining traditional entertainment for the next generation. Founded in 2010 by a group of kids on the internet, FaZe was created for and by Gen Z and Millennials, and today operates across multiple verticals with transformative content, tier-one brand partnerships, a collective of notable talent, and fashion and consumer products. With a Total Reach of approximately 500 million followers across social platforms globally as of June 30, 2022, FaZe delivers a wide variety of entertainment spanning video blogs, lifestyle and branded content, gaming highlights and live streams of highly competitive gaming tournaments. FaZes roster of more than 85 influential personalities consists of engaging content creators, esports professionals, world-class gamers and a mix of talent who go beyond the world of gaming.
Corporate Information
FaZe was founded in 2010 and is a Delaware corporation. Our principal executive office address is 720 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90038. Our telephone number is (818) 688-6373. Our website is our website, www.fazeclan.com. The information contained in our website is not a part of this prospectus.
IPO
BRPM was a blank check company incorporated on June 19, 2020 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. In connection with BRPMs formation, the Sponsor was issued an aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of BRPM Class B common stock.
On February 23, 2021, BRPM completed its IPO of 17,250,000 BRPM units which included the issuance of 2,250,000 units as a result of the underwriters exercise of its over-allotment option, at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000. Each BRPM unit consisted of one share of BRPM Class A common stock and one-third of one Public Warrant. Each Public Warrant entitled the holder thereof to purchase one share of BRPM Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment.
Simultaneously with the closing of its IPO, BRPM consummated the sale of 520,000 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per unit, for an aggregate investment of $5,200,000, in a private placement to the Sponsor, which was an affiliate of certain BRPM officers and directors and an affiliate of B. Riley Securities, the underwriter of the IPO. The Private Placement Units were comprised of 520,000 shares of BRPM Class A common stock and 173,333 BRPM warrants.
Business Combination
On July 19, 2022, FaZe consummated its previously announced Business Combination pursuant to the Merger Agreement. As contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into Legacy FaZe, with
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Legacy FaZe surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of BRPM. As a result of the Merger, and upon the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the securityholders of Legacy FaZe became securityholders of BRPM and BRPM was renamed FaZe Holdings Inc. Additionally, BRPMs Class B common stock was converted into BRPM Class A common stock and BRPM Class A common stock was reclassified as Common Stock upon the filing of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State upon completion of the Business Combination.
In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, holders of an aggregate of 15,883,395 shares of BRPM Class A common stock exercised their right to redeem such shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in BRPMs Trust Account. Following redemptions and the payment of transaction expenses, and together with the proceeds of the PIPE Investment, BRPM delivered an aggregate of approximately $57.7 million to the Company on the Closing Date.
The PIPE Investment
Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, BRPM and the PIPE Investors entered into the Subscription Agreements providing for the purchase by the PIPE Investors immediately prior to the Closing of the Business Combination of an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of BRPM Class A common stock at a price per share of $10.00, for gross proceeds to BRPM of $100,000,000. At the Closing, investors that had committed to invest approximately $71.4 million in the PIPE Investment defaulted on their commitment. Pursuant to its backstop commitment under the Sponsor Support Agreement the Sponsor committed to purchase, or cause an affiliate or designee to purchase, the portion of the PIPE Investment not purchased by third-party subscribers to cause the actual PIPE Investment received by BRPM to equal $100.0 million (including the $20.0 million PIPE Investment made by an affiliate of the Sponsor), B. Riley Principal Investments, LLC invested approximately $53.4 million in the PIPE Investment.
After giving effect to the Business Combination and the consummation of the PIPE Investment, we have 72,506,839 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding (which excludes the 18,064,646 options to purchase Common Stock) and 5,923,333 Warrants to purchase Common Stock issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus.
Transfer Restrictions
Each of the Founder Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants that are owned by the Sponsor and all shares of Common Stock issued as consideration in the Business Combination are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. Further, the 5,312,098 shares of Common Stock issued to Legacy FaZe securityholders as earnout consideration and 50% of the Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture following Closing if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. Shares of Common Stock issued in the PIPE Investment are not subject to a post-Closing lock-up period. See Certain Relationship and Related-Party TransactionsTransfer Restrictions for further discussion.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company
We qualify as an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to:
1. | being permitted to have only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related selected financial data and managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations disclosure; |
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2. | an exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act); |
3. | reduced disclosure about executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports, registration statements and proxy statements; and |
4. | exemptions from the requirements to seek non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements. |
In addition, the JOBS Act permits emerging growth companies to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We are not choosing to opt out of this provision. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO, (ii) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (iii) the date on which we have, during the immediately preceding three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities and (iv) the last day of any fiscal year in which the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last day of the second quarter of that fiscal year. We have elected to take advantage of certain of the reduced disclosure obligations in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. As a result, the information that we provide to our stockholders may be different than you might receive from other public reporting companies in which you hold equity interests.
We are also a smaller reporting company as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as (i) the market value of our voting and non-voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or (ii) our annual revenue is less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our voting and non-voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates is more than $700 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
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Risk Factor Summary
You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus before investing in our securities. These risks are discussed more fully in the section titled Risk Factors following this summary. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely be materially adversely affected. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
Risks Related to Our Business:
| We have incurred and expect to continue to incur operating losses and may not establish and maintain profitability in the future. |
| Our business depends on the strength of our brand, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, we may be unable to sell our products or services, and our consumer engagement may decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. |
| We are subject to risks associated with operating in a rapidly developing industry and a relatively new market. |
| We have experienced rapid growth since our inception and we expect that we will continue to grow. If we are unable to effectively manage that growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected. |
| Esports professionals, influencers and content creators historically have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. If these Esports professionals, influencers and content creators were to become less popular and we are unable to identify and acquire suitable replacements, our business and prospects could suffer. |
| Competition within the online entertainment industry as well as the broader entertainment industry is intense and our existing and potential consumers may be attracted to competing forms of entertainment such as television, movies and sporting events, as well as other entertainment and gaming options on the internet. If our Esports professionals, influencers and content creators do not maintain or increase their popularity, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially adversely affected. |
| Misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment and retail consumer products could negatively impact demand for our entertainment offerings and products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. |
| We primarily rely, and expect to continue to primarily rely, on third-party mass media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch to deliver our content offerings to fans and potential viewers and any failure, disruption of or interference with our use of such streaming services could disrupt the availability of our content and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. |
| Significant disruption during live events that we participate in, such as power and internet outages, may adversely affect our business. |
| If we are unable to compete effectively for advertisers and sponsors, our business, revenue and financial results could be negatively affected. |
| High levels of redemptions of BRPM Class A common stock in connection with the Business Combination depleted the cash in BRPMs Trust Account, thereby diminishing the amount of working capital we received in the Business Combination. |
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Risks Related to Our People:
| Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain our personnel, and any failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could seriously harm our business. |
| Our workforce and operations have grown substantially since our inception and we expect that they will continue to do so. If we are unable to effectively manage that growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected. |
| An increase in the relative size of Esports and content creator salaries or talent acquisition costs could negatively impact our business. |
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property:
| The success of our business is highly dependent on the existence and maintenance of intellectual property rights in the entertainment products and services we create. |
| We may be unable to maintain or acquire licenses to incorporate intellectual property owned by others in our entertainment offerings. |
Risks Related to Our Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Matters:
| We are involved, and in the future may become involved, in claims, suits, and other proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. The outcomes of any such current or future legal proceedings could have a negative impact on our business. |
| Governmental agencies may restrict access to platforms, our website and social media channels, mobile applications or the internet generally, which could lead to the loss or slower growth of our consumer base. |
| Our business, content and products, as well as the services of third-parties upon which we rely, may in the future be subject to increasing regulation around the world. If we or they do not successfully respond and adapt to these potential regulations, our business could be negatively impacted. |
Risks Related to Our Tax, Financial and Accounting Matters:
| We have identified a number of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations. |
| Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results or financial condition. |
Risks Related to Our Securities:
| We are an emerging growth company and smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, it could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance to the performance of other public companies. |
| Our stock price may be volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance. |
| An active trading market for our securities may not be sustained. |
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| The sale of all of the securities registered for resale hereunder and future sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public market (including the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of our Warrants), or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause our stock price to decline. |
| If securities or industry analysts either do not publish research about the Company or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our securities adversely, the trading price or trading volume of our securities could decline. |
| We have incurred and will continue to incur increased costs related to becoming and operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial additional time to new compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices. |
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Any investment in the securities offered hereby is speculative and involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the information set forth under Risk Factors on page 9 of this prospectus.
Issuer |
FaZe Holdings Inc. |
Issuance of Common Stock upon exercise of Warrants
The following information is as of September 15, 2022, and does not give effect to issuances of our Common Stock after such date, or the exercise of Warrants after such date.
Shares of our Common Stock to be issued upon the exercise of all Warrants |
5,923,333 shares |
Shares of our Common Stock outstanding prior to exercise of all Warrants |
72,506,839 shares |
Exercise Price of the Warrants |
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein |
Use of Proceeds |
We will receive up to an aggregate of approximately $68.0 million from the exercise of all Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants assuming the exercise in full of all such Warrants for cash. We will receive up to an aggregate of $3.2 million from the exercise of all Legacy FaZe Options that convert into FaZe stock options in connection with the Business Combination. Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, to the extent we elect the exercise of such Warrants and stock options for cash, we intend to use the net proceeds from such exercise for general corporate purposes. To the extent the Warrants and stock options are exercised on a cashless basis, we will receive no proceeds. Our Warrants are currently in the money. However, if at any time in the future our warrants are out-of-the money, which means that the trading price of the shares of our Common Stock underlying our Warrants is at such time below the $11.50 exercise price (subject to adjustment as described herein) of the Warrants, we would not expect warrantholders to exercise their Warrants and, therefore, we will not receive cash proceeds from any such exercise. See the risk factor entitled At any time in the future, our Warrants may not be in the money, and they may expire worthless for more information. |
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Resale of Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants
Shares of Common Stock that may be offered and |
Up to 64,035,579 shares |
Private Placement Warrants offered by the Selling Holders |
173,333 Private Placement Warrants |
Exercise Price of Private Placement Warrants |
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein |
Redemption of Private Placement Warrants |
The Private Placement Warrants are not redeemable by us. See Description of SecuritiesPrivate Placement Warrants for further discussion. |
Use of Proceeds |
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants to be offered by the Selling Holders. With respect to shares of Common Stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants, we will not receive any proceeds from such shares except with respect to amounts received by us upon exercise of such Private Placement Warrants to the extent such Private Placement Warrants are exercised for cash. See Use of proceeds above for more information on the proceeds we expect to receive from the exercise of Warrants. |
Transfer Restrictions; Vesting |
Each of the Founder Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, certain of the Legacy FaZe Options that converted into FaZe stock options in connection with the Business Combination and any Common Stock issued as consideration in the Business Combination are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. Further, the 5,312,098 shares of Common Stock issued to Legacy FaZe securityholders as earnout consideration and 50% of the Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture following Closing if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. Shares of Common Stock issued in the PIPE Investment are not subject to a post-Closing lock-up period. See Certain Relationship and Related-Party TransactionsTransfer Restrictions for further discussion. |
Nasdaq Ticker Symbols |
Common Stock: FAZE |
Warrants: FAZEW
Risk Factors |
See the section titled Risk Factors beginning on page 9 of this prospectus and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors that you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in our Common Stock and Warrants. |
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In addition to the other information contained in this prospectus, including the matters addressed under the heading Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, you should carefully consider the following risk factors in this prospectus before investing in our securities. Certain factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations. The risks and uncertainties described below are not intended to be exhaustive and are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in future periods or are not identified because they are generally common to businesses. If any of these risks occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business
We have incurred and expect to continue to incur operating losses and may not establish and maintain profitability in the future.
We have incurred net losses since our inception, and we expect to continue to incur net losses in the near future. We incurred net losses of $18.8 million, $36.9 million and $28.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $131.2 million and $112.4 million, respectively. We expect our costs and expenses to increase in future periods as we intend to continue to make significant investments to grow our business. These efforts may be more costly than we expect and may not result in increased revenue or the growth of our business. In addition to the expected costs to grow our business, we also expect to incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses as a newly public company. If we fail to increase our revenue to sufficiently offset the increases in our operating expenses, we will not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in the future. These conditions have raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which is dependent upon our ability to generate significant revenue and our ability to raise additional funds by way of our debt and equity financing efforts.
While we have experienced significant revenue and other growth in recent periods, the industry in which we operate is highly competitive and rapidly changing, and relies heavily on continually introducing compelling content and products. As such, if we fail to deliver such content and products, do not execute our strategy successfully or if our content offerings or products are delayed in any way, our revenue may decline, and our operating results will suffer.
Our business depends on the strength of our brand, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, we may be unable to sell our products or services, and our consumer engagement may decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We believe that our brand, identity and reputation contribute significantly to our success. Maintaining and enhancing the FaZe brand and reputation is critical to retaining and growing our consumer, sponsor and advertiser bases. Maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation depends largely on our continued ability to provide high-quality, culturally-relevant and entertaining content, as well as competitive Esports competition results, which may require substantial investment by us and may not be successful. Further, advertisements and sponsorships, and actions of our advertisers or sponsors may affect our brand and reputation if our consumers respond negatively to them. Additionally, our brand, identity and reputation may be adversely affected by perceptions of our industry in general, including perceptions resulting from factors unrelated to our actions or our content.
To be successful in the future, we believe we must preserve, grow and leverage the value of our brand across all of our revenue streams. We have in the past experienced, and we expect that in the future we will continue to receive, a high degree of media coverage. Unfavorable publicity regarding any of our Esports teams, Esports athletes, content creators, influencers or brand partners regarding their actions or professional performance, or
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any unfavorable publicity regarding our ability to attract and retain certain Esports players and coaching staff, could negatively affect our brand and reputation. Failure to respond effectively to negative publicity could also further erode our brand reputation.
In addition, events in our industry, even if unrelated to us, may negatively affect our brand and reputation. As a result, the size and engagement of our fan base and the demand for our products may decline. Damage to our brand or reputation or loss of our fans commitment for any of these reasons could impair our ability to expand our fan base, sponsors and commercial affiliates or our ability to sell significant quantities of our products, which could result in decreased revenue across our revenue streams and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as require additional resources to rebuild our brand and reputation.
In addition, maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation may require us to make substantial investments, some or all of which may be unsuccessful. Failure to successfully maintain and enhance the FaZe brand and reputation or excessive or unsuccessful expenses in connection with this effort could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to risks associated with operating in a rapidly developing industry and a relatively new market.
Many elements of our business are unique, evolving and relatively unproven. Our business and prospects depend on the continuing development of livestreaming of competitive Esports, gaming and lifestyle content. The market for competitive Esports, gaming and lifestyle content is relatively new and rapidly developing and is subject to significant challenges. Our business relies upon our ability to cultivate and grow an active community, and our ability to successfully monetize such community through advertising and sponsorship opportunities and retail sales. In addition, our continued growth depends, in part, on our ability to respond to the constant changes in our industry, including rapid technological evolution, continued shifts in gamer trends and demands, the introduction of new competitors into the market, and the constant emergence of new industry standards and practices. Developing and integrating new content, products and services could be expensive and time-consuming, and these efforts may not yield the benefits we expect to achieve at all. Further, if the Esports gaming advertising and sponsorship market does not continue to grow, or if we are unable to capture and retain a sufficient share of that market, our results may be materially and adversely affected. We cannot assure you that we will succeed in any of these aspects or that our industry will continue to grow as rapidly as it has in the past.
We have experienced rapid growth since our inception and we expect that we will continue to grow. If we are unable to effectively manage that growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected.
Since our inception, we have experienced rapid growth in the U.S. and internationally. This growth has included growth in our fanbase, consumer product sales, content pipeline, Esports/gaming performance, and in the number of our talent and of our brand sponsorships, among other things. In addition, we expect future growth in our fanbase, consumer product sales, content pipeline, Esports/gaming performance, the number of brand sponsorships, and in the number of our talent, as well as in international expansion, mergers and acquisitions, and emerging monetization areas. This expansion increases the complexity of our business and has placed, and will continue to place, strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, financial resources and internal financial control and reporting functions. The industries in which we operate are rapidly evolving and may not develop as we expect. Even if our revenue continues to increase, our net revenue growth rates may vary in the future as a result of macroeconomic factors, increased competition, the maturation of our business, and other factors. Overall growth of our net revenue will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to:
| Maintain and enhance our reputation and the value of our brand; |
| Continue to produce content and offer retail products that our target audience finds appealing so that we are able to attract new consumers and maintain our existing consumer relationships and engagement; |
| Accurately forecast our revenue and plan our operating expenses; |
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| Successfully compete in the industries in which we participate, and respond to developments in these industries; |
| Comply with existing and new laws and regulations applicable to our business; |
| Successfully expand into new business verticals and new markets, including international markets; |
| Hire, integrate, train, and retain talented personnel; |
| Effectively manage the growth of our business, personnel, and operations; |
| Effectively manage our costs related to our business and operations; and |
| Attract and retain creative talent. |
Because we have a limited history operating our business at its current scale, it is difficult to evaluate our current business and future prospects, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. We may not be able to manage our growth effectively, which could damage our reputation and negatively affect our operating results.
We received less proceeds from the Business Combination than we initially expected. This could prevent us from executing on our business plan and may result in our results of operation and financial condition being worse than we previously projected.
We rely on the availability of capital to grow our business. The projections that we prepared in September 2021 in connection with the Business Combination assumed that we would receive at least $218 million in capital from the Business Combination. At Closing, we received only approximately $100.2 million due to higher than expected redemptions by BRPM public stockholders and higher than expected expenses in connection with the Business Combination. Accordingly, we have less cash available to pursue our anticipated growth strategies and new initiatives than we projected. This may cause significant delays in, or limit the scope of, our planned acquisition strategy and our planned international expansion.
Our actual results for 2021 differed materially from our projections and we currently expect our actual 2022 results to differ materially from the projections for several reasons, including, among other things: (i) the actual level of redemptions by BRPM public stockholders being higher than anticipated redemption levels; (ii) we expect costs of revenue to be higher than projected as a result of increased budgets for planned original content to enhance the quality of production and participating talent; (iii) we expect general and administrative expenses for 2022 to be higher than projected by at least 30% as a result of higher than expected costs associated with investing in growth initiatives, our accelerated decision following the execution of the Merger Agreement to hire more executivesincluding a Chief Operating Officer and the search for a Chief Commercial Officerto position FaZe with a strong corporate governance structure, and other employees as we scale, the accelerated pace of hiring executives and other employees, and higher costs related to being a public company, including those related to directors and officers liability insurance; (iv) we expect revenues for 2022 to be lower than projected by 20%, but revenues may be higher or lower, as a result of changes to original programming planned for 2022, slower than anticipated retail growth in consumer products and delays in our planned international expansion as a result of less than anticipated proceeds available from the Trust Account; and (v) as a result of anticipated higher costs and lower revenues, we expect Adjusted EBITDA to be lower than projected. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for more information.
Additionally, we currently expect our actual 2023 results to differ materially from our projections for several reasons, including, among other things: (i) the continued and cumulative effects of the factors described in the immediately preceding paragraph, including less than anticipated transaction proceeds and increased costs of revenue; (ii) higher than projected general and administrative expenses as a result of the full year impact of employee and executive hires and public company expenses, including directors and officers liability insurance; (iii) lower than projected revenues as a result of a reduced production slate and budget size for content and challenges with expanding our consumer products business given existing licensing arrangements in place that
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restrict us from effectively capitalizing opportunities, such as scaling internationally; and (iv) as a result, lower than projected Adjusted EBITDA.
Given the dynamic nature of the markets we operate in, and the current status of our business, although we lack the visibility to reasonably quantify, the results for the future periods beyond 2023 may also materially differ from our projections.
In addition, we are also monitoring and evaluating emerging growth opportunities and believe some opportunities such as digital goods are growing more rapidly than expected, which may accelerate the timeline of our investment in these growth opportunities as early as 2022 and/or 2023. Investment in emerging opportunities comes with significant execution risk and may include direct costs relating to launching a new product or service, hiring employees, signing talent and/or increases in marketing events and expense.
Because we experienced high redemptions by BRPM public stockholders in connection with the Business Combination, we have less Trust Account proceeds available to pursue our anticipated growth strategies and new initiatives, including our acquisition strategy, which could have a material impact on our projected estimates and assumptions and actual results of operations and financial condition. The estimates and assumptions used in building our projections required the exercise of judgment and were and continue to be subject to various economic, business, competitive, regulatory, legislative, political and other factors. There can be no assurance that the projected results will be realized even after accounting for the differences discussed herein, or that actual results will not be significantly higher or lower than estimated. Our failure to achieve our projected results could harm the trading price of our securities and our financial position, and adversely affect our future profitability and cash flows. For more information on expectations regarding expenses relative to projections, see Key Components of Sales and Expenses in the section titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Esports professionals, influencers and content creators historically have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. If these Esports professionals, influencers and content creators were to become less popular and we are unable to identify and acquire suitable replacements, our business and prospects could suffer.
Historically, our Esports professionals, influencers and content creators have accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, one content creator accounted for approximately 17% of our revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the same content creator accounted for approximately 22% of our revenue, of which approximately 8% represented a one-time payment to FaZe for the sale of a five-year exclusive license to certain historical content posted to YouTube by this content creator prior to March 2021. See Business- MonetizationTalent Network, BusinessMonetizationContent and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsResults of OperationsRevenue. We expect that our popular Esports professionals, influencers and content creators will continue to produce a disproportionately high percentage of our revenues and profits. As we have grown our talent roster, we have worked to develop a broad talent base capable of sustaining and growing the FaZe brand. However, our revenue from this content creator or any of our other talent may fluctuate in the future because of similar one-time sales to third parties of content created by any particular FaZe talent, or because of other one-time or limited events, which we anticipate would take place in the future. The failure of such a content creator to achieve results as anticipated could negatively impact our business. Other than the historical revenue attributable to this one content creator being material to our business for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022, we are not dependent on any one Esports professional, influencer, and/or content creator. However, if the popularity of an Esports professional, influencer or content creator declines, as has happened in the past with other popular Esports professionals, influencers and content creators, we may have difficulty identifying and acquiring suitable replacements. If we are unable to identify and acquire suitable replacements for any of our Esports professionals, influencers or content creators in a timely manner and on terms agreeable to us, our brand could lose popularity, which would negatively impact our business.
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Competition within the online entertainment industry as well as the broader entertainment industry is intense and our existing and potential consumers may be attracted to competing forms of entertainment such as television, movies and sporting events, as well as other entertainment and gaming options on the internet. If our Esports professionals, influencers and content creators do not maintain or increase their popularity, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially adversely affected.
The specific industries in which we operate, including online gaming and lifestyle content, professional Esports, and retail merchandise, are characterized by dynamic consumer demand and technological advances, and there is intense competition among online gaming and traditional entertainment providers. A number of established companies producing content similar to ours compete with us and our platform, and other companies may introduce competitive services in the future. These competitors may spend more money and time on developing their respective platforms, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive business strategies, or otherwise develop more appealing content offerings than ours, which could negatively impact our business. Furthermore, new competitors may enter our industry and compete directly with us. If we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, or if the offerings on our platform do not continue to be popular, our business could suffer.
We operate in the digital entertainment and gaming industries within the broader entertainment industry, and our consumers face a vast array of easily accessible entertainment choices. Other forms of entertainment, such as television, movies and sporting events, as well as other forms of digital entertainment, are more well established and may be perceived by the users to offer greater variety, affordability, interactivity, and enjoyment. We compete with these other forms of entertainment for the discretionary time and income of these consumers, and competition within the industries we operate and the broader entertainment industry is intense. If we are unable to sustain sufficient interest in our platform in comparison to other forms of entertainment, including new forms of entertainment, we could experience reduced demand for our content, live events and overall popularity, which could have an adverse effect on our business financial condition and results of operations.
Misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment and retail consumer products could negatively impact demand for our entertainment offerings and products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We create entertainment content and consumer products, the success of which depends substantially on consumer interests and preferences that frequently change in unpredictable ways. The success of our business depends on our ability to consistently create digital content and consumer products, and to have popular talent, that meet the changing preferences of the broad consumer market and respond to competition from an expanding array of entertainment choices facilitated by technological developments in the availability and delivery of digital content. Misalignment of our content, products, and talent if we are not successful in responding to rapidly changing public and consumer tastes and preferences, could impact demand for our offerings and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially affected.
We primarily rely, and expect to continue to primarily rely, on third-party mass media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch to deliver our content offerings to fans and potential viewers and any failure, disruption of or interference with our use of such streaming services could disrupt the availability of our content and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The success of our business is driven in part by the commercial success and adequate supply of third-party mass media channels through which we may distribute our content, including YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch. Our success also depends on our ability to accurately predict which channels and platforms will be successful with the FaZe and larger gaming communities, our ability to develop commercially successful content and distribute it on these platforms. Additionally, we may enter into certain exclusive licensing arrangements that affect our ability to deliver or market our content on certain channels and platforms. A channel or platform may not succeed as expected or new channels or platforms may take market share and consumers away from
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platforms for which we have devoted significant resources. If demand for the channels or platforms for which we are developing and producing our content is lower than our expectations, we may be unable to fully recover the investments we have made, and our financial performance may be negatively impacted. Alternatively, a channel or platform for which we have not devoted significant resources could be more successful than we initially anticipated, causing us to not be able to take advantage of meaningful revenue opportunities.
Significant disruption during live events that we participate in, such as power and internet outages, may adversely affect our business.
We, as well as the teams in the Esports leagues we compete in, host and participate in numerous live events each year, some of which are attended by a large number of people. If an event we host or in which we participate experience an internet or power outage, the event may be delayed or canceled, and our reputation may be harmed. Additionally, there are many risks that are inherent in large gatherings of people, including the risk of an actual or threatened terrorist act, fire, explosion, protests, riots, and other safety or security issues, any one of which could result in injury or death to attendees and/or damage to the facilities at which such an event is hosted. While we maintain insurance policies, they may be insufficient to reimburse us for all losses or all types of claims that may be caused by such an event. Moreover, if there were a public perception that the safety or security measures are inadequate at the events we host or events hosted by our teams in the Esports leagues we compete in, whether or not the case, it could result in reputational damage and a decline in future attendance at events hosted by us or the leagues in which our Esports teams compete.
We focus our business on our Esports professionals, influencers and content creators and consumers, and acting in their interests in the long-term may conflict with the short-term expectations of investors.
A significant part of our business strategy and culture is to focus on long-term growth and the development and experience of our Esports professionals, content creators and influencers over short-term financial results. We expect our expenses to continue to increase in the future as we broaden our Esports athlete, content creator and influencer community, and increase the amount and types of content offerings available on the FaZe platform. We expect to continue making significant investments to grow our platform and develop new capabilities for the benefit of our Esports professionals, content creators, influencers and consumers. Such expenditures may not result in improved business results or profitability over the long-term. If we are ultimately unable to achieve or improve profitability at the level or during the time from anticipated by securities or industry analysts, investors and our stockholders, the trading price of our stock may decline.
Negative events or negative media coverage relating to, or a declining popularity of, industries in which we operate and gaming in particular, or other negative coverage of our brand, or third parties with whom we are affiliated with, may adversely impact our ability to retain existing consumers of our entertainment offerings or attract new consumers, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Public opinion can significantly influence our business. Unfavorable publicity regarding the industries in which we operate, us or our brand, and any third-party persons with whom we are associated with, the popularity of our industry, the security of our platform and the platforms of our competitors and the content of our offerings, litigation, or regarding the actions of third parties with whom we have relationships, could seriously harm our reputation. Negative commentary regarding us, our products or influencers and other third parties who are affiliated with us may also be posted on social media platforms and may be adverse to our reputation or business. Influencers with whom we maintain relationships could engage in behavior or use their platforms to communicate directly with our consumers in a manner that reflects poorly on our brand and may be attributed to us or otherwise adversely affect us. It is not possible to prevent such behavior, and the precautions we take to detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Our target consumers often value readily available information and often act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. The harm may be immediate, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. Negative public perception of us could adversely
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affect the size, demographics and engagement of our consumers and result in decreased revenue, slower growth rates or other unforeseeable consequences, which could seriously harm our business.
Some content creators or other persons associated with us may make unauthorized, fraudulent, or illegal use of games on third-party platforms, including through unauthorized third-party websites or cheating programs, which may negatively impact our brand and adversely affect our business.
Unrelated third parties have developed, and may continue to develop, cheating programs that enable players to exploit vulnerabilities in games, play them in an automated way, collude to alter the outcome or otherwise obtain unfair advantages. These programs and practices undermine the integrity of our platform and brand, as they harm the experiences of players who play fairly. If we are unable to prevent our content creators or other associated persons from using cheating programs, our reputation may be damaged. If our brand is associated with cheating, it could result in lost revenue from sponsorships and advertising, cause us to lose personnel, and distract our management team from daily operations, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, reputation and future prospects.
Our use of social media, particularly for marketing and ecommerce, may increase our burden to monitor compliance of such materials with applicable terms of use, laws and regulations.
Use of social media and influencers may materially and adversely affect our reputation or brand and may subject us to fines or other penalties. As laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices, failure to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices, failure to abide by applicable terms of use of these platforms, or otherwise could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties. In addition, an increase in the use of social media for marketing may cause an increase in our burden to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials contain problematic or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations.
We use third-party social media platforms as, among other things, a way to engage with our fans and to enhance our brand marketing efforts. For example, we maintain Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch accounts. We also maintain relationships with many influencers and engage in sponsorship initiatives. As existing e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve and new platforms develop, we must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms, as well as remain in compliance with the various, and often changing, terms of use of such platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms to engage with our audience and enhance our brand marketing efforts, or if the platforms we use do not evolve quickly enough for us to fully optimize such platforms, or if we are unable to remain compliant with applicable terms of use of such platforms, our ability to acquire new consumers and our financial condition may suffer. Furthermore, as laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms and devices, the failure by us, our employees, our network of social media influencers, our sponsors or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices or otherwise could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fees, or other penalties and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
In addition, an increase in the use of social media for product and content promotion and marketing may cause an increase in the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations. For example, in some cases, the FTC has sought enforcement action where an endorsement has failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose a financial relationship or material connection between an influencer and an advertiser. We do not prescribe what our FaZe content creators and influencers post, and if we were held responsible for the content of their posts or their actions, we could be forced to alter our practices, which could have an adverse impact on our business.
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We rely on certain assumptions and estimates in calculating our key metrics, and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.
We track certain key operating metrics, including Total Reach and Average Revenue Per YouTube Subscriber, using internal data analytics tools, which have certain limitations. In addition, we rely on data received from third parties, including third-party platforms on which we maintain an active presence, to track certain performance indicators. Data from both such sources may include information relating to fraudulent accounts and interactions with our website or the social media accounts we and our content creators and influencers maintain (including as a result of the use of bots, or other automated or manual mechanisms to generate false impressions that are delivered through their accounts). We have only a limited ability to verify data from our sites or third parties, and perpetrators of fraudulent impressions may change their tactics and may become more sophisticated, which would make it still more difficult to detect such activity.
Our methodologies for tracking metrics may also change over time, which could result in changes to the metrics we report. If we undercount or overcount performance due to the internal data analytics tools we use or issues with the data received from third parties, or if our internal data analytics tools contain algorithmic or other technical errors, the data we report may not be accurate or comparable with prior periods. In addition, limitations, changes or errors with respect to how we measure data may affect our understanding of certain details of our business, which could affect our longer-term strategies. If our performance metrics are not accurate representations of the reach or monetization of our network, if we discover inaccuracies in our metrics or the data on which such metrics are based, or if we can no longer calculate any of our key performance metrics with a sufficient degree of accuracy and cannot find an adequate replacement for the metric, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. If our measures of these key operating metrics are inaccurate, our partnerships, including with our Significant Sponsors with whom we have sponsorship or other partnerships, may not value our platform and relationship the same and as a result our business, revenue and financial results would be harmed. For additional discussions on Total Reach, Average Revenue Per YouTube Subscriber and Total Number of Significant Sponsors see Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of FazeKey Performance Indicators.
Our industry is subject to rapid technological change, and if we do not adapt to, and appropriately allocate our resources among, emerging technologies and business models, our business may be negatively impacted.
Technology changes rapidly in the entertainment industry. We must continually anticipate and adapt to emerging technologies and business models to stay competitive. Forecasting the financial impact these changing technologies and business models may have is inherently uncertain and volatile. Supporting a new technology or business model may require affiliating with a new business or technology vendor, and such affiliation may be on terms that are less favorable to us than those for traditional technologies or business models. If we invest in the development of content offerings that incorporate a new technology or business model that does not achieve significant popularity, whether because of competition or otherwise, we may not recover the often substantial costs of developing and marketing those content offerings, or recover the opportunity cost of diverting company resources away from other content and product offerings. In the near and longer term, we expect to take advantage of broader trends such as the growth of the metaverse in the digital economy and the associated increase in importance of technologies such as blockchains, virtual reality and augmented reality. We may not be successful in allocating our resources to these new areas and may not recover the costs and opportunity costs of investing in these opportunities instead of others. Further, our competitors may adapt to these or other emerging technologies or business models more quickly or effectively than we do.
If, on the other hand, we elect not to pursue the development of content offerings or other opportunities incorporating a new technology, or otherwise elect not to pursue new business models that achieve significant success and popularity, it may have adverse consequences to our business. It may take significant time and expenditures to shift financial and personnel resources to that technology or business model, and it may be more difficult to compete against existing companies that incorporate that technology or business model effectively.
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We depend in part on internet search engines to direct traffic and refer new consumers to us. If search engines methodologies and policies are modified or enforced in ways we do not anticipate, or if our search results page rankings decline for others reasons, traffic to our website, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Twitch accounts, as well as overall retention of reengagement could decline, which could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
We depend in part on internet search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo! to direct a significant amount of traffic to our platform. Our ability to maintain and increase the number of visitors directed to our platform from search engines is not within our control. Search engines such as Google have, and may continue to modify their search algorithms (including what content they index) and policies or enforce these policies in ways that are detrimental to us, that we are not able to predict or without prior notice. If these algorithms or policies are changed, or if policies are enforced in detrimental ways to us, we may experience declines in traffic and fan growth as a result. In addition, some or all of these changes in policies or their enforcement may not apply in the same manner to some or all of our competitors, and as a result our competitors may experience more favorable search results than we do. Any significant reduction in the traffic directed to our platform from search engines could harm our business and results of operations.
If we are unable to compete effectively for advertisers and sponsors, our business, revenue and financial results could be negatively affected.
We face significant competition for advertising and sponsorship revenue across a variety of formats. To compete effectively, we must enable our advertisers and sponsors to easily have access to the FaZe platform. In order to grow our revenue and improve our operating results, we must increase our share of advertising and sponsorship spend relative to our competitors, as well as more robust tools to measure the effectiveness of advertising and sponsorship campaigns.
Some of our larger competitors leverage their advertiser and sponsor relationships based on their products and services to gain additional share of advertising and sponsorship spend. They also sometimes have large distributed sales forces and an increasing amount of control over mobile distribution channels. These competitors could have access to large volumes of data and other important information, which may enable them to better understand their consumer base and develop and deliver more targeted advertising and more relevant and appealing sponsors. They may not need to rely on third-party data, including data provided by advertisers or sponsors, in order to effectively target their campaigns, which could make their platform more attractive to advertisers and sponsors than ours if third-party data ceases to be available to us, whether because of regulatory changes, privacy concerns or other reasons. If we are unable to provide our advertisers and sponsors with the ability to effectively target our audience, or if our advertisers and sponsors do not believe that our value proposition is as compelling as those of our competitors, we may not be able to attract new advertisers and sponsors or retain existing ones, and our business, revenue and financial results could be harmed.
We must effectively operate with mobile operating systems, web browsers, social media applications, networks, regulations and standards, which we do not control. Changes in our content offerings on or other changes to such mobile operating systems, web browsers, social media applications, networks, applicable laws, regulations and standards may negatively impact our business.
We make our services available across a variety of mobile operating systems and devices. We are dependent on the interoperability of our services with popular mobile devices, web browsers and mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Chrome, Safari, Android and iOS. Any changes in such mobile operating systems or devices that degrade the availability of our content or give preferential treatment to competitors could adversely affect viewership of our content. In order to deliver high quality content, it is important that our offerings are available across a range of mobile operating systems, networks, mobile devices and standards that we do not control. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing content that operate effectively with these operating systems, networks, devices and standards. In the
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event that it is difficult for our consumers to access our content, particularly on their mobile devices, our brand reputation and business could be harmed.
We rely on software, technologies and related services from other parties to operate certain functions of our day-to-day business, and problems in their use or access could increase our costs and harm our business, revenue and financial results.
We rely on software, technologies and related services from third parties to operate critical internal and day-to-day functions of our business. Third-party technologies or service that we utilize may become unavailable due to a variety of reasons, including outages, interruptions or failure to perform under a relevant agreement. Unexpected delays in their availability or function can, in turn, affect our operations. Further, third-party software or service providers may cease to provide such software or services on commercially reasonable terms or may fail to properly maintain or update their software. In such instances, we may be required to seek licenses to similar software or services from other parties on less favorable economic terms. These occurrences, delays and limitations, if they occur, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The importance of retail sales to our business exposes us to the risks of that business model, including negative economic conditions affecting the purchases of discretionary items, supply chain and other distribution issues or disruptions, fluctuations in sales and the volatility of consumer preferences.
Our retail business is subject to global economic conditions and their impact on consumer discretionary spending. Some of the factors that may negative influence consumer spending include high levels of unemployment, higher consumer debt levels, reductions in net worth, declines in asset values and related market uncertainty, home foreclosures and reductions in home values, fluctuating interest rates and credit availability, fluctuating fuel and other energy costs, fluctuating commodity prices and general uncertainty regarding the overall future political and economic environment. Consumer purchases of discretionary items, including the merchandise that we offer, generally decline during periods of economic uncertainty or downturn, when disposable income is reduced or when there is a reduction in consumer confidence. Adverse economic changes could reduce consumer confidence, and thereby could negatively affect our retail business. These economic difficulties and other macroeconomic challenges change rapidly and are difficult to predict, and if we are unable to adequately address them, our business may be harmed.
Our business may be harmed if our Esports professionals, influencers and content creators, or other third parties with whom we are affiliated with and rely upon, misappropriate sensitive information of ours or our intellectual property, or fail to provide adequate services.
In many cases, our Esports professionals, content creators, influencers, partners and other third party affiliates are given access to sensitive information or our intellectual property in order to provide services and support to the FaZe brand. These Esports professionals, content creators, influencers, content creators and other third party affiliates may misappropriate or misuse our information or intellectual property and engage in unauthorized use of it. Further, the failure of these individuals to provide adequate services and content could result in a disruption to our business operations or an adverse effect on our reputation and may negatively impact our business. At the same time, if the media, consumers, employees or any third parties raise any concerns about our actions in association with the actions of another party, this could also damage our reputation and our business.
If we are unable to maintain, train and build effective domestic and international sales and marketing infrastructure, we will not be able to continue to commercialize and grow our brand successfully.
As we grow, we may not be able to secure sales personnel or organization that are adequate in number or expertise to successfully market and sell our brand products on a global scale. If we are unable to expand our sales and marketing capability, train our sales force effectively or provide any other capabilities as necessary to commercialize our brand internationally, we may need to contract with third parties to market and sell our brand. If we are unable to establish and maintain compliant and adequate sales and marketing capabilities, we may not be able to increase our revenue, and may generate increased expenses without the benefit of increased revenue.
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If we are unable to renew or replace key commercial agreements on similar or better terms, or attract new sponsors, our business, revenue and financial results could be negatively affected.
Our commercial revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2022 represented 60.4% of our total revenue, and for the years ended 2021 and 2020, our commercial revenue represented 45% and 43% of our total revenue, respectively. Our commercial revenue is generated from agreements with our sponsors, and these agreements have finite terms. When these contracts expire, we may not be able to renew or replace them with contracts on similar or better terms or at all. One of our first sponsorship agreements, which expired by its terms in February 2022 and was not renewed by FaZe, was with a global sponsor, G Fuel LLC (G Fuel), that represented industries including beverages, supplements and energy drinks (the G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement). For the year ended December 31, 2021, the G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement represented 12% of our revenue. This agreement was terminated by its terms effective April 2022. Although we have entered into a new sponsorship agreement with another company in the energy drink space, as well as other sponsorships as described in the section titled BusinessMonetizationBrand Sponsorships, a delay or failure to renew or replace sponsorship agreements or other commercial agreements on similar or better terms could result in a reduction in our commercial revenue. Such a reduction could have a negative effect on our overall revenue and our ability to continue to compete in our industry if we do not engage in other sponsorship arrangements. For future periods, no single sponsorship agreement is expected to represent ten percent or more of our total revenue. As part of our business plan, we intend to grow our commercial portfolio by continuing to add new sponsors. We may not be able to successfully execute this plan and our efforts to otherwise promote our brand to attract new sponsors may fail to do so, which could negatively affect our ability to achieve our goals, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. For further discussion of our sponsorship agreements, see the section titled BusinessMonetizationBrand Sponsorships.
Additionally, the risk of being unable to renew or replace key contracts on similar or more favorable terms, or to partner with additional sponsors, may increase as the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt across the global economy. If we are unable to renew or replace certain key contracts on similar or more favorable terms as they expire or otherwise terminate, our business, results of operations and financial condition could suffer.
Negotiation and pricing of key media contracts are outside our control and those contracts may change in the future.
Our Esports teams participate in events hosted by the relevant leagues in which our teams participate. We are not a party to the broadcast and other relevant media contracts to which these leagues enter, and we do not have control over their terms or conditions. We rely on the streaming and broadcast of events in which our Esports teams participate to promote our brand and help retain existing and attract new fans and consumers, and if the media contracts related to the availability of some or all of the events in which our Esports teams participate are terminated or otherwise changed, our business may suffer.
The effect of uncertainties related to the global COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. and global economies, including delays in live events returning, has impacted and may in the future continue to impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures, federal, state, local and foreign governmental authorities have imposed, and continue to impose, protocols and restrictions intended to contain the spread of the virus, including limitations on the size of gatherings, mandated closure of work facilities, schools and businesses, quarantines, lockdowns and travel restrictions. In addition, we have established, and will continue to maintain protocols to promote the health and safety of our workforce and business associates. Substantially all of our office locations, including our headquarters in Los Angeles, California, are now open for employees, but we continue to limit onsite access as required by applicable state and local regulations and best practices in the industry.
We have continued to operate our business effectively throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary focus has been the safety and well-being of our employees and their families, as well as the continuation of our
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operations. Our technology infrastructure has proven to be robust and capable of supporting our business as our business functions have been conducted primarily on a remote basis. We have leveraged technology to help ensure that our teams stay connected and productive and there continues to be frequent communication across all levels of our business. When not in person, we have continued to actively communicate with our workforce and business associates through videoconference, teleconference and email. Our board has continued to convene as needed. The COVID-19 pandemic caused us to modify our business practices by reducing costs related to employee travel and physical participation in activities, meetings, events, and conferences; however, these costs may increase in the future as pandemic restrictions are lifted. Specifically, we ordered all employees to work from home in March 2020. Since the beginning of July 2021, we have allowed employees to come back to the office as allowed by state and local regulations, and we have commenced limited travel.
The extent of any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted, including the impact on our employees, consumers, brand partners, Esports professionals, content creators and influencers. For example, on May 11, 2022, we paused production on our newest competition series, FaZe 1, due to an outbreak of COVID-19, in accordance with FaZes and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) health and safety guidelines. Although production resumed on May 22, 2022 and the winner was announced on May 26, 2022, there may be similar impacts on our business in the future. If we are not able to flexibly respond and manage the ongoing impact of these and other currently known impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, our business could be harmed.
We may be unable to effectively manage the continued growth and the scope and complexity of our business, including our expansion into adjacent industries or business opportunities with well-established competitors.
We have experienced significant growth in the scope and complexity of our business, including through development of our Esports and consumer products businesses. Our future depends, in part, on our ability to manage this expanded business and our aspirations for continued expansion and growth. We have dedicated resources both to new business models that are largely untested and to adjacent business opportunities in which very large competitors have an established presence, as is the case with our sponsorship and consumer products businesses. We do not know to what extent our future expansions will be successful. Further, even if successful, our aspirations for growth in our core businesses and adjacent businesses could create significant challenges for our management, operational and financial resources. If not managed effectively, this growth could result in the over-extension of our operating infrastructure, and our management systems, information technology systems, and internal controls and procedures may not be adequate to support this growth. Failure by these new business or failure to adequately manage our growth in any of these ways may cause damage to our brand or otherwise negatively impact our core business. Further, the success of these businesses is largely contingent on the success of our underlying brand and as such, a decline in the popularity of our brand may impact the success of these businesses.
We are a global company and are subject to the risks and uncertainties of conducting business outside the U.S. While international expansion is one of our growth objectives, we may not be able to materialize on available acquisition opportunities, or guarantee that we will successfully integrate those acquisitions into our existing business.
We conduct business throughout the world, and we derive a substantial amount of our retail revenue from the U.S., and some of our retail revenue from outside the U.S. We expect that international sales will continue to account for a portion of our retail revenue and that sales in emerging markets globally will continue to be a part of our international sales strategy. As such, we are, and may be increasingly, subject to risks inherent in foreign trade generally, as well as risks inherent in doing business in non-U.S. markets, including increased tariffs and duties, compliance with economic sanctions, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, shipping delays, increases in transportation and shipping costs, international political, regulatory and economic developments, unexpected changes to laws, regulatory requirements, and enforcement on us and our platform providers and differing local business practices, all of which may impact us or make it more difficult for us to conduct business in foreign markets.
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A deterioration in relations between either us or the U.S. and any country in which we have significant sales, or the implementation of government regulations in the U.S. or such a country, could result in the adoption or expansion of trade restrictions, including economic sanctions or absolute prohibitions, that could have a negative impact on our business. In addition, cultural differences may affect consumer preferences and limit the international popularity of FaZe in certain areas or require us to modify the products and content we offer or the method by which we deliver our content to our consumers in order to be successful in those areas. If we do not correctly assess consumer preferences in the countries in which we sell our products and offer our entertainment content, the success of our international operations will be negatively impacted.
We are also subject to risks that our operations outside the U.S. could be conducted by our employees, contractors, third-party affiliates, representatives, or agents in ways that violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act or other similar anti-bribery or financial crime laws. While we have policies, procedures, and training for our employees, intended to secure compliance with these laws, our employees, contractors, third-party affiliates, representatives or agents may take actions that violate our policies. Moreover, it may be more difficult to oversee the conduct of any such persons who are not our employees, potentially exposing us to greater risk from their actions.
Fluctuations in exchange rates may negatively affect our results of operations.
While we currently price our products in U.S. dollars, even in international markets, we may become more exposed to the effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates as we continue to expand our international reach. We generally collect revenue from our international markets in U.S. currency. As of and for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021, we had consumers in over 100 countries and approximately 17.4% and 9.5% of our merchandise revenue was derived from outside the U.S., respectively. Rapid appreciation of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies can harm our reported results and cause the revenues derived from outside the U.S. and Canada to decrease. In addition, even if we do adjust the cost of our products in foreign markets to track appreciation in the U.S. dollar, such appreciation could increase the costs of purchasing our products outside of the U.S., adversely affecting our business, results of operations and financial condition.
As we continue to expand, we may also incur expenses for employee compensation and other operating expenses at non-U.S. locations in the local currency should we establish a local presence in international regions. Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies could result in the dollar equivalent of our expenses being higher which may not be offset by additional revenue earned in the local currency. This could have a negative impact on our reported results of operations. To date, we have not engaged in any hedging strategies and any such strategies, such as forward contracts, options and foreign exchange swaps related to transaction exposures that we may implement in the future to mitigate this risk may not eliminate our exposure to foreign exchange fluctuations. Moreover, the use of hedging instruments may introduce additional risks if we are unable to structure effective hedges with such instruments.
A cybersecurity-related attack, significant data breach, or disruption of the information technology systems or networks on which we rely could negatively impact our business.
In the course of our day-to-day business, we and third parties on our behalf create, store, and/or use commercially sensitive information, including internal communications and confidential information with respect to our sponsors, talent, consumers, and employees. A malicious cybersecurity-related attack, intrusion or disruption by hackers (including through spyware, ransomware, viruses, phishing, denial of service, and similar attacks) or other breach of the systems on which such information and other sensitive data is stored could lead to piracy of our content, fraudulent activity, disclosure, or misappropriation of, or access to, our sponsors, talents, consumers, or employees information, or our own data. We have implemented cybersecurity programs and the tools, technologies, processes, and procedures intended to secure our data and systems, and prevent and detect unauthorized access to, or loss of, our data, or the data of our sponsors, talent, consumers, or employees.
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However, because these cyberattacks may remain undetected for prolonged periods of time and the techniques used by criminal hackers and other malicious third parties to breach systems change frequently, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or otherwise be successful in preventing or responding to cyberattacks. If we are subject to a cybersecurity breach, or a security-related incident, we may have a disruption in the availability of our products and content offerings, we may have a loss in sales or be forced to pay damages or incur other costs, including from the implementation of additional cyber and physical security measures, or suffer reputational damage that could have a negative impact on our operations and financial results.
Additionally, although we maintain insurance policies, they may be insufficient to reimburse us for all losses or all types of claims that may be caused by cyberbreaches or other system or network disruptions, and it is uncertain whether we will be able to maintain our current level of coverage in the future. Moreover, if there were a public perception that our data protection measures are inadequate, whether or not the case, it could result in reputational damage and potential harm to our business relationships or the public perception of us and our business. In addition, such cybersecurity breaches may subject us to legal claims or proceedings, like individual claims and regulatory investigations and actions, including fines, especially if there is loss, disclosure, or misappropriation of, or access to, our consumers personal information or other sensitive information, or there is otherwise an intrusion into our consumers privacy.
Our failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in the future could reduce our ability to compete successfully and adversely affect our results of operations.
We may need to raise additional funds, and we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms or at all. If we raise additional equity financing, you may experience significant dilution of your ownership interests. If we raise additional debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions. If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, or at all, we may not be able to, among other things:
| invest in our business and continue to grow our brand and expand our fan base; |
| hire and retain employees, including Esports professionals, influences, and content creators as well as other employees and staff, including engineers, operations personnel, financial and accounting staff, and sales and marketing staff; |
| respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements; or |
| pursue opportunities for acquisitions of, investments in, or strategic alliances and joint ventures with complementary businesses. |
We may invest in or acquire other businesses, and our business may suffer if we are unable to successfully integrate an acquired business into our company or otherwise manage the growth associated with multiple acquisitions.
From time to time, we may acquire, make investments in, or enter into strategic alliances and joint ventures with, complementary businesses. These transactions may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including:
In the case of an acquisition:
| The potential for the acquired business to underperform relative to our expectations and the acquisition price; |
| The potential for the acquired business to cause our financial results to differ from expectations in any given period, or over the longer-term; |
| Unexpected tax consequences from the acquisition, or the tax treatment of the acquired businesss operations going forward, giving rise to incremental tax liabilities that are difficult to predict; |
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| Difficulty in integrating the acquired business, its operations, and its employees in an efficient and effective manner; |
| Any unknown liabilities or internal control deficiencies assumed as part of the acquisition; and |
| The potential loss of key employees of the acquired businesses. |
In the case of an investment, alliance, joint venture, or other partnership:
| Our ability to cooperate with our co-venturer; |
| Our co-venturer having economic, business, or legal interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours; and |
| The potential that our co-venturer may be unable to meet is economic or other obligations, which may require us to fulfill those obligations alone or find a suitable replacement. |
Any such transaction may involve the risk that our senior managements attention will be excessively diverted from our other operations, the risk that our industry does not evolve as anticipate, and that any intellectual property or personnel skills acquired do not prove to be those needed for our future success, and the risk that our strategic objectives, cost savings or other anticipate benefits are otherwise not achieved.
Risks Related to Our People
Our success will depend on our ability to attract and retain our personnel, and any failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could seriously harm our business.
We currently depend on the continued services and performance of our key personnel, including Lee Trink. The employment of Mr. Trink and of our other key personnel is at will, which means they may resign or be terminated for any reason at any time. Our success will depend on our ability to retain our current senior management and to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. The inability to retain key personnel or to adequately and timely fill the vacancies in key personnel positions that arise in the future could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
In addition, it is important to our business to attract and retain highly talented personnel, particularly Esports personnel and content creators. As we grow our business, we may have difficulties in attracting and retaining skilled personnel or may incur significant costs to do so. Our success depends significantly on our ability to identify, attract, hire, retain, motivate and utilize the abilities of qualified personnel, particularly personnel with the specialized skills needed to create the high-quality, well-received content upon which our business is substantially dependent. Our industry is generally characterized by a high level of employee mobility, competitive compensation programs, and aggressive recruiting among competitors for employees with technical, marketing, sales, engineering, product development, creative, and/or management skills. The incentives provided by our securities, or by other compensation and benefits arrangements, may not be effective to attract and retain employees. We may also be required to enhance wages, benefits and non-equity incentives. If we are unable to meet employees and potential employees expectations, we may experience difficulties attracting and retaining personnel. Further, given that a significant majority of our workforce is remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of the timing and manner of our workforce returning to the office, our continued efforts related to employee onboarding, training and development and retention may not be successful. If we do not succeed in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel or the financial resources required to do so increase, we may not be able to meet our business objectives, and our business, revenue and financial results could be harmed.
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Our workforce and operations have grown substantially since our inception and we expect that they will continue to do so. If we are unable to effectively manage that growth, our financial performance and future prospects will be adversely affected.
As our operations have expanded, we have grown from 47 employees and 97 independent contractors as of December 31, 2019 to 105 employees and 172 independent contractors in the U.S. and abroad as of December 31, 2021, and 115 employees and 179 independent contractors in the U.S. and abroad as of June 30, 2022. We expect our total number of employees to increase as we continue to expand. Properly managing our growth will require us to hire, train and manage qualified employees and staff, including engineers, operations personnel, financial and accounting staff, and sales and marketing staff. If our new hires perform poorly, if we are unsuccessful in hiring, training, managing and integrating these new employees and staff, or if we are not successful in retaining our existing employees and staff, our business may be harmed. Properly managing our growth will require us to establish consistent policies across regions, functions and segments of our business, and a failure to do so could harm our business.
An increase in the relative size of Esports and content creator salaries or talent acquisition costs could negatively impact our business.
Our success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain the highest quality of Esports professionals and content creators. As a result, we are obliged to pay salaries generally comparable to our main competitors in our industry. Any increase in salaries may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Other factors that affect salaries, such as changes in personal tax rates, changes to the treatment of income or other changes to taxation in the U.S. or other relative jurisdiction and the relative strength of the U.S. dollar may make it more difficult to attract top Esports professionals and content creators or require us to pay higher salaries to compensate for higher taxes or less favorable exchange rates. In addition, if our revenue falls and salaries remain stable or increase, our results of operations could be adversely affected. An increase in talent acquisition fees would require us to pay more than expected for the acquisition of talent in the future.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
The success of our business is highly dependent on the existence and maintenance of intellectual property rights in the entertainment products and services we create.
The value of our intellectual property is dependent on the scope and duration of our rights as defined by applicable intellectual property laws in the United States and abroad and the manner in which those laws are construed and enforced. If those laws are drafted or interpreted in ways that limit the extent or duration of our rights, or if existing laws are changed, our ability to generate revenue from our intellectual property may decrease, or the cost of obtaining and maintaining rights may increase.
The unauthorized use of our content and intellectual property, including through the unauthorized sale of our merchandise, may result in an increase in the resources we devote to policing and enforcing our rights, which could reduce our revenues. Inadequate laws or weak enforcement mechanisms to protect against unauthorized use of intellectual property in one jurisdiction can adversely affect our operations globally, despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights. The growing trend of unauthorized use of intellectual property in the entertainment industry requires us to devote substantial resources to protecting our rights against unlicensed use and may result in increased losses of revenue as a result of such unauthorized use.
Intellectual property rights we develop and license from others are subject to challenge by third parties. Successful challenges to our rights in intellectual property may result in increased costs to obtain rights to use such intellectual property or the loss of the opportunity to earn revenue from the intellectual property that is the subject of challenged rights. We are not aware of any current challenges to our intellectual property rights that would reasonably be expected to have a material effect on our business or operations.
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We may be unable to maintain or acquire licenses to incorporate intellectual property owned by others in our entertainment offerings.
Many of our content offerings incorporate intellectual property owned by others. For example, we do not own the intellectual property associated with the content created by our talent network. Relatedly, content that we distribute across various platforms incorporates imagery of our talent (i.e., personal rights of publicity) and other third parties.
Additionally, our content offerings incorporate video game intellectual property owned by third parties. While the current media landscape permits such intellectual property to be incorporated on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, exhibition of such content on other platforms, such as traditional media television or subscription video on demand platforms, may require additional licensing that may be difficult or costly to obtain. Further, certain platforms permit integrating music into our content, but if such platforms policies relating to music rights changes, that could impact our content on such platforms. Similarly, if the platforms on which content is distributed, redistributed and/or embedded change their policies relating to how content exhibited or published on the platform can be used, it could impact our ability to develop, distribute and exhibit engaging content and negatively impact our operations. If we are unable to maintain these licenses and rights or obtain additional licenses or rights with significant commercial value, our ability to develop successful and engaging content may be adversely affected and our operations may be negatively impacted.
Further, many of our collaborations on merchandise and other offerings incorporate intellectual property owned by others. Competition for these licenses has increased, and may continue to increase, the amounts that we must pay to licensors and developers, through, for example, higher minimum guarantees or royalty rates on our merchandise collaborations, which could significantly increase our costs and reduce our profitability.
If we fail to maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be negatively impacted.
The success of our business is dependent in part on protecting our intellectual property rights and proprietary information and data. We rely on a combination of copyright protection, patents, trademarks, service marks, trade secret protection and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. However, there are steps that we have not yet taken to protect our intellectual property on a global basis, including continuing to expand the scope of goods and services that are protected under our currently registered trademarks as our offerings expand. Additionally, while we have registered trademarks in principal countries throughout the world, there are additional countries for which trademark protection could be expanded. Relatedly, there are secondary marks and logos for which trademark protection could be protected as well. Although our content is such that it does not in all cases lend itself to warranting copyright registrations, copyright registrations could be sought for content that is likely to be infringed. Additionally, the steps that we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating our intellectual property or to prevent unauthorized disclosure or use of our trade secrets or other confidential information, and we regularly become aware of infringements of our intellectual property rights. While we do engage brand protection and trademark vigilance watch services, intellectual property infringement continues to arise. For example, we become aware of infringing merchandise and apparel sold across various online international marketplace platforms. While we do submit take down requests, new infringing materials continue to be listed on such platforms. Similarly, we often become aware of infringing trademark filings that we monitor. We may not detect unauthorized use, disclosure, infringement, misappropriation or other violation of our confidential information or intellectual property rights, and if detected, we may be required to engage in expensive and time-consuming litigation to enforce or maintain our rights.
While we take precautions designed to protect our intellectual property, our competitors or other unauthorized third parties may still copy and use our proprietary brand, content and information. Effective protection of intellectual property rights is expensive and difficult to maintain, both in terms of application and registration
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costs, as well as with respect to defending and enforcing these rights. We may fail to maintain or be unable to obtain adequate protections for certain of our intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions either because effective intellectual property protection may not be available in each jurisdiction in which our offerings are available or because our intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign jurisdictions as they would in the United States given the differences in intellectual property laws.
We have filed, and may continue to file, trademark applications to protect certain of our intellectual property. This process can be expensive and time-consuming, and we cannot guarantee whether any of our applications will result in the issuance or registration of a trademark. In addition, we may not enjoy a competitive advantage from the rights granted in our intellectual property. Our existing intellectual property, and any intellectual property rights granted to us or that we otherwise acquire or develop in the future, may be contested, circumvented, invalidated, or declared unenforceable through administrative processes or litigation, and we may be unable to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights. Therefore, the effect of our efforts to protect our intellectual property cannot be accurately predicted, and unexpected factors may decrease the effectiveness of our efforts. In addition we are often generating content but have not filed copyright registrations in connection with such content, for various reasons. For example, some content is not proprietary to us, or other content may not be long lasting, and, therefore, we do not file for copyright registration given the costs and effort associated with filing copyrights and the volume of content involved in the business. Further, given the costs, effort and risks of obtaining patent protection, including the requirement to publicly disclose the invention, we may not choose to seek patent protection for certain innovations. Failure to adequately obtain patent protection, or other intellectual property protection, could adversely impact our business, operations, financial condition and prospects.
We hold various domain names relating to our brand, including Faze.com. Failure to protect our domain names could adversely affect our reputation and brand and make it more difficult for consumers to find our website, YouTube and Twitch channels, and our social media pages. We may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights without significant cost if at all.
We may be required to expend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, and some violations may be difficult or impossible to detect. Litigation to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to our management, and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property rights. Our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use could impair or delay the day-to-day operations of our business or otherwise harm our business, operations, reputation and, financial condition. In addition, we may be required to license additional technology from third parties to develop and market new offerings, which may not be on commercially reasonable terms or at all and could adversely affect our ability to compete.
Although we take measures to protect our intellectual property, if we are unable to prevent the unauthorized use or exploitation of our intellectual property, the value of our brand, content, and other intangible assets may be diminished, competitors may be able to compete with us more effectively, our reputation and the perception of our business may be harmed, and our ability to attract new employees, talent, and sponsors may be adversely affected. Any inability or failure to protect our intellectual property could adversely impact our business, operations, financial condition, reputation and prospects.
Our commercial success is also dependent in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of others. We may face allegations that we have infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated the intellectual property rights of third parties, including our competitors. We may also be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or other advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Intellectual property litigation may be protracted and expensive, and the results are
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unpredictable. As the result of any court judgment or settlement, we may be obligated to modify our products and content offerings in a particular geographic region or worldwide, pay significant royalties, settlement costs or damages, or modify our platform and features. Should we obtain a license to enable our continued use of any intellectual property as a result of any such litigation or settlement agreement, it could be non-exclusive, potentially allowing our competitors and other third parties access to the same technologies or other intellectual property licensed to us. The time and resources necessary to resolve intellectual property disputes could harm our business, operations, financial condition and reputation.
Risks Related to Our Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Matters
We are involved, and in the future may become involved, in claims, suits, and other proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. The outcomes of any such current or future legal proceedings could have a negative impact on our business.
We are involved, and in the future may become involved, in claims, suits and other proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business, including, but not limited to, actions with respect to intellectual property, consumer protection, data privacy and protection, labor and employment, commercial and acquisition-related claims, taxation and law enforcement matters. Such claims, suits, government investigations, and other proceedings are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted with certainty. Regardless of their outcomes, such legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on us because of legal costs, diversion of management and other personnel, and other factors. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in liability, penalties, or sanctions, as well as judgments, consent decrees, or other orders preventing us from offering certain aspects of our business, or requiring a change in our business practices, products or technologies, which could in the future materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and future prospects.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a companys securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Shareholder activism, which could take many forms or arise in a variety of situations, as well as the frequency of lawsuits against SPAC sponsors, has been increasing recently, especially in the context of SPAC business combinations. Volatility in the share price of our Common Stock or other reasons may in the future cause us to become the target of securities litigation or shareholder activism. Securities litigation and shareholder activism, including potential proxy contests, could result in substantial costs and divert managements and the FaZe Boards attention and resources from our business. Additionally, such securities litigation and shareholder activism could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future, adversely affect our relationships with fans and customers, and make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel. Also, we may be required to incur significant legal fees and other expenses related to any securities litigation and activist shareholder matters. Further, our share price could be subject to significant fluctuation or otherwise be adversely affected by the events, risks and uncertainties of any securities litigation and shareholder activism.
Governmental agencies may restrict access to platforms, our website and social media channels, mobile applications or the internet generally, which could lead to the loss or slower growth of our consumer base.
Governmental agencies in any of the countries in which we, our consumers, developers, or creators are located could block access to or require a license for our platform, our website, application stores or the internet generally for a number of reasons, including security, privacy, data protection, confidentiality, or regulatory concerns which may include, among other things, governmental restrictions on certain content in a particular country and a requirement that user information be stored on servers in a country within which we operate. Governmental agencies could issue fines or penalties if there are instances where we are found not have been in compliance with regulations in any applicable areas, or impose other restrictions that may affect the accessibility or usability of our platform, content, goods or services in that jurisdiction for a period of time or indefinitely. In addition, some jurisdictions have enacted laws that allow websites to be blocked for hosting certain types of content or may require websites to remove certain restricted content. Consumers generally need to access the
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internet, including in geographically diverse areas, as well as to social media networks and online streaming websites, to engage with our content. We anticipate that scrutiny and regulation of our industry will increase and we will be required to devote legal and other resources to addressing such regulation. If that happens we may become subject to additional regulation and oversight, including capital requirements or other licensing requirements, which could significantly increase our operating costs and adversely impact our results of operations. Moreover, if governmental or other entities block, limit or otherwise restrict access to or engagement with our platform or the internet generally, the growth of our industry may be impeded, our business could be negatively impacted, we could be subject to additional fines and penalties, our brand and reputation could be negatively impacted, and our results of operations may be adversely affected.
Our business, content and products, as well as the services of third-parties upon which we rely, may in the future be subject to increasing regulation around the world. If we or they do not successfully respond and adapt to these potential regulations, our business could be negatively impacted.
Our industry continues to evolve, and new and innovative business opportunities are often subject to new laws and regulations. Although our business is not heavily regulated now, we may in the future be subject to new and developing laws or regulations or evolving interpretations and application of existing laws and regulations with respect to talent management, intellectual property, consumer protection, protection of minors, screen time, accessibility, data privacy and protection, labor and employment, business models, payments, distribution, competition and taxation, among others.
In addition, the growth and development of electronic commerce and digital assets, and associated calls for increased regulation thereof, may result in the application of existing laws or regulations to us or the promulgation of new laws and regulations that may apply to us. Any changes to existing laws or promulgation of new laws that restrict our content, marketing, business model or sales of our products in countries in which we currently, or may in the future, do business could increase our costs and expenses of complying with such laws and regulations and may harm the sale of our products, our brand and reputation, as well as our results of operations, any of which may negatively impact our business.
If we are required to reclassify independent contractors as employees, we may incur additional costs and taxes which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are particularly sensitive to changes in worker classification laws, specifically, those that may require us to reclassify certain of our service providers from independent contractors to employees, and other changes to state and local laws and regulations relating to the definition and/or classification of independent contractors. Laws and regulations that govern the status and classification of independent contractors are subject to changes and divergent interpretations by various authorities, which can create uncertainty and unpredictability for us. For example, California passed a worker classification statute (AB 5), which effectively narrowed the definition of an independent contractor by requiring hiring entities to use a stricter test to determine a given workers classification. In addition, AB 5 places the burden of proof for classifying workers as independent contractors on hiring entities and provides enforcement powers to the state and certain cities. Legislative proposals concerning worker classification are being considered by various other states, including New York and New Jersey. Since we currently treat certain of our service providers as independent contractors, we do not withhold federal, state and local income or other employment related taxes, make federal or state unemployment tax or Federal Insurance Contributions Act payments or provide workers compensation insurance with respect to such individuals. If we are required as the result of new laws to reclassify these individuals as employees, we could be exposed to various liabilities and additional costs, including exposure (for prior and future periods) under federal, state and local tax laws, wage and hour laws and requirements (such as those pertaining to failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, or to provide required breaks and wage statements), expense reimbursement, workers compensation, unemployment and other employee benefits, labor, and employment laws, as well as potential liability for penalties and interest, statutory and punitive damages (including related to the California Private Attorneys General Act), and government fines, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Additionally, any requirement to reclassify independent contractors as employees may require us to significantly alter our existing business model or operations, including suspending or ceasing operations in impacted jurisdictions, increase our costs and impact our ability to add new talent and grow our business. For instance, existing talent may decide not to partner with us and new talent may not join given the loss of flexibility under an employment model. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and our ability to achieve or maintain profitability.
Our insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims.
We believe that we maintain insurance customary for businesses of our size and type. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. We do not maintain Key man insurance policies on any of our officers or employees. Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to us may not be made on a timely basis. Such losses could adversely affect our business prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
We collect and process information about our customers and are subject to various privacy and consumer protection laws.
We collect certain information from individuals that register with our website, use our services or purchase products offered through our website, sign up for our mailing list or otherwise provide us with contact information.
A wide variety of state, national, and international laws as well as regulations and industry standards apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information and other information. Additionally, laws, regulations, and standards covering marketing and advertising activities conducted by telephone, email, mobile devices, and the internet, may be applicable to our business, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (as implemented by the Telemarketing Sales Rule), the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act, and similar state and foreign consumer protection laws. Evolving and changing data protection and privacy-related laws and regulations may inhibit our ability to collect information from our customers or website visitors and market our products or services, or otherwise communicate directly, with our consumers. Any failure to comply with applicable laws, directives, and regulations may result in private claims or enforcement actions against us, including liabilities, fines and damage to our reputation, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices regarding the use or disclosure of our consumers data, or regarding the manner in which the express or implied consent of consumers for the use and disclosure of such data is obtainedor in how these applicable laws, regulations or industry practices are interpreted and enforced by state, federal and international privacy regulatorscould require us to modify our services and features, possibly in a material and costly manner, may subject us to legal claims, regulatory enforcement actions and fines, and may limit our ability to develop new services and features that make use of the data that our consumers voluntarily share with us.
We rely on a variety of marketing techniques and practices, including email and social media marketing, online targeted advertising and cookie-based processing to sell our products and services and to attract new consumers, and we, and our vendors, are subject to various data protection laws and obligations that govern marketing and advertising practices. In recent years, United States, European and United Kingdom lawmakers and regulators have expressed concern over electronic marketing and related tracking technology. We may be subject to, and required to comply with, a separate and additional legal regime with respect to eprivacy, which may result in substantial costs and may necessitate changes to our business practices, which in turn may otherwise adversely affect our business, reputation, legal exposures, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Additionally, some providers of consumer devices, web browsers and mobile app stores have implemented, or announced plans to implement, means to make it easier for internet users to prevent the placement of cookies or
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to block other tracking technologies, require additional consents, or limit the ability to track user activity, which could if widely adopted result in the use of third-party cookies and other methods of online tracking becoming significantly less effective. Laws and regulations regarding the use of these cookies and other current online tracking and advertising practices or a loss in our ability to make effective use of services that employ such technologies could increase our costs of operations and limit our ability to acquire new consumers on cost-effective terms, which, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Compliance with additional laws and regulations could be expensive, and may place restrictions on the conduct of our business and the manner in which we interact with our customers. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in regulatory enforcement actions against us. For example, our misuse of or failure to secure personal information could result in violation of data privacy laws and regulations, proceedings against us by governmental entities or others, and/or result in significant liability and damage to our reputation and credibility. These possibilities, if borne out, could have a negative impact on revenues and profits. If a third party alleges that we have violated applicable data privacy laws, we could face governmental investigations or enforcement actions, fines, litigation, claims (including data subject-led class actions) or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and damages as well as reputational harm among consumers, investors, and strategic partners. While we take measures to protect the security of information that we collect, use and disclose in the operation of our business, if there is a data breach, there is potential for enforcement actions and fines as well as claims for damages by consumers whose personal information has been disclosed without authorization. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for certain data breaches that result in the loss of personal data that may increase the likelihood of, and risks associated with, data breach litigation. Should we experience a data breach or other unauthorized access to or disclosure of personally identifiable information, our business, operations, financial condition and prospects may be adversely impacted.
Although we make reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable data protection laws and regulations, our interpretations and efforts may have been or may prove to be insufficient or incorrect. We also generally seek to comply with industry standards and are subject to the terms of our privacy policies and privacy-related obligations to third parties. We strive to comply with applicable laws, policies, legal obligations and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection to the extent possible. However, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations, our privacy policies, or our privacy-related obligations to users or other third parties, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized access to or transfer of personal information or other customer data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause our consumers to lose trust in us, which would have an adverse effect on our reputation and business. We may also incur significant expenses to comply with privacy, consumer protection and security standards and controls imposed by laws, regulations, industry standards or contractual obligations.
Labor disputes may disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As an employer, we are presently, and may in the future be, subject to various employment-related claims, such as individual or class actions or government enforcement actions relating to alleged employment discrimination, employee classification and related withholding, wage-hour, labor standards or healthcare and benefit issues. Any actions in the future brought against us and successful in whole or in part, may affect our ability to compete or could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our products and brands are subject to intellectual property infringement, including in jurisdictions that do not adequately protect our brands and intellectual property rights.
We regard our brand, products and other intellectual property as proprietary and take measures to protect our assets from infringement. We are aware that some unauthorized use of our brand and products occurs, and if a significantly greater amount were to occur, it could negatively impact our business. Further, our offerings are available worldwide and the laws of some countries either do not protect our products, brands and intellectual property to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. or are poorly enforced. Legal protection of our rights may be ineffective in countries with weaker intellectual property enforcement mechanisms. In addition, certain third parties have registered our intellectual property rights without authorization in foreign countries. Successfully registering such intellectual property rights could limit or restrict our ability to offer products and services based on such rights in those countries. Although we take steps to enforce and police our rights, our practices and methodologies may not be effective against all eventualities.
Risks Related to Our Tax, Financial and Accounting Matters
We have identified a number of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.
As a public company, we are required to comply with the SECs rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require our management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of our controls over financial reporting. Our assessment must include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting, and when we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will need to provide a statement that our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In connection with the audit of our financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, we identified a material weakness in our internal control due to inadequate design of information technology general and application controls resulting from inappropriate access given to certain individuals including the CFO and Controller. In addition, we also identified a material weakness in our internal control due to lack of adequate segregation of duties within a significant amount of processes, as well as a material weakness in our internal control due to lack of adequate timely review of accounts and reconciliations resulting in material audit adjustments and significant post-closing adjustments.
As explained further in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, during the preparation of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, we identified a misapplication of the accounting guidance related to accounting for customer returns and discounts. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded $0.8 million in customer discounts, and $0.2 million in customer returns. We had accounted for these as cost of revenues, as opposed to as a reduction to revenue. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the related notes to the Audited Financial Statements for additional information.
Our management is in the process of developing a remediation plan and is taking steps to remediate the material weaknesses, and will continue to monitor the effectiveness of our remediation plan once in place and make the necessary changes it determines to be appropriate. Although we intend to complete this remediation process as quickly as practicable, we cannot at this time estimate with certainty how long it will take, and our initiatives may not prove to be successful in remediating each of the material weaknesses. The remediation process may require significant additional time and expense and may divert management from the operation of our business. Moreover, because of the inherent limitations of any control system, material misstatements due to error or fraud
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may not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis, or at all. If we are unable to remediate such material weaknesses, or if we identify or otherwise experience additional material weaknesses in ongoing or future audits, we may not be able to accurately record, process, and report our financial condition or results of operations, prevent fraud, or prepare financial statements within the time periods specified by the forms of the SEC, which, in turn, may adversely affect our reputation and business and the market price of our Common Stock. In addition, any such failures could result in litigation or regulatory actions by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, loss of investor confidence, delisting of our securities, and harm to our reputation and financial condition, or diversion of financial and management resources from the operation of our business.
Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results or financial condition.
Generally accepted accounting principles and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters that are relevant to our business, including but not limited to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, content asset amortization policy, valuation of our Common Stock, stock-based compensation expense and income taxes, are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments. Changes in these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments could significantly change or increase volatility of our reported or expected financial performance or financial condition. Refer to Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies to the Audited Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for a description of recent accounting pronouncements.
Risks Related to Our Securities
We are an emerging growth company and smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, it could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance to the performance of other public companies.
We are an emerging growth company as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible for and intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including, but not limited to, (a) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (b) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (c) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which the market value of shares of Common Stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of June 30 of that fiscal year, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.07 billion or more during such fiscal year (as indexed for inflation), (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in the prior three-year period or (iv) December 31, 2026, which is the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of Class A common stock in BRPMs initial public offering. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because it will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of its reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act
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provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we will be a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We expect that we will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either (a) the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates does not equal or exceed $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (b) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates did not equal or exceed $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Our stock price may be volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance.
The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors and may continue to fluctuate for these and other reasons, many of which are beyond our control, including:
| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and results of operations; |
| failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of the Company, changes in financial estimates or ratings by any securities analysts who follow us or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors; |
| announcements by the Company or its competitors of significant technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, results of operations or capital commitments; |
| changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other retail or technology companies generally, or those in the cannabis industry in particular; |
| price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole; |
| trading volume of our Common Stock; |
| the inclusion, exclusion or removal of our Common Stock from any indices; |
| changes in the FaZe Board or management; |
| transactions in our Common Stock by directors, officers, affiliates and other major investors; |
| lawsuits threatened or filed against us; |
| changes in laws or regulations applicable to our business; |
| changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities; |
| short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock; |
| general economic conditions in the United States; |
| pandemics or other public health crises, including, but not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic (including additional variants such as the Delta variant); |
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| other events or factors, including those resulting from war, incidents of terrorism or responses to these events; and |
| the other factors described in this Risk Factors section. |
The stock market has recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. The market prices of securities of companies have experienced fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to their operating results. In the past, stockholders have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. Any similar litigation against us could result in substantial costs, divert managements attention and resources, and harm its business, financial condition, and results of operations.
An active trading market for our Common Stock may not be sustained.
We have listed our Common Stock and Warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols FAZE and FAZEW, respectively. We cannot assure you that an active trading market for its Common Stock will be sustained. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of the liquidity of any trading market, your ability to sell your shares of our Common Stock when desired or the prices that you may obtain for your shares.
The sale of all of the securities registered for resale hereunder and future sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public market (including the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of our Warrants), or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause our stock price to decline
The shares of Common Stock offered for resale by the Selling Holders in this prospectus represents approximately 76% percent of our Common Stock outstanding as of September 15, 2022 (assuming no exercise of any of our Warrants or options). The sale of all of these securities in the public market, or the perception that holders of a large number of securities intend to sell their securities, could reduce the market price of our Common Stock and Warrants.
Each of the Founder Shares and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants that are owned by the Sponsor and all shares of Common Stock issued as consideration in the Business Combination, collectively representing approximately 97% of the shares of Common Stock registered hereunder, are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. Further, the 5,312,098 shares of Common Stock issued to Legacy FaZe securityholders as earnout consideration and 50% of the Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture following Closing if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. However, once such resale restrictions end and such shares are vested, the market price of our Common Stock could decline if the holders of currently restricted shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. The shares of Common Stock held by the PIPE Investors are not subject to lock-up restrictions. As such, sales of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stock in the public market could occur at any time.
Furthermore, as previously disclosed, the Sponsor paid the nominal price of $0.006 per share for the Founder Shares. The Founder Shares represent approximately 7% of the total outstanding shares of our Common Stock (or less if the shares are forfeited). Given the differential in the purchase price that the Sponsor paid for the Founder Shares as compared to the price of the Common Stock as of September 23, 2022, which was $14.22 per share, and the $10.00 per unit price paid in BRPMs IPO, the holders of the Founder Shares may earn a positive rate of return on their investment even if other holders of Common Stock experience a negative rate of return. The pre-Business Combination holders of FaZe hold shares of Common Stock valued at $10.00 per share in connection with the business combination, and holders of shares that were originally the underlying components of the units issued in connection with BRPMs IPO at $10.00 per unit with each unit consisting of one share of Class A Common Stock (reclassified as Common Stock after the Business Combination) and one-third of one warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50;
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the unit components automatically separated upon the closing of the Business Combination and valued at $10.00 per share or exercisable for $11.50, respectively. The Sponsor, the pre-Business Combination FaZe securityholders and the PIPE Investors may earn a positive rate of return on their investment even if other holders of Common Stock experience a negative rate of return. As a result, the holders of the Founder Shares, shares issued in connection with units purchased in BRPMs IPO, pre-Business Combination holders and PIPE Investors may be incentivized to sell such securities when others are not.
If our existing stockholders sell or indicate an intention to sell substantial amounts of our Common Stock in the public market, the trading price of our Common Stock could decline. In addition, shares underlying any outstanding options will become eligible for sale if exercised, and to the extent permitted by the provisions of various vesting agreements and Rule 144 of the Securities Act. All the shares of Common Stock subject to stock options outstanding and reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plans are expected to be registered on Form S-8 under the Securities Act, when such form becomes available, and such shares are eligible for sale in the public markets, subject to Rule 144 limitations applicable to affiliates. If these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold in the public market, the trading price of our Common Stock could decline.
If securities or industry analysts either do not publish research about the Company or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our Common Stock adversely, the trading price or trading volume of our Common Stock could decline.
The trading market for our Common Stock is influenced in part by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If one or more of the analysts initiate research with an unfavorable rating or downgrade our Common Stock, provide a more favorable recommendation about our competitors, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the trading price of our Common Stock would likely decline. In addition, we currently expect that securities research analysts will establish and publish their own periodic projections for our business. These projections may vary widely and may not accurately predict the results the Company actually achieves. Our stock price may decline if our actual results do not match the projections of these securities research analysts. While we expect research analyst coverage, if no analysts commence coverage of the Company, the trading price and volume for our Common Stock could be adversely affected. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of the Company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume of our Common Stock to decline.
Delaware law and provisions in our Charter and Bylaws could make a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest difficult, thereby depressing the trading price of its Common Stock.
Our Charter and Bylaws contain provisions that could depress the trading price of our Common Stock by acting to discourage, delay, or prevent a change of control of the Company or changes in our management that our stockholders may deem advantageous. These provisions include the following:
| a classified board of directors so that not all members of the FaZe Board are elected at one time; |
| the right of the board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships; |
| director removal solely for cause; |
| blank check preferred stock that the FaZe Board could use to implement a stockholder rights plan; |
| the right of the FaZe Board to issue our authorized but unissued Common Stock and preferred stock without stockholder approval; |
| no ability of our stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders; |
| no right of our stockholders to act by written consent, which requires all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders; |
| limitations on the liability of, and the provision of indemnification to, our director and officers; |
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| the right of the board of directors to make, alter, or repeal the Bylaws; and |
| advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the FaZe Board or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at annual stockholder meetings. |
Any provision of the Charter or Bylaws that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our Common Stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our Common Stock.
The Bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between the Company and its stockholders, which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or employees.
The Bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, any action asserting a claim against the Company arising pursuant to the DGCL, the Charter or Bylaws or any action asserting a claim against the Company that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. These choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or its directors, officers or other employees and may discourage these types of lawsuits. This provision would not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. The Bylaws provide further that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. However, Section 22 of the Securities Act provides that federal and state courts have concurrent jurisdiction over lawsuits brought under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. To the extent the exclusive forum provision restricts the courts in which claims arising under the Securities Act may be brought, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision. We note that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions, and there can be no assurance that such provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions. If a court were to find the exclusive-forum provision contained in the Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm its business.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of its business and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the terms of any revolving credit facility into which the Company or any of its subsidiaries enters may restrict its ability to pay dividends, and any additional debt we or any of our subsidiaries may incur in the future may include similar restrictions. As a result, stockholders must rely on sales of their Common Stock after price appreciation as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment.
We may issue additional shares of our Common Stock or other equity securities without your approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of our Common Stock.
We have options outstanding to purchase up to an aggregate of 18,064,646 shares of our Common Stock, an aggregate of 2,374,201 restricted stock awards outstanding, and Warrants outstanding to purchase 5,923,333 shares of our Common Stock. We will also have the ability to initially issue an aggregate of 12,358,689 shares of our Common Stock under the 2022 Plan and 1,791,416 shares of our Common Stock under the ESPP.
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We may issue additional shares of our Common Stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among other things, future acquisitions or repayment of outstanding indebtedness, without stockholder approval, in a number of circumstances.
Our issuance of additional shares of Common Stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:
| our existing stockholders proportionate ownership interest in the Company will decrease; |
| the amount of cash available per share, including for payment of dividends (if any) in the future, may decrease; |
| the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding share of Common Stock may be diminished; and |
| the market price of our shares of Common Stock may decline. |
We may redeem the Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your Warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. Trading prices of our Common Stock have not historically exceeded the $18.00 per share redemption threshold. If and when the Warrants become redeemable, we may not exercise our redemption right unless there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants. While we are registering the Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants in this prospectus, there can be no assurance that the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part will remain effective at the time that we intend to exercise our redemption rights.
In the event we have determined to redeem the Warrants, holders would be notified of such redemption as described in the Warrant Agreement. Specifically, we would be required to fix a date for the redemption (the Redemption Date). Notice of redemption would be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than 30 days prior to the Redemption Date to the registered holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they appear on the registration books. In addition, beneficial owners of the redeemable Warrants will be notified of such redemption via the Companys posting of the redemption notice to DTC. Redemption of the Warrants could force you (i) to exercise your Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Warrants. None of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Warrants to purchase our Common Stock will become exercisable on August 18, 2022, which could increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
As of the Closing of the Business Combination, there were 5,923,333 Warrants outstanding. Each Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per-share (subject to adjustment as described herein), beginning on August 18, 2022, and will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York time on July 19, 2027, or earlier upon redemption of the Warrants. To the extent Warrants are exercised, additional shares of Common Stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to our then existing stockholders and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could depress the market price of our Common Stock.
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At any time in the future, our Warrants may not be in the money, and they may expire worthless.
The exercise price for the Public Warrants is $11.50 per share of Common Stock. Although trading prices of the Common Stock during the past month have exceeded the $11.50 threshold and the Warrants are in the money as of the date of this prospectus, there is no guarantee that the Warrants will be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Warrants may expire worthless.
If you exercise your Public Warrants on a cashless basis, you will receive fewer shares of Common Stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such Warrants for cash.
There are circumstances in which the exercise of the Public Warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, or another registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, is not effective by the 60th business day after the Closing, warrantholders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption from registration. Second, if the Common Stock is at any time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a covered security under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their Warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. Third, if we call the Public Warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis.
In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the fair market value (as defined in the next sentence) of the Common Stock over the exercise price of the Warrants by (y) the fair market value. The fair market value is the average reported last sale price of the Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of Warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of Common Stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such Warrants for cash.
The Warrant Agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of the Warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our Company.
The Warrant Agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the Warrant Agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the Warrant Agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in the Warrant Agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the Warrant Agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of
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the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a foreign action) in the name of any holder of Warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an enforcement action), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrantholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrantholders counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrantholder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrantholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of the Warrant Agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We will incur increased costs and obligations as a result of being a public company and the requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and divert managements attention.
As a privately held company, Legacy FaZe was not required to comply with certain corporate governance and financial reporting practices and policies required of a publicly traded company. As a publicly traded company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we were not required to incur in the recent past, particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company as defined under the JOBS Act. In addition, new and changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, as well as under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the JOBS Act, and the rules and regulations of the SEC and national securities exchanges have created uncertainty for public companies and increased the costs and the time that the FaZe Board and management must devote to complying with these rules and regulations. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and lead to a diversion of management time and attention from revenue generating activities.
Furthermore, the need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may strain our resources and divert managements attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, results of operations and financial condition. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a publicly traded company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a publicly traded company.
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All of the securities offered by the Selling Holders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Holders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales. We could receive up to an aggregate of approximately $68.0 million from the exercise of all Warrants assuming the exercise in full of all such Warrants for cash. We will receive up to an aggregate of approximately $2.9 million from the exercise of all Legacy FaZe Options that convert into FaZe stock options in connection with the Business Combination. Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, to the extent we elect the exercise of such Warrants for cash, we intend to use the net proceeds from such exercise for general corporate purposes. As of the date of this prospectus, our Warrants are in the money. However, if at any time in the future our Warrants are out-of-the money, which means that the trading price of the shares of our Common Stock underlying our Warrants is at such time below the $11.50 exercise price (subject to adjustment as described herein) of the Warrants, we would not expect warrantholders to exercise their Warrants and, therefore, we will not receive cash proceeds from any such exercise. See the risk factor entitled At any time in the future, our Warrants may not be in the money, and they may expire worthless for more information
The Selling Holders will pay any underwriting commissions and discounts, and expenses incurred by the Selling Holders for brokerage, marketing costs, or legal services (other than those detailed below). We will bear the costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the securities covered by this prospectus, including all registration and filing fees, securities or blue sky law compliance fees, Nasdaq listing fees and expenses of our counsel and our independent registered public accounting firm, and fees and expenses of one legal counsel.
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MARKET PRICE, TICKER SYMBOL AND DIVIDEND INFORMATION
Ticker Symbol
Our publicly traded Common Stock and Warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq under the symbols FAZE and FAZEW, respectively. Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination on July 19, 2022, the BRPM units, BRPM Class A common stock and BRPM warrants were historically quoted on Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols BRPMU, BRPM and BRPMW, respectively.
Holders of our securities should obtain current market quotations for their securities. The market price of our securities could vary at any time.
Holders
As of August 29, 2022, there were 223 holders of record of our Common Stock and 2 holders of record of our Warrants. The number of holders of record does not include a substantially greater number of street name holders or beneficial holders whose Common Stock and Warrants are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.
Dividend Policy
The Company has not paid any cash dividends on the Common Stock to date and does not intend to pay cash dividends for the foreseeable future. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon the Companys revenues and earnings (if any), capital requirements and general financial condition. The payment of any cash dividends will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time.
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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Defined terms included below have the same meaning as terms defined and included elsewhere in this prospectus. Unless the context otherwise requires, Legacy FaZe refers to FaZe prior to the Closing Date, the Company refers to FaZe Holdings Inc. (FaZe) (f/k/a B. Riley 150 Merger Corp.) after the Closing, and B. Riley 150 Merger Corp. (BRPM) prior to the Closing Date.
Introduction
The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information present the combination of the financial information of Legacy FaZe and BRPM adjusted to give effect to the Business Combination and the related transactions. The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X as amended by the final rule, Release No. 33-10786 Amendments to Financial Disclosures about Acquired and Disposed Businesses.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 combines the historical balance sheet of Legacy FaZe and the historical balance sheet of BRPM on a pro forma basis as if the Business Combination and the related transactions, summarized below, had been consummated on June 30, 2022. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the six months ended June 30, 2022 combine the historical statements of operations of Legacy FaZe and BRPM for such periods on a pro forma basis as if the Business Combination and related transactions, summarized below, had been consummated on January 1, 2021, the beginning of the first period presented. The related transactions effected within the pro forma financial information are as follows:
1. | the merger of Merger Sub, a direct wholly owned subsidiary of BRPM, with and into Legacy FaZe, with Legacy FaZe surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of BRPM; |
2. | the conversion of all outstanding BRPM Class B common stock into shares of Common Stock on a one-to-one basis; |
3. | the impacts of the Sponsor Support Agreement, wherein the Sponsors agree that 50% of the founder shares vest immediately and 50% of the founder shares are subject to vesting and forfeiture conditions upon reaching certain VWAP per share during the five-year period beginning 90 days after the Closing Date and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date; |
4. | the acceleration of vesting of 525,782 Legacy FaZe options to Legacy FaZe executives, the acceleration of vesting of 1,450,914 Legacy FaZe options, representing 75% of the unvested Legacy FaZe options outstanding under Legacy FaZes existing incentive plans that remain unvested as of the Effective Time, the conversion of all vested and unvested Legacy FaZe options and unvested Legacy FaZe restricted stock awards into vested and unvested options and restricted stock awards for Common Stock at the Closing, pursuant to Section 4.6 of the Merger Agreement as amended by the second Merger Agreement amendment, and the acceleration of vesting of 966,326 restricted stock awards at the Closing and at 90 days after the Closing, pursuant to existing contractual terms and amendments to certain restricted stock awards entered into prior to the Closing (the RSA Amendments); |
5. | the exercise of 1,047,623 outstanding Legacy FaZe warrants (including 292,790 preferred stock warrants and 754,833 common stock warrants) into FaZe common stock and Legacy FaZe preferred stock, conversion of 3,237,800 outstanding Legacy FaZe preferred stock into shares of FaZe common stock on a one-to-one basis, the conversion of $72.9 million FaZe Notes into FaZe Common Stock and $6.9 million accrued but unpaid interest into FaZe common stock, and the cash payment of $2.6 million of accrued interest, all prior to Closing; |
6. | the settlement of $1.1 million outstanding Paycheck Protection Program loan (the PPP Loan) and the accrued but unpaid interest; |
7. | the surrender and exchange of all 22,902,063 issued and outstanding shares of FaZe common stock (including shares of FaZe common stock issued pursuant to the exercise of common stock and |
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preferred stock purchase warrants and the conversion of the FaZe Notes and Legacy FaZes preferred stock, the Company Conversion) into 50,995,637 shares of Common Stock calculated using the Equity Value Exchange Ratio; |
8. | the redemption of 15,883,395 shares of BRPM public shares subsequent to BRPM stockholders exercising their right to redeem public shares for their pro rata share of the trust account; |
9. | the issuance of a number of Common Stock equal to 6% of the sum of i) the total number of Common Stock issued and outstanding as of immediately after the Closing and ii) the total number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of the total number of Net Vested Company Option Shares and the Equity Value Exchange Ratio, subject to vesting and forfeiture conditions upon reaching certain VWAP per share during the period commencing 90 days after the Closing Date and ending five years after the Closing Date; |
10. | the sale and issuance of 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock at a purchase price of $10.00 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $100.0 million pursuant to the Subscription Agreements entered in connection with the PIPE Investment, including purchases made by the FaZe PIPE Investor, Sponsor Related PIPE Investors, and third-party investors, and inclusive of shares issued to the Sponsor pursuant to the backstop commitment under the Sponsor Support Agreement, representing that portion of the PIPE Investment not purchased by third-party investors; and |
11. | the settlement of the term loan with B. Riley Commercial Capital, LLC, payable at the close of the transaction. In March 2022, FaZe entered into an agreement for a term loan with the B. Riley Commercial Capital, LLC allowing Legacy FaZe to borrow an aggregate principal amount of up to $20.0 million, maturing on the Closing Date with an interest rate of 7.0% per annum. As of June 30, 2022, Legacy FaZe had borrowed $20.0 million. In connection with the term loan, Legacy FaZe waived the minimum proceeds condition. The term loan was repaid in full in cash on the Closing Date. |
The historical financial information of Legacy FaZe was derived from the unaudited and audited consolidated financial statements of Legacy FaZe as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2022, and for the year ended December 31, 2021, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. The historical financial information of BRPM was derived from the unaudited and audited financial statements of BRPM as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2022, and for the year ended December 31, 2021, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. This information should be read together with the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements, BRPMs and Legacy FaZes unaudited and audited financial statements and related notes, the sections titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of FaZe and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of BRPM and other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The Business Combination was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization, in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Under this method of accounting, BRPM was treated as the acquired company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the Business Combination was treated as the equivalent of Legacy FaZe issuing stock for the net assets of BRPM, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of BRPM were stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations prior to the Business Combination were those of Legacy FaZe.
Legacy FaZe was determined to be the accounting acquirer based on the evaluation of the following facts and circumstances:
| Legacy FaZes stockholders have the largest voting interest in the combined company; |
| Legacy FaZe has the ability to control decisions regarding the election and removal of directors and officers of the FaZe board of directors; |
| Legacy FaZes senior management team is the senior management team of the combined company; |
43
| Legacy FaZes prior operations comprise the majority of the ongoing operations of the combined company; and |
| The combined company will retain the Legacy FaZe name and its headquarters. |
The following summarizes the Common Stock outstanding:
Pre-Business Combination (BRPM) |
Post-Business Combination (New FaZe)(5) |
|||||||||||||||
Number of Shares | Percentage of Ownership Shares |
Number of Shares | Percentage of Ownership Shares |
|||||||||||||
FaZe Stockholders(1) |
| 0.0 | % | 73,859,722 | 77.3 | % | ||||||||||
BRPM Public Stockholders(5) |
17,250,000 | 78.1 | % | 1,366,605 | 1.4 | % | ||||||||||
BRPM Public Warrantholders(2) |
| 0.0 | % | 5,750,000 | 6.0 | % | ||||||||||
Sponsor and Related Parties(3) |
4,832,500 | 21.9 | % | 12,375,000 | 13.0 | % | ||||||||||
BRPM Private Warrantholders(2) |
| 0.0 | % | 173,333 | 0.2 | % | ||||||||||
PIPE Investors(4) |
| 0.0 | % | 1,957,500 | 2.1 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total Shares |
22,082,500 | 100.0 | % | 95,482,160 | 100.0 | % |
(1) | Includes 500,000 shares subscribed by the FaZe PIPE Investor in the PIPE Investment. Includes 5,312,098 earn-out shares, which are subject to forfeiture if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. Includes 29,087,077 shares of Common Stock issued to the FaZe Stockholders pursuant to the Company Conversion, 17,051,987 shares of Common Stock issuable to FaZe Stockholders upon the cash exercise of stock options that were vested as of the Closing or are exercisable within 60 days of the Closing and 2,374,201 shares of Common Stock issuable in respect of restricted stock awards. |
(2) | Represents shares issuable upon the exercise of BRPM warrants. BRPM warrants are exercisable beginning on the later of 30 days following the Closing and February 23, 2022, for one share of BRPM Class A common stock and, following the consummation of the Business Combination, will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the warrants. Assumes that all outstanding BRPM warrants are immediately exercised for cash after completion of the Business Combination. |
(3) | Includes 2,200,000 shares subscribed by the Sponsor Related PIPE Investors in the PIPE Investment, 5,342,500 shares related to the Sponsor backstop commitment, and 2,156,250 founder shares subject to forfeiture if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. |
(4) | Excludes 500,000 shares subscribed by the FaZe PIPE Investor, 2,200,000 shares subscribed by the Sponsor Related PIPE Investors, and 5,342,500 shared subscribed by the Sponsor backstop commitment, respectively, in the PIPE Investment. Such shares are presented in the FaZe Stockholders and Sponsor and Related Parties lines, respectively. |
(5) | Includes the 15,883,395 public shares, or 92% of public shares, redeemed for an aggregate payment of approximately $158.9 million from the trust account. |
Assumptions and estimates underlying the unaudited pro forma adjustments set forth in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements are described in the accompanying notes. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been presented for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the operating results and financial position that would have been achieved had the Business Combination occurred on the dates indicated. Further, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements do not purport to project the future operating results or financial position of New FaZe following the completion of the Business Combination. The unaudited pro forma adjustments represent managements estimates based on information available as of the date of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements and are subject to change as additional information becomes available and analyses are performed.
44
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET
AS OF JUNE 30, 2022
(in thousands)
BRPM (Historical) |
FaZe (Historical) |
Reclassification Adjustments (Refer to Note 2) |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
||||||||||||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 42 | $ | 5,894 | $ | | $ | 172,761 | (A) | $ | 64,293 | |||||||||||
(23,412 | ) | (B) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(7,249 | ) | (C) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(784 | ) | (D) | ||||||||||||||||||||
100,000 | (E) | |||||||||||||||||||||
(2,582 | ) | (F) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1,147 | ) | (N) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(158,911 | ) | (Q) | ||||||||||||||||||||
101 | (R) | |||||||||||||||||||||
(20,420 | ) | (S) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
| 10,135 | | | 10,135 | |||||||||||||||||
Contract assets |
| 2,804 | | | 2,804 | |||||||||||||||||
Prepaid expenses |
341 | | (341 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||||
Content asset, net |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets |
| 11,374 | 341 | (10,291 | ) | (B) | 1,424 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total Current Assets |
383 | 30,207 | | 48,066 | 78,656 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Restricted cash |
| 600 | | | 600 | |||||||||||||||||
Property, equipment and leasehold improvements, net |
| 3,986 | | | 3,986 | |||||||||||||||||
Intangible assets, net |
| 851 | | | 851 | |||||||||||||||||
Other long-term assets |
| 715 | | | 715 | |||||||||||||||||
Investments held in trust account |
172,761 | | | (172,761 | ) | (A) | | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total Assets |
173,144 | 36,359 | | (124,695 | ) | 84,808 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses |
$ | 3,847 | $ | 28,199 | $ | | $ | (7,858 | ) | (B) | 11,325 | |||||||||||
(3,747 | ) | (C) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(9,094 | ) | (F) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(22 | ) | (N) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Short-term debt |
| 24,165 | | (2,700 | ) | (F) | | |||||||||||||||
(1,123 | ) | (N) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(20,342 | ) | (S) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Contract liabilities |
| 2,770 | | | 2,770 | |||||||||||||||||
Due to related party |
784 | | | (784 | ) | (D) | | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total Current Liabilities |
4,631 | 55,134 | | (45,670 | ) | 14,095 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Long term debt, net of discounts |
| 70,233 | | (70,233 | ) | (F) | | |||||||||||||||
Other long term liabilities |
| 27 | | | 27 | |||||||||||||||||
Warrant liability |
2,192 | | | (2,127 | ) | (G) | 65 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Total Liabilities |
6,823 | 125,394 | | (118,030 | ) | 14,187 |
45
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET
AS OF JUNE 30, 2022(Continued)
(in thousands)
BRPM (Historical) |
FaZe (Historical) |
Reclassification Adjustments (Refer to Note 2) |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
||||||||||||||||||||
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption |
172,500 | | | (172,500 | ) | (H) | | |||||||||||||||||
MEZZANINE EQUITY |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Series A preferred stock |
| 33,705 | | (33,705 | ) | (J) | | |||||||||||||||||
STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock |
| | | 1 | (E) | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | (I) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | (M) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | (O) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (O) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(2 | ) | (Q) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Class B common stock |
1 | | | (1 | ) | (I) | | |||||||||||||||||
Preferred stock |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
| 8,532 | | (25,845 | ) | (B) | 320,424 | |||||||||||||||||
99,999 | (E) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
195,117 | (F) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2,127 | (G) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
172,499 | (H) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
33,705 | (J) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2,786 | (K) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(9,682 | ) | (L) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1 | ) | (M) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(5 | ) | (O) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(158,909 | ) | (Q) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
101 | (R) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(6,180 | ) | (131,272 | ) | | (3,502 | ) | (C) | (249,810 | ) | ||||||||||||||
(115,672 | ) | (F) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(2,786 | ) | (K) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
9,682 | (L) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(2 | ) | (N) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(78 | ) | (S) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total Stockholders Equity (Deficit) |
(6,179 | ) | (122,740 | ) | | 199,540 | 70,621 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Stockholders Equity (Deficit) |
$ | 173,144 | $ | 36,359 | $ | | $ | (124,695 | ) | $ | 84,808 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
46
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2022
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
BRPM (Historical) |
FaZe (Historical) |
Reclassification Adjustments (Refer to Note 2) |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
||||||||||||||||||||
Revenues |
$ | | $ | 34,609 | $ | | $ | | $ | 34,609 | ||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues |
| 24,177 | | | 24,177 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
| 10,432 | | | 10,432 | |||||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating costs |
2,091 | | (2,091 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
| 22,097 | 2,091 | (23 | ) | (AA) | 24,165 | |||||||||||||||||
Impairment of content assets |
| 1,073 | | | 1,073 | |||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
| 2,078 | | | 2,078 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(2,091 | ) | (14,816 | ) | | 23 | (16,884 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Other (income) expense, net |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of warrant liability |
(6,407 | ) | | | 6,211 | (DD) | (196 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net |
| 4,032 | | (3,685 | ) | (BB) | | |||||||||||||||||
(5 | ) | (EE) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(342 | ) | (JJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income |
(245 | ) | | | 245 | (FF) | | |||||||||||||||||
Other |
| 16 | | | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Total other (income) expense, net |
(6,652 | ) | 4,048 | | 2,424 | (180 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
(Benefit) provision for income taxes |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 4,561 | $ | (18,864 | ) | $ | | $ | (2,401 | ) | $ | (16,704 | ) | |||||||||||
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted |
63,588,177 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted |
$ | (0.26 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Historical |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A common shares |
17,770,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share, Class A common shares |
$ | 0.21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class B common shares |
4,312,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Basic net income (loss) per share, Class B common shares |
$ | 0.21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted |
9,311,842 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted |
$ | (2.03 | ) |
See accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
47
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
BRPM (Historical) |
FaZe (Historical) |
Reclassification Adjustments (Refer to Note 2) |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
||||||||||||||||||
Revenues |
$ | | $ | 52,852 | $ | | $ | | $ | 52,852 | ||||||||||||
Cost of revenues |
| 41,553 | | | 41,553 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Gross profit |
| 11,299 | | | 11,299 | |||||||||||||||||
Operating expenses |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating costs |
3,446 | | (3,446 | ) | | | ||||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
| 39,401 | 3,446 | 3,502 | (GG) | 49,094 | ||||||||||||||||
(41 | ) | (AA) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2,786 | (HH) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
| 3,352 | | | 3,352 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(3,446 | ) | (31,454 | ) | | (6,247 | ) | (41,147 | ) | |||||||||||||
Other (income) expense, net |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Warrant issue costs |
115 | | | (115 | ) | (CC) | | |||||||||||||||
Change in fair value of warrants |
3,322 | | | (3,220 | ) | (DD) | 102 | |||||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
| | | 115,292 | (II) | 115,292 | ||||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net |
| 5,467 | | (5,457 | ) | (BB) | | |||||||||||||||
(10 | ) | (EE) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income |
(16 | ) | | | 16 | (FF) | | |||||||||||||||
Other |
| (55 | ) | | | (55 | ) | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total other (income) expense, net |
3,421 | 5,412 | | 106,506 | 115,339 | |||||||||||||||||
(Benefit) provision for income taxes |
| | | | | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (6,867 | ) | $ | (36,866 | ) | $ | | $ | (112,753 | ) | $ | (156,486 | ) | ||||||||
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted |
63,360,369 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted |
$ | (2.47 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Historical |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A Common Stock - basic and diluted |
$ | (0.35 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Class B Common Stock - basic and diluted |
$ | (0.35 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted |
8,619,131 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted |
$ | (4.28 | ) |
See accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
48
NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
1. | Basis of Presentation |
The Business Combination was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Under this method of accounting, BRPM was treated as the acquired company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the Business Combination was treated as the equivalent of Legacy FaZe issuing stock for the net assets of BRPM, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of BRPM were stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations prior to the Business Combination are those of Legacy FaZe.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 assumes that the Business Combination occurred on June 30, 2022. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021 give pro forma effect to the Business Combination as if it had been completed on January 1, 2021. These periods are presented on the basis of Legacy FaZe as the accounting acquirer.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 has been prepared using, and should be read in conjunction with, the following:
| Legacy FaZes unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 and the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus; and |
| BRPMs unaudited condensed balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 and the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus. |
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 has been prepared using, and should be read in conjunction with, the following:
| Legacy FaZes unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus; and |
| BRPMs unaudited condensed statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus. |
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 has been prepared using, and should be read in conjunction with, the following:
| Legacy FaZes audited consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus; and |
| BRPMs audited statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus. |
Management has made significant estimates and assumptions in its determination of the pro forma adjustments. As the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared on these preliminary estimates, the final amounts recorded may differ materially from the information presented.
The unaudited pro forma condensed financial information does not give effect to any anticipated synergies, operating efficiencies, tax savings or cost savings that may be associated with the Business Combination. The pro forma adjustments reflecting the consummation of the Business Combination are based on certain currently available information and certain assumptions and methodologies that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. The unaudited condensed pro forma adjustments, which are described in the accompanying notes, may be revised as additional information becomes available and is evaluated. Therefore, it is likely that the actual adjustments will differ from the pro forma adjustments and it is possible the difference may be material. Management believes that its assumptions and methodologies provide a reasonable basis for presenting all of the
49
significant effects of the Business Combination based on information available to management at this time and that the pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions and are properly applied in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is not necessarily indicative of what the actual results of operations and financial position would have been had the Business Combination taken place on the dates indicated, nor are they indicative of the future consolidated results of operations or financial position of New FaZe. They should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements and notes thereto of Legacy FaZe and BRPM.
2. | Accounting Policies |
Management has performed a comprehensive review of the two entities accounting policies. As a result of the review, management has not identified differences between the accounting policies of the two entities which have a material impact on the financial statements of the post-combination company. Based on its analysis, management did not identify any differences that would have a material impact on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. As a result, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information does not assume any differences in accounting policies. Based on its analysis, however, management identified differences in the presentation of financial information between Legacy FaZe and BRPM. Therefore, reclassification adjustments are made to conform the presentation of BRPM financial information to that of Legacy Faze, as shown in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information under the Reclassification Adjustments column.
3. | Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information |
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared to illustrate the effect of the Business Combination and related transactions and has been prepared for informational purposes only.
The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X as amended by the final rule, Release No. 33-10786 Amendments to Financial Disclosures about Acquired and Disposed Businesses. Release No. 33-10786 replaces the previous pro forma adjustment criteria with simplified requirements to depict the accounting for the transaction (Transaction Accounting Adjustments) and present the reasonably estimable synergies and other transaction effects that have occurred or are reasonably expected to occur (Managements Adjustments). The Company has elected not to present Managements Adjustments and will only be presenting Transaction Accounting Adjustments in the following unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
The pro forma condensed combined provision for income taxes does not necessarily reflect the amounts that would have resulted had the post-combination company filed consolidated income tax returns during the periods presented.
The pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share amounts presented in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations are based upon the number of New FaZe shares outstanding, assuming the Business Combination occurred on January 1, 2021.
Transaction Accounting Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet
The Transaction Accounting Adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 are as follows:
(A) | Reflects the reclassification of cash held in the trust account that becomes available to fund expenses in connection with the Business Combination or future cash needs of New FaZe. |
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(B) | Reflects the settlement of the total equity issuance costs incurred by the combined company of approximately $25.8 million. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet reflects these costs as a reduction of cash of $23.4 million as $2.4 million has been paid as of the pro forma balance sheet date. On May 20, 2022, FaZe received a letter from Citigroup resigning from its role as lead financial advisor to Legacy FaZe, waiving any of its entitlement to the payment of any fees and reimbursement of expenses and disclaiming any responsibility for the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, dated as of June 21, 2022. Citigroups fee was agreed between Legacy FaZe and Citigroup in an engagement letter signed by the parties on July 12, 2021, and the payment was conditioned upon closing of the Business Combination. The total equity issuance costs reflected in this adjustment excludes the fees no longer payable to Citigroup following the closing of the Business Combination. |
(C) | Reflects the settlement of the total transaction costs incurred by BRPM of approximately $7.6 million. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet reflects these costs as a reduction of cash of $7.2 million as $0.4 million has been paid as of the pro forma balance sheet date. The costs expensed through retained earnings are included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 as discussed in (GG) below. |
(D) | Reflects the repayment of advances from the Sponsor and the payment of accrued administrative fees. |
(E) | Reflects the proceeds from the issuance and sale of 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock at $10.00 per share as part of the PIPE Investment pursuant to the terms of the Subscription Agreements and the backstop commitment under the Sponsor Support Agreement. |
(F) | Reflects the conversion of $72.9 million of FaZe Notes, and $6.9 million of related accrued unpaid interest to FaZe common stock, reflected in additional paid-in capital, and the cash payment of $2.6 million of accrued interest. Interest is calculated as of the Closing Date. The conversion price is calculated with the numerator of $250 million (for most of the FaZe Notes) or $200 million (for certain of the FaZe Notes) and the denominator of the total number of shares of FaZe common stock issued and outstanding as of the date of conversion, calculated on an as-exercised, as-converted, fully diluted basis, but excluding shares of common stock of Legacy FaZe issued or issuable upon conversion of the FaZe Notes, which is calculated as $11.72 and $9.38, depending on the debt. The impact to additional paid-in-capital is summarized below (in millions): |
Fair value of consideration exchanged for extinguished debt(i) |
177.6 | |||
Plus: equity issued for debt converted in accordance with the original debt agreement(ii) |
17.5 | |||
Total Additional Paid in Capital |
195.1 |
i) | Calculated based on the conversion of extinguished debt and accrued interest into approximately 7.3 million shares of FaZe common stock at an estimated per share fair value of $24.43. |
ii) | Calculated based on the conversion of debt and accrued interest accounted for under the terms of the original debt agreement into approximately 1.5 million shares of FaZe common stock based on the carrying amount of the debt and accrued interest of $17.5 million. |
The impact to accumulated deficit is calculated as below (in millions):
Loss on extinguishment(i) |
115.3 | |||
Plus: Additional accrued interest and amortization of debt issuance costs(ii) |
0.4 | |||
Total Accumulated Deficit |
115.7 |
i) | Calculated as the fair value of consideration exchanged for extinguished debt of $177.6 million, less the carrying amount of principal of $56.8 million and accrued interest of $5.5 million. |
ii) | Accrued interest from the pro forma balance sheet date to the Closing Date. |
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Legacy FaZe adopted ASU 2020-06, which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing the beneficial conversion feature model, as of January 1, 2022, for the year ended December 31, 2022. New FaZe will be applying the standard in the accounting for the merger, and would not be recording the beneficial conversion feature charge to earnings upon consummation of the business combination. Legacy FaZe has presented the same in the pro forma balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 and statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.
(G) | Reflects the change of classification of the public warrants from liability to equity following the Business Combination. Following the Business Combination, shares underlying the public warrants are no longer redeemable and New FaZe has a single class of voting stock, which does not preclude the public warrants from being considered indexed to New FaZes equity and allows the public warrants to meet the criteria for equity classification. |
(H) | Reflects the reclassification of 17,250,000 shares of BRPM Class A common stock subject to possible redemption to permanent equity. |
(I) | Reflects the conversion of all outstanding founder shares to Common Stock upon closing of the Business Combination on a one-to-one basis. |
(J) | Reflects the conversion of all outstanding Legacy FaZe preferred stock to FaZe common stock upon closing of the Business Combination on a one-to-one basis. |
(K) | Reflects the impact of the acceleration of vesting of Legacy FaZe options and the conversion of Legacy FaZe restricted stock awards into restricted stock awards of the Company and subsequent acceleration of vesting, including the vesting of Legacy FaZe options to Legacy FaZe executives based on current contractual rights, the 75% acceleration of vesting of the Legacy FaZe options outstanding under Legacy FaZes existing incentive plans that remain unvested as of the Effective Time, and the acceleration of vesting of restricted stock awards based on current contractual rights, as amended by the RSA Amendments, recorded in additional paid-in capital. Legacy FaZe options were granted with vesting periods from one to four years, as well as options to Legacy FaZe executives fully vested upon a change in control event. The value of the Legacy FaZe options was estimated using a Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model with the following assumptions: |
Stock price |
$0.72 | |
Expected term |
2.0 - 6.0 Years | |
Volatility |
30.0% - 34.0% | |
Risk-free interest rate |
0.21% - 0.84% | |
Dividend yield |
0.0% |
The value of the Legacy FaZe restricted stock awards was estimated using the stock price of the FaZe common stock at the grant dates. Legacy FaZe restricted stock awards were granted with vesting periods of two years, as well as certain awards fully vested on the grant date. See Note (HH) for further details.
(L) | Reflects the reclassification of the BRPMs historical accumulated deficit into additional paid-in capital. |
(M) | Reflects the issuance of Common Stock equal to 6.0% of the sum of i) the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding as of immediately after the Closing and ii) the total number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of the total number of Net Vested Company Option Shares and the Equity Value Exchange Ratio, subject to vesting and forfeiture conditions upon reaching certain VWAP per share during the period commencing 90 days after the Closing Date and ending five years after the Closing Date. |
(N) | Reflect the repayment of $1.1 million of FaZe PPP loan, with $24.0 thousand accrued but unpaid interest. |
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(O) | Represents the recapitalization of 22,902,063 shares of FaZe common stock (including shares of FaZe common stock issued as a result of the company conversion) exchanged by existing Legacy FaZe shareholders and the recognition of 50,995,637 shares of Common Stock based on an Equity Value Exchange Ratio of 2.23. |
(P) | [reserved] |
(Q) | Reflects the redemption of 15,883,395 public shares for aggregate redemption payments of $158.9 million allocated to BRPM Class A common stock and additional paid-in capital using par value $0.0001 per share and at a redemption price of $10.00 per share. |
(R) | Reflects the cash exercise of 292,790 Legacy Faze preferred stock warrants with an exercise price of $0.34 and 136,202 Legacy Faze common stock warrants with an exercise price of $0.01 for total cash proceeds of $0.1 million. Includes the impact of the net exercise of 618,631 Legacy Faze common stock warrants. |
(S) | Reflects the payment of $20.4 million of principal and paid-in-kind interest related to the term loan with B. Riley Commercial Capital, LLC, as part of the closing of the Business Combination. |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Operations
The Transaction Accounting Adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021 are as follows:
(AA) | Reflects the removal of the administrative fees in BRPMs historical statement of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021. |
(BB) | Represents the elimination of $3.7 million and $5.5 million of interest expense and amortized debt issuance costs related to the conversion of $72.9 million of FaZe Notes in adjustment (F) for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and for the year ended December 31, 2021, respectively. The interest rates of the FaZe Notes range from 4.0% to 10.0% per annum. |
(CC) | Reflects the removal of liability classified BRPM public warrants issuance costs related to the reclassification in adjustment (G). |
(DD) | Reflects the removal of liability classified BRPM public warrants mark-to-market adjustment related to the reclassification in adjustment (G). |
(EE) | Reflects the elimination of interest expense related to the settlement of $1.1 million of Legacy FaZes PPP loan in adjustment (N) for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and for the year ended December 31, 2021, respectively. The interest rate of the PPP loan was 1.0% per annum. |
(FF) | Represents the elimination of BRPMs interest income related to the cash held in the trust account. |
(GG) | Reflects the total transaction costs for BRPM that have not yet been recognized, in the statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021, as discussed in adjustment (C). Transaction costs are expensed as incurred and reflected as if incurred on January 1, 2021, the date the Business Combination and related transactions occurred for the purposes of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations. This is a non-recurring item. |
(HH) | Reflects the recognition of expense related to the acceleration of vesting of stock options upon closing of the Business Combination and the acceleration of restricted stock awards at Closing and at 90 days after the Closing. This is a non-recurring item. |
(II) | Reflects the loss on extinguishment of debt of $115.3 million as discussed in adjustment (F). The loss on extinguishment is calculated as the difference between the fair value of the consideration paid to extinguish the debt, which is estimated to be $177.6 million, calculated as the conversion into |
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approximately 7.3 million shares of FaZe common stock at an estimated fair value per share of $24.43, and the net carrying value of the debt of $56.8 million and accrued interest of $5.5 million accounted for as debt extinguishment as of the Closing. |
Legacy FaZe adopted ASU 2020-06, which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing the beneficial conversion feature model, as of January 1, 2022, for the year ended December 31, 2022. New FaZe will be applying the standard in the accounting for the merger, and would not be recording the beneficial conversion feature charge to earnings upon consummation of the business combination. Legacy FaZe has presented the same in the pro forma balance sheet as of June 30, 2022 and statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.
(JJ) | Reflects the elimination of interest expense related to the settlement of $20.4 million of Legacy FaZes term loan in adjustment (S) for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The interest is paid-in-kind, and accrues at a rate of 7.0% per annum, compounded quarterly. |
4. Net Loss per Share
Represents the net loss per share calculated using the historical weighted average shares outstanding, and the issuance of additional shares in connection with the Business Combination, assuming the shares were outstanding since January 1, 2021, and including the impact on weighted average shares outstanding of the acceleration of vesting of restricted stock awards 90 days after the Closing. As the Business Combination and related transactions are being reflected as if they had occurred at the beginning of January 1, 2021, the calculation of weighted average shares outstanding for basic and diluted net loss per share assumes that the shares issuable relating to the Business Combination have been outstanding for the entire periods presented.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information has been prepared with the actual redemptions by BRPMs public stockholders of shares of BRPM Class A common stock for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit (as of two business days prior to the Closing) in the trust account for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and for the year ended December 31, 2021:
Six months ended June 30, 2022 | Year ended December 31, 2021 | |||||||
Pro forma net loss |
$ | (16,704 | ) | $ | (156,486 | ) | ||
Weighted average Class A stock outstandingbasic and diluted(1) (2) (4) (5) |
63,588,177 | 63,360,369 | ||||||
Net loss per Class A stockbasic and diluted |
$ | (0.26 | ) | $ | (2.47 | ) |
(1) | Excludes 2,156,250 shares of Common Stock held by the Sponsor and 5,312,098 earn-out shares subject to vesting and forfeiture conditions upon reaching certain VWAP per share prices. In the event that the thresholds are not met in the period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date, the shares will be forfeited, and the dividends related to such shares will be returned. While the shares are considered issued and outstanding as of the date of the Business Combination, the shares are contingently returnable and are not participating securities. Therefore, these shares are excluded from the weighted average shares of Common Stock outstanding. |
(2) | Excludes potential common shares resulting from vested and unvested stock options and restricted stock awards and the public warrants and private placement warrants. The Public and Private Placement Warrants were assumed to have been exchanged for Common Stock for diluted earnings per share using the treasury stock method. However, as they are deemed anti-dilutive, they are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share. |
(3) | [reserved] |
(4) | Excludes 15,883,395 public shares redeemed for an aggregate payment of approximately $158.9 million from the trust account. |
(5) | Calculated as the sum of (i) 49,317,514 shares to existing FaZe shareholders at the Closing per the Merger including the effect on weighted average shares outstanding of Common Stock issuable for the restricted |
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stock awards accelerating 90 days after the Closing, exclusive of earn-out shares and restricted stock awards, (ii) 500,000 shares to the FaZe PIPE Investor (iii) 1,366,605 shares owned by BRPM Public Shareholders after redemptions, (iv) 2,676,250 shares owned by BRPM sponsors per the Sponsor Support Agreement exclusive of earn-out shares, (v) 5,342,500 shares issued to the BRPM sponsors per the backstop commitment under the Sponsor Support Agreement, (vi) 2,200,000 shares to the Sponsor Related PIPE Investor per the PIPE agreements, and (vii) 1,957,500 shares to the PIPE investors per the PIPE agreements exclusive of the shares issued to FaZe PIPE Investor and Sponsor Related PIPE Investor. The calculation is identical for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the six months ended June 30, 2022 other than for 227,808 shares, which represents the weighting of 923,886 shares of Common Stock issuable for the restricted stock awards accelerating 90 days after the Closing. |
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Summary of the Business Combination
On July 19, 2022, FaZe Holdings Inc. (formerly known as B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp.) consummated its previously announced Business Combination pursuant to the Merger Agreement. As contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into Legacy FaZe, with Legacy FaZe surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of BRPM. As a result of the Merger, and upon the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the securityholders of Legacy FaZe became securityholders of BRPM and BRPM was renamed FaZe Holdings Inc. Additionally, BRPMs Class B common stock was converted into BRPMs Class A common stock and BRPMs Class A common stock was reclassified as Common Stock upon the filing of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Delaware Secretary of State upon completion of the Business Combination.
On July 15, 2022, the Companys stockholders, at a special meeting of the Company, approved and adopted the Merger Agreement, and approved the Business Combination proposal and the other related proposals presented in the proxy statement/prospectus filed declared effective by the SEC on June 21, 2022. In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, holders of an aggregate of 15,883,395 shares of BRPM Class A common stock exercised their right to redeem such shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in BRPMs Trust Account. Following redemptions and the payment of transaction expenses, and together with the proceeds of the PIPE Investment, BRPM delivered an aggregate of approximately $57.7 million to the Company on the Closing Date.
Immediately prior to the Effective Time, each common stock purchase warrant of Legacy FaZe was exercised in full in accordance with its terms and each preferred stock purchase warrant of Legacy FaZe was exercised in full in accordance with its terms. The outstanding principal and accrued interest upon the Legacy FaZe Notes was converted prior to the Effective Time into shares of Legacy FaZe common stock. Each share of Legacy FaZes preferred stock that was issued and outstanding as of such time (including the preferred stock issued upon the exercise of preferred stock purchase warrants) automatically converted into Legacy FaZe common stock, and the outstanding accrued interest (beginning on February 1, 2022 and ending on the Closing Date) with respect to the convertible promissory notes issued pursuant to that certain Secured Convertible Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 15, 2020, as amended, by and among Legacy FaZe, CPH Phase II SPV LP and CPH Phase III SPV LP, was paid in full in connection with the Closing.
At the Effective Time, each share of Legacy FaZe common stock that was issued and outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (including the Legacy FaZe common stock issued upon the exercise of common stock purchase warrants, preferred stock purchase warrants and the conversion of the Legacy FaZe Notes and Legacy FaZes preferred stock) was cancelled and converted into the right to receive a portion of the Aggregate Equity Value Consideration equal to the Equity Value Exchange Ratio and a portion of the Aggregate Earnout Consideration equal to the Earnout Exchange Ratio (the Per Share Merger Consideration). The Equity Value Exchange Ratio is the quotient obtained by dividing 65,000,000 by the fully diluted number of shares of Legacy FaZe common stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (excluding certain shares, as determined in accordance with the Merger Agreement). The Earnout Exchange Ratio is the quotient obtained by dividing the Aggregate Earnout Consideration by the fully diluted number of shares of Legacy FaZe common stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (as determined in accordance with the Merger Agreement).
At the Effective Time, each restricted stock award outstanding under Legacy FaZes existing incentive plans that was outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, was converted into a number of shares of Common Stock having the same terms and conditions as were applicable to such restricted stock award immediately prior to the Effective Time (each, a FaZe Restricted Stock Award), except that each FaZe Restricted Stock Award relates to a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Per Share Merger Consideration. Prior to the completion of the Business Combination, Legacy FaZe and certain holders of outstanding Legacy FaZe restricted
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stock awards agreed to amend the vesting schedule of certain restricted stock awards to provide that the vesting of 75% of the restricted stock awards held by such holders would accelerate 90 days after the Closing rather than on the Closing Date.
At the Effective Time, each stock option outstanding under Legacy FaZes existing incentive plans that was outstanding and unexercised immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into an option relating to Common Stock on the same terms and conditions as were applicable to such stock option immediately prior to the Effective Time (each, a FaZe Stock Option), except that (i) such FaZe Stock Options relate to such number of shares of Common Stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share) as is equal to (x) the number of shares of Legacy FaZe common stock subject to such stock option immediately prior to the Effective Time multiplied by (y) the Equity Value Exchange Ratio, and (ii) the exercise price per share of such FaZe Stock Option is equal to the quotient of (x) the exercise price per share of such stock option in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time divided by (y) the Equity Value Exchange Ratio (the exercise price per share, as so determined, being rounded up to the nearest full cent). Immediately prior to the Effective Time, 75% of each discrete individual grant of the options outstanding under Legacy FaZes existing incentive plans that remain unvested as of the Effective Time, automatically and without any required action on the part of the holder thereof, became vested as of the Effective Time. Holders of Legacy FaZe Options that were vested as of the Effective Time (after giving effect to the Effective Time) are entitled to receive a number of earn-out shares equal to the number of Net Vested Company Option Shares (as defined in the Merger Agreement) underlying such vested options multiplied by the Earn-Out Exchange Ratio.
Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, BRPM and the PIPE Investors entered into the Subscription Agreements, providing for the purchase by the PIPE Investors immediately prior to the Closing of the Business Combination of an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock at a price per share of $10.00, for gross proceeds to FaZe of $100,000,000. At the Closing, investors that had committed to invest approximately $71.4 million in the PIPE Investment defaulted on their commitment. Pursuant to its backstop commitment under the Sponsor Support Agreement the Sponsor committed to purchase, or cause an affiliate or designee to purchase, the portion of the PIPE Investment not purchased by third-party subscribers to cause the actual PIPE Investment received by BRPM to equal $100.0 million (including the $20.0 million PIPE Investment made by an affiliate of the Sponsor), B. Riley Principal Investments, LLC invested approximately $53.4 million in the PIPE Investment.
After giving effect to the Business Combination and the consummation of the PIPE Investment, we have 72,506,839 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding (which excludes the 18,064,646 options to purchase Common Stock) and 5,923,333 Warrants to purchase Common Stock issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus.
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Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise requires, all references in this section to the Company, we, us or our refer to FaZe Holdings Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries following the Business Combination, other than certain historical information which refers to the business of FaZe and its subsidiaries prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.
Our Company
FaZe is a digitally native lifestyle and media brand founded and rooted in gaming and youth culture. Since our grassroots beginning, FaZe has expanded to become a voice for Gen Z and Millennials, which are key demographics that we believe will continue to drive global consumption of our content for years to come. FaZe has established a global platform with a reach similar to that of a major media conglomerate and the ability to monetize its audience across a variety of products and services.
Our History
FaZe Clan was founded in 2010 by a group of five friends who met online playing Call of Duty and bonded over recording their gameplay and commentary while playing video games. Over the last 10 years, we have evolved our business from a group of friends earning YouTube AdSense dollars to an established institution with several revenue streams including brand sponsorships, content, consumer products, and international markets. FaZe has become one of the defining youth culture brands for Gen Z and Millennials and is a at the forefront of the global creator economyan industry centered around innovative digital content development fueled by social media influencers, creators, and businesseswith a talent roster of over 100 core personalities consisting of content creators, Esports professionals and celebrity/athlete/musician collaborators.
2010 | FaZe founded as a group of trickshotters | |
2011 | First Esports team (Call of Duty) | |
2012 | FaZe YouTube hits 1 million subscribers (one of the first Esports teams to reach that milestone) | |
Signed sponsorship deal with G Fuel | ||
2014 | First YouTube gaming creator house | |
2016 | 100 million+ Total Reach across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch | |
2017 | First international Esports championship (CSGO) | |
2018 |
Lee Trink becomes FaZe CEO | |
Signed first female recruit Ewok | ||
2019 | Announced creative collaboration with Manchester City | |
Signed sponsorship deal with Nissan | ||
Enter Call of Duty League with Cox via Atlanta FaZe | ||
200 million+ Total Reach across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch | ||
Sold out Champion collaboration at ComplexCon/Shut down NY block pop up around FNCS | ||
Offset joins FaZe as a collaborator | ||
Nickmercs joins FaZe as a content creator |
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2020 |
Juice WRLD collaboration sells $1.7 million+ in 24 hours | |
Swagg joins FaZe as a content creator | ||
First FaZe 5 contest, with over 200K applicants | ||
Twitter publishes article naming FaZe Clan most talked about Esports team on Twitter | ||
2021 | Signed and developed Nuke Squad | |
Crashed NTWRK app with our Murakami collaboration, selling $1.2 million+ in less than 4 hours | ||
Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated | ||
350 million+ Total Reach across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch, 10 million+ followers on FaZe Instagram | ||
Signed sponsorship deals with McDonalds and General Mills | ||
Collaboration with DC Comics/Batman | ||
2022 | Approximately 500 million Total Reach across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch,10 million+ followers on FaZe Instagram | |
Announced joint marketing initiative with the National Football League | ||
Snoop Dogg (FaZe Snoop) joins FaZe as a member and collaborator | ||
FaZe Deestroying joins FaZe as a content creator | ||
FaZe Ronaldo joins FaZe as a content creator | ||
Signed sponsorship deals with Ghost Energy and Door Dash | ||
Signed apparel collaboration with Disney for Mickey On The Grid and merchandise collaboration with Naruto Shippuden | ||
FaZe wins PGL Major Antwerp 2022 | ||
Virtual Dining Experience FaZe Subs Exclusively Available on Doordash |
Platform
FaZe is a digital-native lifestyle platform building a global creator economyan industry centered around innovative digital content development fueled by social media influencers, creators and businesses who monetize their content online. We produce premium content, design merchandise and consumer products and create advertising and sponsorship programs for leading national brands. Our premium brand, world class talent network and our engaged and growing audience drive our platform and interact with each other to create value and attract new talent and fans.
Brand
The FaZe brand began as a gaming-specific brand, but as the business and industry have evolved, we have transformed into what we believe to be one of the most well-known youth culture and lifestyle brands. We believe that the FaZe brand is among the most recognized and engaged brands across both Esports and traditional sports, with more cross-platform actions on social media than the next eight Esports organizations combined and the third most cross-platform actions across all individual U.S. sports teams according to Shareablee. The strength of our brand is instrumental in driving audience growth, attracting new talent, brand sponsors and collaborators to the FaZe platform and supporting business expansion into new markets.
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We have differentiated our brand through our long tenure in the industry, the authenticity of our brand and community, and our reach beyond gaming. We were an early mover in online video game and youth culture, which we believe gives us a longer track record in the industry than many of our peers and a leading role in shaping the industry as it exists today. Our pioneering role in the video game content industry has allowed us to expand our focus to broader youth culture as the games industry grew and became a core part of youth and online culture. Our long history of success in the industry and investment in building a long term sustainable platform has established our credibility to interact with our audience with authenticity.
Talent Network
FaZe Clan has established a diverse and culturally relevant talent roster of over 100 core personalities across content creation, Esports and celebrity affiliates. Our founding members, Thomas Oliveira (FaZe Temperrr), Richard Bengtson II (FaZe Banks), Nordan Shat (FaZe Rain), Sabastian Diamond (FaZe Cbass) and Yousef Abdelfattah (FaZe Apex) are recognized as pioneers and trend setters in the industry and remain active members of FaZe. As we have grown our talent roster, we have made sure to not rely on any single individual to carry the brand, but rather have worked to develop a broad talent base, where each person is able to establish and grow their own personal brand and following within the overall FaZe platform. We work with our talent to create new content and connect with new audiences, leading to growth in our overall reach. Each member of our roster serves as an important piece in the puzzle of FaZes big picture content platform and most of our fans engage with multiple members of our talent roster.
Our content creators are individuals that create gaming and lifestyle-related content for people to watch on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The content we create is generally unscripted and includes game and non-game based content, livestreams and vlogs. Our content creators maintain a high level of engagement with their audiences through the comments and chat function of the video platforms and by maintaining an active social media presence. Many of our content creators livestream content over 300+ days a year. With their continual creation of content and daily interactions with fans, our content creators are one of the strongest touchpoints between the FaZe brand and our audience.
Our talent agreements generally follow a standard form that provides: (i) for an initial term of two years, subject to month-to-month automatic renewal thereafter; (ii) that FaZe shall be the sole and exclusive manager of the talent, providing facilities and certain mutually agreed upon resources such as sales personnel, opportunities to create and share content on FaZe channels and platforms and advice on promotional and business relations and practices; and (iii) that the talent shall post to social media, participate in FaZe social media interactions, engage in productions with FaZe, generally support FaZe and its projects and split revenue generated by such activities with FaZe. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, one content creator accounted for approximately 17% of our total revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the same content creator accounted for approximately 22% of our total revenue, of which approximately 8% represented a one-time payment to FaZe for the sale to a third party of a five-year exclusive license with respect to certain historical content posted to YouTube by the content creator prior to March 2021. This content creator or other FaZe talent may generate significant revenue in the future as a result of similar one-time sales of licenses to third parties with respect to certain content or as a result of participation in other one-time or limited events.
We have over 70 Esports/gaming professionals who are members of one of our ten professional Esports teams that compete regionally and globally for Esports championships and prize pools. Our Esports and gaming professionals compete globally in Counter Strike Global Offensive, Call of Duty, Fortnite, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Halo, FIFA Online 4, Rainbow Six Siege, Valorant, and Rocket League. Generally, our Esports professionals focuses on professional competitions rather than content creation. However, a few of our Esports professionals are also content creators, such as Mongraal, who has over 15 million fans across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch Our integrated platform allows us to offer our Esports professionals the opportunity to become content creators once their professional playing career is over, which we believe not many of our competitors have the infrastructure to facilitate. Our ability to transition Esports professionals to content creation
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helps FaZe retain talent and the audience we have built up, provides continuity on the platform and also elongates the lifespan of a professional gamer, offering new ways to bring in revenue for themselves as well as the Company.
As FaZe has grown as an organization and attained broader mainstream appeal in recent years, celebrities, athletes, and musicians who are also passionate gamers expressed interest in joining the FaZe community and partnering with us. We saw an opportunity to expand our talent roster to include these people that loved gaming and wanted to be a part of FaZe Clan. To date, we have partnered with celebrity collaborators including musical artists Lil Yachty and Offset (from Migos), NFL star Kyler Murray and basketball prospect LeBron James Jr. These celebrities play games and interact with content creators and take part in creating lifestyle and games content videos. We believe that FaZes affiliation with these celebrities is mutually beneficial, as the celebrities receive exposure to a broad, young audience and a platform for monetizing their interest in games and youth culture. Meanwhile, we are able to further elevate the FaZe brand and expand our audience by accessing the celebrities fanbases. These relationships have further legitimized our position as a brand which consumers look to for lifestyle advice and new trends, as well as a place where our audience can interact with some of the worlds best athletes. All the celebrity talent with whom we have collaborated originated as fans of the brand before they collaborated with FaZe. As celebrity talent helps grow our brand awareness, we believe these collaborations will support a natural talent acquisition pipeline and improve our overall relationship retention.
Audience
We have established a large and engaged global audience, with a Total Reach of approximately 500 million fans globally as of June 30, 2022. Many of our fans have been following the brand since its inception over ten years ago, and they look to FaZe as a curator of culture. Our target audience are members of the Millennial and Gen Z generations globally, and according to our analysis of YouTube data, 80% of our audience is between the ages of 13-34 years old. The younger generations that make up our core audience will continue to grow in terms of spending power and importance to the global economy; based on a Bank of America Report, by 2030, Gen Z consumers are estimated to account for $33 trillion of global income. Our core audience came of age in a highly-connected, digital world and have consumption preferences we believe that make them difficult to reach for established, large-scale brands and traditional media platforms. A Ypulse survey indicates that 49% of Gen Z receive their news from social media outlets and a Bank of America report found 40% prefer hanging out with friends virtually, 61% prefer to watch Esports over traditional sports, and on average individuals watch 68 videos per day.
We have cultivated a strong and engaged fanbase among these generations by engaging with our audience across the most popular digital platforms. As of June 30, 2022, we have a Total Reach of approximately 500 million fans across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch and 134.2 million Aggregate YouTube Subscribers, representing year-over-year growth of 2%. For additional information on the terms Total Reach and Aggregate YouTube Subscribers, as well as our other key performance indicators, see the section titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of FaZeKey Performance Indicators. Our typical audience member engages with FaZe across three different platforms. We track impressions across social media platforms, which represents the number of times a piece of content is displayed on social media, no matter if it is clicked or not and engagements, as described in section titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of FaZe. We also track certain metrics across our YouTube and Twitch platforms, including views and subscriptions. In 2020, we reached 1 billion+ YouTube cumulative lifetime views and over 500 million Instagram cumulative lifetime views solely on the main FaZe Instagram account. For the six months ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021, we saw growth of approximately 1.4% and 6% in our cumulative YouTube views, respectively, and growth of approximately 73% and 114% in our cumulative Instagram views, respectively.
We believe the FaZe platform can be a facilitator for other brands that want to reach our core consumers and, more broadly, serve as a conduit between the digital and real world.
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Monetization
Brand Sponsorships
The FaZe platform provides brands and advertisers with the ability to reach and engage with our young and engaged audience base. We work with brands to provide targeted solutions that meet their needs by leveraging our breadth of sponsorship inventory that includes sponsorship of FaZe Esports teams, branded content featuring popular FaZe content creators, livestreaming within a gaming destination where millions tune in to watch their favorite streamers, social activation across our footprint of approximately 500 million Total Reach on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch, and media amplification to provide increased reach to brands own content. We believe that, as the reach of the FaZe brand expands, our value proposition to advertisers will also continue to improve. We continue to explore new solutions for brands and advertisers to capitalize on significant demand to access both being associated with the FaZe platform and our audience.
The primary brand sponsorship products that we offer to advertisers are brand deals and talent deals. Brand deals comprise the largest portion of our Brand Sponsorship business and typically present strong unit economics for us. Brand deals are made through the FaZe sales team and provide the brand with category exclusivity across the FaZe platform, including the full roster of FaZe talent. Brand deals account for the largest individual deals we enter into and are generally with larger, blue chip sponsors and are at least one year in duration. Talent deals are typically smaller in size than brand deals and are made directly with individual FaZe talent to promote a brand or product within content created by the selected talent. For example, FaZe Rug had a smaller scale G Fuel deal in addition to FaZes broader brand deal. Talent deals are often from niche sponsors and on a month-to-month basis.
One of our first sponsorship arrangements, which expired by its terms in February 2022, was a Merchandising License Agreement with G Fuel LLC and two G Fuel Marketing Campaign letter agreements with a marketing company, each for the benefit of G Fuel (collectively, the G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement). For the year ended December 31, 2021, the G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement represented 12% of our total revenue. Each G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement had a term of one year commencing February 7, 2021. Under the G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement, (i) G Fuel had a worldwide right and license to use the marks, logos, likenesses, content and other intellectual property and merchandising of FaZe and certain of its members and Esports professionals (the FaZe IP) in exchange for a royalty paid to FaZe per G Fuel hydration ready-to-drink can or other mutually agreed product sold via use of FaZe IP, and (ii) FaZe and certain of its members and Esports professionals promoted G Fuel, to the exclusion of any other energy drinks, dietary supplements, shaker cups or related hydration or non-hydration products, by posting about G Fuel, wearing its apparel and featuring it in livestreams and other events, in exchange for annual fees paid to FaZe. Although we chose not to renew the G Fuel Sponsorship Agreement, in 2022, we entered into a new sponsorship agreement with a different company in the energy drink space.
As we have grown our audience and recognition of the FaZe platform, we have broadened our sponsorship portfolio from primarily sponsors endemic to gaming to mass-market sponsors across the food and beverage, auto, and technology industries, including, most recently, well-known sponsors DraftKings, McDonalds, Ghost Energy and DoorDash. In July 2022, we launched a virtual dining experience, FaZe Subs, exclusively available on DoorDash, featuring FaZe Clan inspired sandwiches, sauces, sides and desserts available to order on DoorDash. We have also recently expanded our sponsorship portfolio to include sponsors in new industries, including MoonPay, a global crypto payments infrastructure provider. We have consistently expanded our sponsor base with limited turnover, growing to nine Significant Sponsors as defined in the section titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of FaZe. Increased segmentation and specialization within markets has expanded our available advertising and sponsorship inventory by increasing the number of different categories, providing additional opportunities for brands to associate with the FaZe brand, while also enabling us to increase the density of the FaZe sponsorship footprint. Going forward, we do not expect any individual sponsorship agreement to generate 10% or more of our total revenue.
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Content
Today, FaZes content is most prevalent across social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook, where we produce mostly short-form digital content. We release our content at the brand level through our owned pages and channels and oversee the content our talent releases on their own accounts to form a broad and diverse content network. Our content network primarily generates revenue through digital advertising, but also indirectly benefits our other businesses by growing our brand awareness and our audience. We utilize search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo! to direct a significant amount of traffic to the social media platforms we use.
We are transforming our content production business by leveraging our talent and audience to expand our ownership of intellectual property, reach new platforms and create content across genres. In 2021, we expanded our content capabilities to include music, podcasts, documentaries, films and series and plan to continue expanding across formats and genres. With our expansion into new formats and creation of new distributor relationships, FaZe has the opportunity to improve unit economics and monetization. As we prepare for the next phase of our content growth, we are highly focused on owning and operating our intellectual property, creating a diversified content library and diversifying into different content verticals across a wide array of platforms.
FaZe is positioned to activate its brand across scripted, unscripted and live programming. The FaZe team has expertise across a broad selection of unscripted categories including competition shows, comedy, lifestyle programming and docuseries. In addition to the in-house talent that already existed on the platform, we have hired key creatives and are actively engaging with elite writing and producing talent throughout the entertainment industry to develop engaging scripted programming that expands beyond the scope of unscripted narratives.
The FaZe roster of established talent and our large audience provides us with a natural advantage in creating companion content to enhance the value of our other business lines such as livestreaming of Esports competition and in person fan events that increase engagement with fans and sponsors. Our ongoing engagement with the FaZe audience also allows us to test appetite for new content concepts at negligible cost. Successful concepts are iterated and improved, drawing larger audiences to further activate our fanbase and develop repeatable strategies.
In January 2022, we announced a new series, FaZe 1: Powered by Moonpay, which will have 20 finalists livestreamed on Twitch 24 hours a day for 15 days in a reality show-based setting as they compete for a spot on the FaZe roster and a cross-promotional signing bonus. On May 11, 2022, we paused production on FaZe 1 due to an outbreak of COVID-19, in accordance with FaZes and the CDCs health and safety guidelines. Production resumed on May 22, 2022 and the winner was announced on May 26, 2022.
We currently generate a portion of our revenue from our produced content primarily in the form of advertising on other platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. We also receive a share of the digital advertising money generated by our owned channels and our content creators channels on third-party platforms. In addition, we have generated revenue by licensing FaZe content to third parties. For example, on April 1, 2021, FaZe entered into a Content License Agreement (the Content License Agreement) with Tailfin Fund I, LLC (the Licensee), pursuant to which FaZe received a one-time fee of $4,500,000 for granting to Licensee an exclusive, non-transferrable right and license for a term of five years to collect all advertising revenues generated from views of content posted to the YouTube channel of one content creator from its inception through February 28, 2021. Additionally, for the duration of the term and three months thereafter, FaZe granted to Licensee a right of first refusal and Licensee granted to FaZe a matching right with respect to offers to monetize, license, sell or assign any FaZe content not covered by the Content License Agreement initially. We currently expect these revenue opportunities to continue in the future. As our content business continues to evolve, we believe our monetization will expand to new avenues as well. With increasing longer-form content and access to distribution media, we believe we will have an opportunity to generate revenue from our intellectual property and created shows, live events, podcasts, and docuseries.
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Consumer Products
We are able to leverage our brand, talent and audience to drive consumer product sales across a variety of categories and distribution channels. We design and sell merchandise, apparel and consumer products, and have strong direct-to-consumer relationships through our website, www.fazeclan.com, where we predominantly make our sales and fans can easily select and purchase their favorite products.
We currently sell consumer products across FaZe-branded, player lines, and collaboration categories. FaZe-branded products are goods or apparel displaying the FaZe logo. FaZe-branded products are developed in response to our Esports success, content offerings, and expansion of the FaZe brand in order to meet demand from our expanding audience. These products are similar to offerings from other professional sports teams and are available through our digital storefront on our website to give fans consistent access to FaZe products. Player lines feature specific brands of certain FaZe talent members. Player lines have expanded as we develop and sign additional talent and carry talent-specific branding, such as Nuke Squad, a group of our content creators who frequently collaborate together.
Collaborations are created through partnerships with lifestyle and culture brands. We have a strong history of collaborations that have expanded the reach and staying power of the FaZe brand. Our collaborations are typically partnerships or co-branding releases with other well-known brands that drop or release for a limited amount of time and with scarce quantity to create high levels of excitement and exclusivity. Our collaboration strategy has proven effective, as it has exposed us to new audiences and reinforced our status as a premier lifestyle brand, with drops often selling out in a matter of minutes or hours. Our collaborations and drops are selected with extreme care to ensure the strength of the FaZe brand and provide products that excite our audience.
FaZes first collaboration was with Champion in 2018, which provided cross-audience exposure to both brands. In 2019, we expanded our collaboration ambitions across additional premium culture brands and teamed up with Clot, Kappa, and Lyrical Lemonade on consumer product drops. In 2020, we expanded our reach across top culture brands with collaborations with rapper Juice WRLD, Be@rbrick and Anti Social Social Club and across mainstream sports with Manchester City and the NFL. Our collaborations in 2020 produced several highlights including our Be@rbrick product selling out in less than a minute, Sports Illustrated generating 131 million media impressions to date and Juice WRLD selling $1.7 million+ of merchandise in 24 hours as our most successful collaboration to date. This momentum has carried forward into 2021, evidenced by our recent collaboration with Takashi Murakami, which sold $1.2 million+ of merchandise in less than 4 hours and crashed our licensing and manufacturing vendor NTWRKs app. In September 2021, our collaboration with DC Comics for a FaZe Batman issue was announced, further enhancing the cross-platform and genre appeal of FaZes talent and content. In May 2022, we announced our newest collaborations to date, including a line of apparel featuring a reimagined, digitized version of Mickey Mouse, Mickey On The Grid, designed in partnership with Disney, and a merchandise collaboration with Naruto Shippuden, a well-known anime series. Our carefully crafted consumer products strategy has allowed us to engage with our fans and grow the FaZe brand through limited drops that maintain excitement for our goods. We are currently at an inflection point where our increased investment in the business allows us to explore opportunities to expand across additional verticals and distribution channels to improve monetization on the FaZe brand. One area that we are considering, which has the potential to considerably increase the reach of our consumer products business, is entering into retail, where we could distribute a selection of products through traditional physical retail outlets. In addition, we have the opportunity to expand the types of consumer products we sell, branching into areas such as computer peripherals, which offer natural crossover with our audiences demand and strong unit economics.
It is imperative that as we expand our market share and take steps to maintain our premium brand position. To accomplish this, we are exploring bifurcated product lines across scaled production and premium items. Mass-produced items would be widely available and improve our brand awareness, while premium items would have limited stock and maintain our status as an exclusive brand. This will allow us to maintain exclusive and limited distribution of key items and continue to bolster the FaZe brand through select collaborations.
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Esports and Gaming
FaZe has competed professionally in Esports for over nine years, and we continue to develop and recruit premiere talent to drive strong tournament results and our overall engagement. Our elite Esports teams compete at the highest level across ten popular video game titles and have won 32 championships since 2011.
In addition to the revenue it generates, our Esports and Gaming business serves as an important tool to continue to build and reinforce the FaZe brand, particularly in international markets where Esports are widely followed. The success of our ten teams across Call of Duty, CSGO, Valorant, Rocket League, PUBG Mobile, PUBG, Halo, FIFA Online 4, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege draws new fans into the FaZe ecosystem and serves as a means of cost-effective marketing for the FaZe brand. Single events in the space can create broad ripple effects, such as the recent 2021 Call of Duty League Championship, which generated 66 million impressions and 1.4 million engagements for FaZe across all of our social media networks and channels.
Our Esports and Gaming business generates revenue across several verticals including prize money, digital items, league participation and transfers. Due to strong team success, tournament winnings currently makes up the largest portion of Esports/Gaming revenue. Going forward, digital items (including in-game sales of digital skins, wardrobe and other FaZe-branded items) are expected to become an increasingly important revenue stream as more games offer these opportunities to us. League participation revenue is generated as revenue share from closed leagues that FaZe participates in, such as the Call of Duty League. Transfers represent one-off revenue payments when transferring a player to a peer organization and are dependent on player performance and roster construction.
We constantly evaluate opportunities to expand our Esports and Gaming platform through producing content by playing new games and sharing content in new geographies. When selecting new games, we consider game popularity, ability to compete with similar titles of the same genre, league structure, game publisher, profitability and revenue potential, among other things. We prefer mainstream games with global audiences to maximize the exposure our brand gains from fielding a team. Games with strong international audiences provide us with a chance to tap into new markets and expand our global presence. We prioritize winning first and foremost in order to maintain our status as a premiere Esports organization, and we will only enter a league if we believe we are able to put together and maintain a consistently competitive roster. We have generally preferred open leagues instead of closed leagues in order to minimize upfront capital required and risk, but we evaluate closed leagues with particularly attractive characteristics across other aspects, such as competition in extremely popular games. The credibility of game publishers is also important, as we need to trust them to maintain and grow the game and Esports ecosystem. When evaluating the profitability and revenue potential of a game, we focus on the availability of branded digital items, potential for expansion of under-monetized media rights, and competitive prize money opportunity primarily with consideration for additional upsides such as franchise value appreciation.
Growth Verticals
International
We believe international markets present a large and untapped opportunity for us to expand and replicate our current strategy abroad. FaZe has a global audience, with approximately 41.9% of our audience viewing from outside North America as of the six months ended June 30, 2022, but 9% of our revenue was derived from outside North America for the same period. We are working to build the infrastructure necessary to monetize our brand and grow brand awareness outside of North America, and we have begun our international expansion plan in select pilot markets with plans for a significant rollout in 2022. Our pilot markets are Europe, Brazil and Thailand, where we currently have a nascent international talent presence. In Europe, we have professional teams in FIFA, PUBG, CSGO, and Fortnite, in Brazil we have a professional Rainbow Six Siege team and in Thailand we have a professional PUBG Mobile team. Our European presence is largely centered around our professional teams with select hybrid content creators producing more general content, while our presence and content in Brazil and Thailand are exclusively focused on our professional teams.
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We plan to expand global presence of the FaZe brand in specific international markets (physical and virtual), following the same strategy we have successfully executed in North America, which is to develop and sign international and regional talent and expand our content platforms to produce targeted content for each geographic area. We will also seek out top local partners only when we believe we will be able to maintain the authenticity and power of our brand. We are also exploring opportunities across Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and our goal is to have a global presence on par with our global audience by the end of 2022.
Emerging Monetization Areas
Our differentiated platform that is positioned at the forefront of modern content creation, coupled with our direct insight into the trends that matter to our audience and fanbase, allows us to constantly evaluate current and future trends, stay on top of the latest developments in the digital space and position ourselves to capitalize on these trends. Keeping up with digital evolution has brought us to where we are today and has allowed us to expand from a grassroots content producer into a platform with multiple verticals that are able to take advantage of our strong relationship with our audience. We believe we can continue to position the FaZe brand to benefit from the evolving digital and youth trends given our experienced management team and the wealth of information our platform provides us.
FaZes experience growing as a company in a digital world and the trust we have earned from our fans and talent enable us to try new ventures quickly and cost effectively. We benefit from ongoing feedback and engagement from our audience and talent that allows us to iterate and optimize new products and services. We have a track record of being flexible and quickly adapting to capitalize on new monetization opportunities through the expansion of existing businesses or entry into entirely new businesses. For example, we have adapted to changes in content consumption trends by greatly expanding our content monetization strategies to include new mediums such as music, podcasts, documentaries, films and series.
We have identified potential opportunities in subscription offerings, real money gambling, live events, fan clubs, virtual dining concepts, game publisher collaborations and the general growth and adoption of the metaverse, an interconnected digital reality. We believe new monetization of existing intellectual property and audience relationships in areas such as digital goods, live events, fan clubs and virtual dining concepts are accessible in the near term due to the credibility we have built with our fans. In the near and longer term, we expect to take advantage of broader trends such as the growth of the metaverse in the digital economy and the associated increase in importance of technologies such as blockchains, virtual reality and augmented reality. As FaZe expands, opportunities in new verticals such as digital goods, subscription content offerings, real money gambling and game publisher collaborations are natural extensions of our current platform that we may in the future explore. We believe that these emerging opportunities and additional digital trends that have not yet revealed themselves may offer significant growth opportunities for us.
Mergers and Acquisitions
We believe our platform, strong brand, established audience and deep talent roster position us well to pursue growth through acquisitions, by aiding in identifying potential targets and creating value post-acquisition. Our team maintains consistent dialogue with potential targets in order to establish a strong pipeline of future opportunities. Our position in popular youth culture and our ongoing engagement with our audience provides us with unique insights and capabilities to identify emerging trends and market opportunities that we intend to leverage when identifying potential targets. We are open to pursuing a variety of different transaction structures including control acquisitions, joint ventures and minority investments. Our management team and board members have significant experience in mergers and acquisitions which we believe will allow us to execute transactions in an efficient and value accreting manner.
Our mergers and acquisitions strategy will focus on targets that can benefit from exposure to our audience and association with the strength of the FaZe brand and talent roster. We believe that once we acquire a target, we
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can utilize our talent, platform and brand to pursue effective cross-promotion and monetization opportunities that drive growth and create value. As our revenues are growing through adding new monetization opportunities, we believe we are well-positioned to integrate potential targets into our platform.
Areas we currently view as priorities for our M&A strategy include consumer products, international, and content. In consumer products, we are interested in up and coming brands and companies that we are able to identify through our talent network or brands and companies in product categories that we do not currently participate in, that we believe would expand our addressable market and benefit from an affiliation with us. In International we are interested in Esports and content targets that will accelerate our entry into and growth in new markets. In Content we are interested in intellectual property, new talent and production capabilities that are aligned with our strategy of growing the depth and breadth of content we produce and increasing our portfolio of owned intellectual property.
Industry
Content
Content and intellectual property has continued to become more important across the media landscape. Growth in the number of distribution platforms with the advent of streaming has increased demand for, and spend on, video content. Aggregate content spend for top 10 media/streaming platforms is expected to grow from $46 billion in 2010 per company public filings to $129 billion in 2024 per a Wells Fargo report. Meanwhile, content consumption is expected to shift away from traditional medium to digital verticals such as streaming, social media and games, with the proportion of viewership on digital media platforms growing from 49% of total to 64% from 2017 to 2023 per eMarketer. Viewership on traditional distribution channels such as television is becoming increasingly concentrated in older viewers with Nielsen reporting only 40% of televisions viewers under age 35, as compared to 80% for FaZe. We believe FaZe is well-positioned to take advantage of these trends as a digitally native content creator with a diverse array of productions that are targeted towards a young audience.
Esports and Gaming
Gaming represents a dominant form of entertainment globally and in particular for younger generations. According to Deloitte, for Gen Z, video games are the preferred source of entertainment, with 26% selecting video games as their favorite activity 12% more than the second favorite source, music, at 14%. Games have also become a focal point of the new digital lifestyle with events in games and content based on games drawing strong engagement. According to Reuters, Travis Scotts Fortnite concert drew 28 million live in-game participants and had 167 million YouTube views as of October 2021, and virtual K-pop Girl Group K/DA had over 450 million views on their most popular YouTube video as of October, 2021. FaZe is well-positioned as the video games space continues to draw the interest of the world and content rooted in it supports events with mass appeal.
The global video game market is massive and growing rapidly, and IDC data size it at $291 billion in 2020 with expected growth to $421 billion in 2024, representing a CAGR of 10%. According to IDC data, 82% of the video game market is outside of the United States.
The Esports market is less mature than the video game market as a whole, but draws significant engagement and is poised for growth. According to Newzoo, the Esports audience reached 532 million viewers year to date in 2022, a 10% increase over 2019 figures. According to Newzoo, by 2025, the industry is expected to reach 641 million audience, representing an 8% CAGR since 2020. FaZe is prepared to grow with the video games and Esports markets both domestically and abroad.
Intellectual Property
The recognition of the FaZe brand is an important component to our success. We have obtained a set of intellectual property registrations and applications, including for the FaZe brand, throughout the world.
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We police our trademark portfolio globally, including by monitoring trademark registries around the world and investigating digital, online and common law uses in order to learn as soon as possible whether the relevant parties engage in or plan to engage in conduct that would violate our valuable trademark rights. We monitor registries through the use of robust international subscription watch services, supplemented by periodic manual review. We typically discover or are informed of infringing uses of our trademarks through our internal policing system or by our employees.
We investigate and evaluate each instance of infringement to determine the appropriate course of action, including cease and desist letters, administrative proceedings, cybersquatting actions or infringement actions, if any. Wherever possible, we seek to resolve these matters amicably and without litigation.
In an effort to ensure that registries in countries where we operate or intend to operate remain clear of infringing trademark registrations, we frequently file opposition actions, cancellation actions and other administrative proceedings around the world.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
As of June 30, 2022, we had 115 total employees, of which 110 were employed by us on a full-time basis, as well as 179 independent contractors. As of the year ended December 31, 2021, we had 105 total employees, of which 100 were employed by us on a full-time basis, as well as 172 independent contractors.
Our employees are not represented by any labor organization and are not party to any collective bargaining arrangement. We have not experienced any work stoppages, and we consider our relationship with our employees to be mutually respectful.
We are committed to rewarding and supporting our employees to enable us to attract and retain top talent globally. Our total compensation package includes competitive base pay, bonus programs, long term incentive programs, benefits programs, retirement savings options and matching contributions, paid time off and parental and medical leave.
Property
Our principal business operations are located in Los Angeles, California. We lease space in Los Angeles and we intend to acquire additional space as we add employees and expand geographically.
Legal Proceedings
We are engaged in the defense of certain claims and lawsuits arising out of the ordinary course and conduct of our business and have certain unresolved claims pending, the outcomes of which are not determinable at this time. We have insurance policies covering certain potential losses where such coverage is available and cost effective. In our opinion, any liability that might be incurred by us upon the resolution of any claims or lawsuits will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Security, Privacy, Data Protection and Regulatory Matters
The digital content and entertainment industry and the markets in which we operate are new and developing and, as such, are not heavily regulated at this time. There are inherent risks and uncertainties associated with operating in new and developing industries and markets, especially as the laws and regulations regarding these industries and markets are also developing and changing. Although we are not currently subject to significant government regulation, the scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us in the future are uncertain
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and may be conflicting in different jurisdictions in which we operate; as a result, we may come under increased regulatory scrutiny which may restrict the digital content and entertainment industry and associated markets, including with respect to talent management, rights of publicity, intellectual property, consumer protection electronic commerce, advertising, targeted, electronic or telephonic marketing, competition, data protection and privacy, data localization, anti-corruption and bribery, content regulation, taxation, labor and employment, securities regulation, financial reporting and accounting and economic or other trade prohibitions or sanctions or other subjects. Many of these laws and regulations are still evolving and being tested in courts and could be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and inconsistent with our current policies and practices and in ways that could harm our business. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations may be uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving industries in which we operate, and new laws or adverse findings of law regarding the characterization of the type of business FaZe operates could alter our legal and regulatory burden.
Furthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on companies such as ours that conduct business through the internet and mobile devices. The costs of complying with such laws and regulations may be high and are likely to increase in the future, particularly as the degree of regulation increases, our business grows and our geographic scope expands. Further, the impact of these laws and regulations may disproportionately affect our business in comparison to our peers in the technology sector that have greater resources. Any failure on our part to comply with these laws and regulations may subject us to significant liabilities or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results.
Although we are not heavily regulated at this time, we rely on a variety of statutory and common-law frameworks and defenses relevant to the content we produce and make available on various third-party platforms, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, the Communications Decency Act, or CDA, and the fair-use doctrine in the U.S., and the Electronic Commerce Directive in the E.U. However, each of these laws is subject to uncertain or evolving judicial interpretation and regulatory and legislative amendments. If the rules, doctrines or currently available defenses change, if international jurisdictions refuse to apply protections similar to those that are currently available in the U.S. or the E.U., or if a court were to change the application of those rules to us and the third party services upon which we rely, we and such third parties could be required to expend significant resources to try to comply with the new rules or incur liability, and our business, revenue and financial results could be harmed.
Non-compliance with any applicable laws and regulations could result in penalties or significant legal liability. We take reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and will continue to do so as our regulatory burden changes, but there can be no assurance that we will not be subject to regulatory action, including fines, in the event of an incident. We or our third-party service providers could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations are expanded to require changes in our or our third-party service providers business practices or if governing jurisdictions interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively affect our or our third-party service providers business, results of operations, or financial condition. In addition, government authorities outside the U.S. may also seek to restrict or block access to our content, platform or website, or to application stores or the internet generally, or require a license therefor, and to the hosting, production or streaming of certain content or impose other restrictions that may affect the accessibility or usability of our content in that jurisdiction for a period of time or indefinitely. For additional information, see the section titled Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Matters.
Our privacy policy describes our practices concerning the use, transmission and disclosure of consumer information and is posted on our website. For additional information, please see the section titled Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Matters.
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Competition
Our business is rapidly evolving and we compete against a vast variety of fragmented firms across multiple industries, including well-established lifestyle brands, long-standing players in the media industry, traditional sports leagues, and new entrants challenging our position in the Esports and gaming industry. We face significant competition from both online and offline competitors primarily on brand awareness, content quality and breadth, and the speed at which we can continue to keep pace with the evolving preferences of our target consumers. While we believe that we compete favorably across these factors taken as a whole, new competitors will likely continue to emerge, and these competitors may have greater financial resources or brand awareness than we do.
COVID Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic stopped live events and provided headwinds in many industries; however, some businesses, such as Esports and digital content, benefitted from stay-at-home orders. Prior to the pandemic, online culture had been steadily gaining popularity as Gen Z and Millennial audiences continued to grow. At the start of the pandemic, with people around the world being ordered to remain in their homes in most places, many turned to playing video games and watching YouTube and Twitch streamers. As a result, the already-growing online gaming and digital content industries saw a major uptick in video game usage, streaming viewership, content viewership, console sales, and more users on many gaming platforms. This helped further accelerate the pre-pandemic growth in popularity of our content creators and the FaZe content channels, and made the content we offer a bigger part of mainstream digital entertainment. On average, our content creators have seen an increase in viewership since the start of the pandemic and while still strong, viewership on FaZes YouTube channel and certain of FaZes talent YouTube channels is down from the highest levels experienced during pandemic stay-at-home measures. In addition to the boost we saw from changed consumer behavior under stay-at-home orders, being digitally-native allowed us to continue producing new content, interacting with our fans, and building our audience, as well as continuing to expand our brand relationships, despite the pandemic. For example, we secured important sponsorship deals at our brand level with DraftKings, McDonalds, and General Mills during the pandemic. The pandemic has presented, and continues to present, a period of accelerated interest in and growth of FaZe, and we expect that this interest and growth will continue as interest in Esports and digital content grows and more people learn about FaZe and become fans. Additionally, we expect that as the popularity of the FaZe brand continues to grow, we will continue to attract additional sponsorship deals at our brand level and further expand our fanbase.
On the other hand, Esports as a whole was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, stemming mainly from a lack of in-person competitions. With fewer in-person competitions, there was less draw from audiences and reduced exposure for brands. With limited traditional sporting events allowed to be held during the spring and summer of 2020, consumers were still able to watch Esports events virtually. These events were largely still held, sometimes with adjustments such as professionals playing from their own houses or playing without fans present. Overall, according to NewZoo Esports viewers grew 10% in 2020 despite the pandemic and key events such as FaZes 30th championship at the Call of Duty League Finals were still able to draw large scale engagement. Certain of our live events and other events in which we participate have begun to resume at limited capacity, and we anticipate holding and participating in more live events in 2022. As live events continue to resume, we expect to see growth in viewership and attendance as compared to before the pandemic. However, on May 11, 2022, we paused production on our newest competition series, FaZe 1, in accordance with FaZes and the CDCs health and safety guidelines due to an outbreak of COVID-19. Production resumed on May 22, 2022 and the winner was announced on May 26, 2022.
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Unless the context requires otherwise, references to FaZe, we, us, our and the Company in this section are to the business and operations of FaZe Holdings Inc. and our consolidated subsidiaries following the Business Combination. In connection with the Business Combination, FaZe was determined to be the accounting acquirer. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our audited annual and unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical information, this discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from managements expectations. You should read the Risk Factors section of this prospectus for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Our Business
We are a digitally native lifestyle and media brand founded and rooted in gaming and youth culture.
We are at the forefront of the global creator economy, which is an industry centered around innovative digital content development fueled by social media influencers, creators and businesses who monetize their content online. With a leading digital content platform created for and by Gen Z and Millennials, we have established a highly engaged and growing global fanbase, with social media reach (see our key performance indicator, Total Reach) of approximately 500 million as of June 30, 2022, including those of individual members of FaZe.
We reimagine traditional entertainment for the next generation, leading youth culture with transformative content, tier-one brand partnerships, a collective of notable talent, and fashion and consumer products.
We produce premium content, merchandise, and consumer products and create advertising and sponsorship programs for leading national brands. With approximately 80% of our audience between the ages of 13-34 as of June 30, 2022, we have unlocked key relationships with a coveted demographic that has long proven difficult to reach for traditional media companies and advertisers. We have multiple revenue streams including brand sponsorships, content, consumer products, and Esports, each of which are explained further in the section titled Business.
As the recognition of our brand is an important component to our success, we have obtained and protected a strategic set of intellectual property registrations and applications, including for our brand, throughout the world.
Our principal business operations are located in the United States, and we also have a location in Canada. We intend to acquire additional space as we add employees and expand geographically, including globally, by organic growth as well as acquisitive growth.
On July 19, 2022, we completed the Business Combination. Following redemptions and the payment of transaction expenses, and together with the proceeds of the PIPE Investment, BRPM delivered an aggregate of approximately $57.7 million to FaZe on the Closing Date.
The following table summarizes our financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. Period over period revenues and gross profit increased due to the growth of our business across our various revenue streams, in particular brand sponsorships, content and Esports fueled by the increasing prominence of our brand. At the same time, total expenses increased by a greater magnitude than revenues the first half of 2022, and therefore net loss increased. See the -Results of Operations subsection for further details.
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Six months ended June 30, |
||||||||
(in thousands) |
2022 | 2021 | ||||||
Total Revenues |
$ | 34,609 | $ | 25,263 | ||||
Gross Profit |
10,432 | 4,388 | ||||||
Net Loss |
(18,864 | ) | (13,336 | ) | ||||
Adjusted EBITDA(1) |
(10,437 | ) | (10,783 | ) |
(1) | Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See Non-GAAP Information below for our definition of, and additional information about, adjusted EBITDA and for a reconciliation to net loss, the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure. |
The following table summarizes our financial results for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Year over year revenues and gross profit increased due to the growth of our business across our various revenue streams, fueled by the increasing prominence of our brand. At the same time, total expenses increased by a greater magnitude than revenues in 2021, and therefore net loss increased. See the Results of Operations subsection for further details. We expect the trend of increased expenses to continue in 2022, as described above.
Years ended December 31, |
||||||||
(in thousands) |
2021 | 2020 (As Revised)(2) |
||||||
Total Revenues |
$ | 52,852 | $ | 37,166 | ||||
Gross Profit |
11,299 | 9,094 | ||||||
Net Loss |
(36,866 | ) | (28,777 | ) | ||||
Adjusted EBITDA(1) |
(28,741 | ) | (23,412 | ) |
(1) | Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See Non-GAAP Information below for our definition of, and additional information about, adjusted EBITDA and for a reconciliation to net loss, the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure. |
(2) | During the preparation of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, we identified a misapplication of the accounting guidance related to accounting for customer returns and discounts. See Significant Events and Transactions Revision to Previously Issued Financial Statements. |
Key Performance Indicators
In addition to GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures, we regularly review several metrics, including the following key metrics, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. The numbers for our key metrics are calculated using internal company data based on the activity of fan accounts and the metrics described below. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates of our fanbase for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring usage of our platform across large online and mobile populations around the world. The methodologies used to measure these metrics require significant judgment. Increases or decreases in our key performance indicators may not correspond with increases or decreases in our revenue. Additionally, refer to the section entitled Risk Factors for general notes regarding risks associated with assumptions and estimates used in calculating our key metrics.
Total Reach
Our Total Reach represents the aggregate number of user accounts, or fans, that subscribe to or follow FaZe content across YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, measured at the end of the reporting period and based on publicly available data. Our calculation of Total Reach may count the same individual multiple times if an individual follows or subscribes to FaZe content on multiple platforms; therefore, our Total Reach metric may
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inflate the number of individuals, as opposed to user accounts, reached by our content. Therefore, we supplement our understanding of the reach of our content, as well as our monetization opportunities, with the Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric, which only includes subscribers on our primary platform and is explained further in the following section. Nonetheless, we believe that Total Reach is a useful metric because, regardless of whether our content reaches an individual through one or multiple platforms or channels, we view each such instance as a unique opportunity to strengthen and, ultimately, to monetize our relationship with the individual accountholder, whether by selling them consumer products online, by incrementally increasing our advertising revenue due to their viewership or by inspiring attendance at our live events, among other opportunities. Further, one individual following us across multiple platforms could generally signal higher audience engagement, and as such may lead to higher monetization potential, than one individual following us on only one platform.
We find Total Reach to be a useful metric for predicting future revenues because, as an audience-driven company, we generally interpret an increase in our Total Reach to signal an overall increase in the strength of our brand and to represent a corresponding increase in the number of opportunities for our content to reach our audience and expose them to our brand, content and products, which may drive additional monetization opportunities through increased engagement with FaZe. Further, we believe the fact that an individual follows FaZe across multiple platforms or follows several FaZe content creators may signal their amenability to purchase our products, grow the FaZe community by engaging with other fans and continue consuming our content in the future. In addition, we believe each fan added to our Total Reach represents a new avenue through which we can reach additional fans as they spread awareness of our brand by sharing and posting about FaZe content to their own followers. An individual who follows or subscribes to FaZe content on multiple platforms represents multiple such avenues, and the more their followers differ between platforms, the more avenues are opened to FaZe content by adding that fan. We believe an increase in Total Reach also signals our ability to attract additional sponsorships and sponsorship deals or sell consumer products. However, an increase in Total Reach may not directly result in an increase in content revenues. Our Total Reach includes fans of the channels of certain popular celebrity members of FaZe that we have contractually agreed not to directly monetize, including Calvin Snoop Dogg Cordozar Broadus Jr. An increase in Total Reach from fans on such channels will not directly result in an increase in content revenue. Nonetheless, we expect our partnerships with these celebrity members of FaZe to result in increased engagement as a result of cross-exposure to our brand through their channels, which strengthens the FaZe brand and which we believe will further increase our Total Reach and can indirectly increase our revenue over time. Additionally, when our Total Reach increases, our content and other revenues may not increase immediately given the lag time between when subscriptions are recorded and when we are able to monetize subscriptions, including generating Google AdSense revenues, selling consumer products and leveraging our Total Reach metric to attract additional sponsors and sponsorship deals. Conversely, a decrease in our Total Reach may be an indicator of an unfavorable trend in future revenues. Therefore, we use the Total Reach metric for revenue planning, although the numerical correlation between Total Reach and future revenues varies and cannot be precisely predicted in either the short-term or long term.
The timing difference between a change in Total Reach and change in revenues may be particularly pronounced if the change in Total Reach metric reflects a large spike or large drop as the result of adding a channel to our network or removing a channel from our network. That is, if we sign a contract with a new talent member who has a large pre-existing pool of social media subscribers, our Total Reach will also increase as these pre-existing subscribers are added to our Total Reach metric. For example, our Total Reach increased significantly between December 31, 2021, and June 30, 2022, primarily due to Calvin Snoop Dogg Cordozar Broadus Jr. joining as a member of FaZes talent network. Conversely, if talent members leave the FaZe network due to contract expiration or termination, we record an immediate decrease in our Total Reach in an amount equal to the Total Reach of the talent that left the FaZe network. When we have a spike or drop in Total Reach due to the various circumstances described above, we do not expect to necessarily see immediate spikes or drops in content and other revenues but may see future changes in revenues given the lag time described in the preceding paragraph.
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As of June 30, | ||||||||
(in thousands) |
2022 | 2021 | ||||||
Total Reach(1) |
516,170 | 372,629 | ||||||
YouTube |
134,207 | 131,354 | ||||||
|
82,948 | 60,681 | ||||||
|
178,030 | 106,361 | ||||||
TikTok |
79,616 | 40,825 | ||||||
Twitch |
41,369 | 33,408 |
(1) | The Total Reach amount includes subscribers of channels for Calvin Snoop Dogg Cordozar Broadus Jr. and certain other celebrity talent that FaZe is not contractually allowed to directly monetize. Such channels contributed to a Total Reach of 193.45 million and 79.70 million as of June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2021, respectively. Therefore, channels that FaZe is contractually allowed to directly monetize contributed to a Total Reach of 322.72 and 292.93 million as of June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2021, respectively. |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
(in thousands) |
2021 | 2020 | ||||||
Total Reach(1) |
360,762 | 324,155 | ||||||
YouTube |
116,470 | 115,325 | ||||||
|
58,767 | 54,705 | ||||||
|
105,027 | 99,944 | ||||||
TikTok |
45,613 | 30,721 | ||||||
Twitch |
34,885 | 23,460 |
(1) | The Total Reach amount includes subscribers of channels for celebrity talent that FaZe is not contractually allowed to directly monetize. Such channels contributed to a Total Reach of 71.46 million and 69.37 million as of December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020, respectively. Therefore, channels that FaZe is contractually allowed to directly monetize contributed to a Total Reach of 289.30 million and 254.79 million as of December 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020, respectively. |
Aggregate YouTube Subscribers
Our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric is the number of subscribers our total talent pool has on their FaZe co-branded YouTube channels, the company programmed FaZe Clan YouTube channel, as well as the FaZe Affiliated channels measured at the end of the reporting period and based on publicly available data. Aggregate YouTube Subscribers includes subscribers for each YouTube channel programmed by talent members as well as company programmed YouTube channels. We consider each YouTube Subscriber to be a subscriber on YouTube, measured separately for each individual talent member. As such, one hypothetical subscriber may be included in several instances within the Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric if that individual were to subscribe to the channels of multiple members of our talent pool.
We believe Aggregate YouTube Subscribers is a better approximation of our unique audience than other measures of reach available to us. That is, although Aggregate YouTube Subscribers may count the same individual subscriber multiple times if that individual subscribes to multiple FaZe talent members on YouTube, this metric does not include individuals who subscribe to FaZe across multiple platforms in the calculation. Also, the potential for inflation of Aggregate YouTube Subscribers due to the same individual subscribing to multiple FaZe talent members is to some degree offset by the omission of individuals who subscribe to FaZe only on platforms other than YouTube.
We believe an increase in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers signals an overall increase in the strength of our brand, which in turn signals our ability to attract additional sponsorships and sponsorship deals or sell consumer products. An increase in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers may not directly result in an increase in content revenues because our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers includes subscribers on channels that we are not
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contractually allowed to monetize. If the channels contributing to the increase in our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers are channels that FaZe is contractually allowed to monetize, then an increase in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers may directly result in an increase in content revenues, but if the channels contributing to the increase in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers are not channels that FaZe is contractually allowed to monetize, then an increase in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers would not directly result in an increase in content revenues but can indirectly result in an increase in overall revenue over time because we believe the increase in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers strengthens the FaZe brand. Additionally, an increase in our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers may not correlate with current or historic revenues but may represent additional monetization opportunities across our various revenue streams. When our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers increase, our content and other revenues may not increase immediately, given the additional lag time before we are able to monetize the subscriptions, including generating Google AdSense revenues, selling consumer products, and leveraging our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric to attract additional sponsors and sponsorship deals. Conversely, a decrease in our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers may be an indicator of an unfavorable trend in future revenues. Therefore, we find the use of the Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric useful for our revenue planning, although the numerical correlation between Aggregate YouTube Subscribers and future revenues varies and cannot be precisely predicted in either the short-term or long term.
The timing difference between a change in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers and a change in revenues may be particularly pronounced if the change in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric reflects a large spike or large drop as the result of adding a channel to our network or removing a channel from our network. That is, if we sign a contract with a new talent member who has a large pre-existing pool of YouTube subscribers, our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers will also increase as these pre-existing subscribers are added to our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers metric. Conversely, if talent members leave the FaZe network due to contract expiration or termination, we record an immediate decrease in our Aggregate YouTube subscribers metric in an amount equal to the YouTube subscribers of the talent that left the FaZe network. For example, three individuals left our talent pool in the third quarter of 2021; therefore, while we would have otherwise expected to see an increase in Aggregate YouTube subscribers at December 31, 2021, compared with December 31, 2020, the effect of talent members leaving the FaZe network caused the figures to be relatively consistent from December 31, 2020, to December 31, 2021. When we have a spike or drop in Aggregate YouTube Subscribers due to the various circumstances described aboveincluding, for instance, the addition of Calvin Snoop Dogg Cordozar Broadus, Jr. to FaZes talent network in the first quarter of 2022we do not expect to necessarily see immediate spikes or drops in content and other revenues but may see future changes in revenues given the lag time described in the preceding paragraph.
As of June 30, | ||||||||
(in thousands) |
2022 | 2021 | ||||||
Aggregate YouTube Subscribers |
134,207 | 131,354 | ||||||
Company Programmed FaZe Clan YouTube Channel Subscribers |
8,850 | 8,700 | ||||||
FaZe Co-branded Channel Subscribers |
116,040 | 122,511 | ||||||
FaZe Affiliated Channels(1) |
9,317 | 143 |
(1) | FaZe Affiliated Channels are channels that are not co-branded but are closely affiliated with our talent. This includes Calvin Snoop Dogg Cordozar Broadus Jr., All Grown Up, and Nuke Squad. |
As of December 31, | ||||||||
(in thousands) |
2021 | 2020 | ||||||
Aggregate YouTube Subscribers |
116,470 | 115,325 | ||||||
Company Programmed FaZe Clan YouTube Channel Subscribers |
8,789 | 8,530 | ||||||
FaZe Co-branded Channel Subscribers |
106,999 | 106,795 | ||||||
FaZe Affiliated Channels(1) |
682 | N/A | (2) |
(1) | FaZe Affiliated Channels are channels that are not co-branded but are closely affiliated with our talent. This includes All Grown Up and Nuke Squad. |
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(2) | The FaZe Affiliated Channels were not created as of December 31, 2020. |
Average Revenue per YouTube Subscriber (ARPU)
ARPU is defined as our total consolidated GAAP revenues for the selected period divided by our total Aggregate YouTube Subscribers as of period end. We believe ARPU is an indicator of how effective we are at monetizing our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers. A high ARPU may reflect that we are monetizing our audience effectively and, conversely, a low ARPU may reflect the opportunity for additional monetization with respect to our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers. Please see above for the assumptions underlying the calculation of our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers.
While we believe changes in our total consolidated GAAP revenues are correlated with our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers over the long term, there may be short-term dislocations in the metric due to timing difference in audience growth and monetization. For example, our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers may grow more quickly when compared to our revenues due to the lag time related to the monetization of our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers, as described in the Aggregate YouTube Subscribers subsection above, resulting in lower or unchanged period over period ARPU, especially if we gain additional Aggregate YouTube Subscribers toward the end of a reporting period. Conversely, if we lose Aggregate YouTube Subscribers toward the end of a reporting periodsuch as we did when three individuals left our talent pool in the third quarter of 2021we may see decreased or relatively flat Aggregate YouTube Subscribers, whereas the full period will not reflect the revenue impact of the decreased monetization potential.
Additionally, because ARPU is measured as revenue for a particular period over a point-in-time metric, Aggregate YouTube Subscribers, ARPU will generally be smaller for interim time periods than annual periods. Therefore, ARPU for interim periods should only be compared to interim periods of the same length, and annual periods should only be compared to other annual periods.
In future periods, we expect to increase the monetization of our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers through growth in our existing monetization channels and expansion into new ways of monetizing our audience, all of which we believe will be aided by additional access to capital and a more established brand and, therefore, we expect our ARPU to increase over time.
Six months ended June 30, |
||||||||
(in thousands) |
2022 | 2021 | ||||||
ARPU |
$ | 0.26 | $ | 0.19 |
Years ended December 31, |
||||||||
(in thousands) |
2021 | 2020 (As Revised)(1) |
||||||
ARPU |
$ | 0.45 | $ | 0.32 |
(1) | During the preparation of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, we identified a misapplication of the accounting guidance related to accounting for customer returns and discounts. See Significant Events and TransactionsRevision to Previously Issued Financial Statements. |
Total Number of Significant Sponsors
Total number of significant sponsors is defined as the number of sponsorship deals directly contracted with FaZe that have a contractual value of over $0.5 million and are active during the reported period. This metric helps us forecast future revenue, since we know the contract value of a sponsorship when the contract is signed but recognize the revenue ratably over the sponsorship term. At the same time, if we sign a significant sponsorship deal towards the end of a reportable period, we may not recognize a significant portion of the revenue until the following period.
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This metric provides insight into the drivers of changes in our brand sponsorships revenue. Our brand sponsorships revenue is most closely aligned with this metric, as our brand sponsorships revenue is correlated with increases in our total number of significant sponsors.
Six months ended June 30, |
||||||||
2022 | 2021 | |||||||
Total Significant Sponsors |
10 | 8 |
Years ended December 31, |
||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Total Significant Sponsors |
12 | 6 |
Significant Events and Transactions
Business Combination
On July 19, 2022, we completed the Business Combination. Following redemptions and the payment of transaction expenses, and together with the proceeds of the PIPE Investment, BRPM delivered an aggregate of approximately $57.7 million to FaZe on the Closing Date.
Revision to Previously Issued Financial Statements
As explained further in the notes to our consolidated financial statements, during the preparation of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, we identified a misapplication of the accounting guidance related to accounting for customer returns and discounts. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded $0.8 million in customer discounts, and $0.2 million in customer returns. We had accounted for these as cost of revenues, as opposed to as a reduction to revenue.
We assessed the materiality of this error on prior period financial statements in accordance with the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Number 99, Materiality, and ASC 250-10, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections. As this is a reclassification between revenue and cost of revenues, gross margin and net income are not impacted. The error did not have any effect on our previously reported consolidated balance sheets, statements of cash flows, and statements of shareholders deficit. We determined that this error was not material to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. We corrected this immaterial error as a revision to previously issued financial statements.
As it relates to this Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of FaZe, the revision impacts only the revenue and cost of revenue figures within the Results of Operations subsection, as well as the ARPU metric within the Key Performance Indicators section.
This Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations presents the revised figures for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Key Factors Affecting Our Current and Future Results
Our financial position and results of operations depend to a significant extent on the following factors:
Evolving Digital Economy
Our success has depended and will continue to depend on our ability to remain at the forefront in digital-entertainment trends, including social media.
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We believe we are well-positioned as a digitally native lifestyle and media platform in the global content industry, which continues to evolve towards digital and social platforms each of which are poised for further growth. According to comScore, in 2021 the FaZe brand had the most social media cross-platform actions of any Esports team. Additionally, a November 2021 survey-data report from international research data and analytics group YouGovAmerica indicated that over one in five American males between the ages of 13 and 17 support FaZe Clan, and that no traditional sports team or other Esports team has the same support in this demographic.
We attribute our success in part to the diverse content we have developed and produced in the form of digital media, social media, consumer products sales, and livestreaming events distributed across several platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Further, our brand, which is a digital native lifestyle brand rooted in gaming and youth culture, is well-positioned for future opportunities in areas such as subscription offerings, real money gambling, live events, fan clubs, virtual dining concepts, game publisher collaborations and the general growth and adoption of the metaverse, and interconnected digital reality.
As a leading digital content platform created for and by Gen Z and millennials, we have established a highly engaged growing global fanbase, with a Total Reach of approximately 500 million as of June 30, 2022, including those of individual members of FaZe (see Key Performance IndicatorsTotal Reach). We are positioned to address our audience through new media formats, as digital and social media platforms are rapidly changing and evolving. In 2021, we expanded our content capabilities to include music and podcasts and plan to continue expanding across formats and genres. Our future success will continue to be dependent on our ability to adapt our reach in an evolving digital economy.
Ability to Recruit and Retain Talent
Our talent pool creates content for, and forms other partnerships with, our brand. Our diverse talent pool of creators and players are the face of our brand. Therefore, our current and future success may depend on our ability to retain our current talent and attract new talent. However, as we have grown our talent roster, we have made sure to not rely on any single individual to carry the brand, but rather have worked to develop a broad talent base, where each person is able to grow their own brand within the overall FaZe platform.
Competitive Landscape
Due to our digitally native lifestyle and media platform and diverse sources of monetization, our business may face competition from online content creators, lifestyle brands, traditional sports teams, or other Esports companies. If more direct competitors emerge in the marketplace, our success will depend on our ability to retain market share through activities including generating innovative content and forming and retaining strategic partnerships.
Regulatory Challenges
It is possible that a number of laws and regulations may be adopted or construed to apply to us that could restrict the online and digital industries. Furthermore, the growth and development of electronic commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws that may impose additional burdens on our business. Additional scrutiny and regulation of our industry would require us to increase spending on legal and other resources. We may also be required to seek licenses, authorizations or approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may require us to meet certain capital and other requirements or reduce its current operations, and we may be subject to additional regulation and oversight, all of which could significantly increase our operating costs. Changes in current laws or regulations or the imposition of new laws and regulations in the U.S. or elsewhere regarding these activities may impede the growth of social game services and impair our business, financial condition or results of operations. See Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Business and Business Regulation for further discussion of these regulatory challenges.
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COVID-19
We have continued to operate our business effectively throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary focus has been the safety and well-being of our employees and their families, as well as the continuation of our operations. Our technology infrastructure has proven to be robust and capable of supporting our business as our business functions have been conducted primarily on a remote basis. We have leveraged technology to help ensure that our teams stay connected and productive and there continues to be frequent communication across all levels of our business. When not in person, we have continued to actively communicate with our workforce and business associates through videoconference, teleconference and email. Our board has continued to convene as needed. The COVID-19 pandemic caused us to modify our business practices by reducing costs related to employee travel and physical participation in activities, meetings, events, and conferences; however, these costs may increase in the future as pandemic restrictions are lifted. Specifically, we ordered all employees to work from home in March 2020. Since the beginning of July 2021, we have allowed employees to come back to the office if they test negative for COVID-19, and we have commenced limited travel.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our operating results for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 as well as the year-ended December 31, 2020, and the year-ended December 31, 2021, may not be comparable to past and future periods. As a result of changed consumer behavior under COVID-19 lock-down orders, the already-growing online gaming and digital content industries saw a major uptick in video game usage, streaming viewership, content viewership, console sales, and more users on many gaming platforms. This helped further accelerate the pre-pandemic growth in popularity of our content creators and the FaZe content channels, and made the content we offer a bigger part of mainstream digital entertainment. On average, our content creators have seen an increase in viewership since the start of the pandemic and while still strong, viewership on FaZes YouTube channel and certain of FaZes talent YouTube channels is down from the highest levels experienced during pandemic stay-at-home measures. In addition to the boost we saw from changed consumer behavior under stay-at-home orders, being digitally native allowed us to continue producing new content, interacting with our fans, and building our audience, as well as continuing to expand our brand relationships, despite the pandemic. For example, we secured important sponsorship deals at our brand level with DraftKings, McDonalds, and General Mills, among others, during the pandemic. The pandemic has presented, and continues to present, a period of accelerated interest in and growth of FaZe, and we expect that this interest and growth will continue as interest in Esports and digital content grows and more people learn about FaZe and become fans. Additionally, we expect that as the popularity of the FaZe brand continues to grow, we will continue to attract additional sponsorship deals at our brand level and further expand our fanbase.
Moreover, the fact that most of our products and services do not involve physical customer interaction may have provided us a competitive advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic, as customers can access most of our services and product offerings while social distancing or without any physical presence. If and when forms of in-person entertainment re-gain popularity, we may face increased competition and see drops in engagement as it relates to our content and brand sponsorship revenue streams. We also expect our Esports revenues to increase as government restrictions surrounding in-person events decrease.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our supply chain operations and continues to do so to a limited extent, causing some delays in the production and transportation of our product and increased inbound transportation and inbound freight costs for our consumer products business. However, we have begun to see reduced delays and expect supply chain costs and delivery times to return at or near pre-pandemic levels in the near-term. Such COVID-19 related supply chain issues have not materially affected our results of operations, capital resources, outlook or business goals and have had marginal and immaterial impact on our sales, profits and liquidity.
Additionally, on May 11, 2022, FaZe paused production on FaZe 1 due to an outbreak of COVID-19, in accordance with FaZes and the CDCs health and safety guidelines. Although production resumed on May 22, 2022, and the winner was announced on May 26, 2022, there may be similar impacts on our business in the future.
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We will continue to actively monitor the impact of the pandemic on our business and may take further actions to modify our practices accordingly.
Overall Market and Economic Conditions
Changing market and economic conditions, including as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, may positively or negatively impact our revenues, which depend on discretionary spending from consumers and corporate sponsors. Much of our business is resistant to changes in disposable consumer income, as consumers do not currently need to pay to access most of our content. However, in periods of slowing economic recovery or recession, decreases in disposable corporate income could negatively impact our revenues if companies decrease sponsorship and advertising spend. Our consumer products business is dependent on consumer discretionary spending, which is highly sensitive to changing market conditions, and a decline in discretionary spending could have an adverse impact on our results.
Mergers and Acquisitions
We will invest in mergers and acquisitions through a targeted strategy that focuses on targets that fit well with our target audience and support the strength of our brand while also being value enhancing. Our team maintains consistent dialogue with potential targets in order to establish a strong pipeline of future opportunities. We anticipate future growth in our business related to the acquisition of new companies. If our acquisitions do not meet our performance expectations, our operating results may be adversely impacted. We currently have not identified a potential target or negotiated any definitive agreements related to a potential acquisition. However, because we experienced high redemptions in connection with the Business Combination, we received less proceeds from the Business Combination to pursue our anticipated growth strategies and new initiatives, including our acquisition strategy. This may cause significant delays in, or limit the scope of, our planned acquisition strategy.
International Expansion
We have expanded into international markets and intend to continue to do so.
We believe the international market represents a large, untapped growth opportunity for our business. Although we currently have a large international audience, we have not yet fully monetized this audience because, given the early stage of our development and limitations on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our historical sponsorship and talent deals have been largely with US-domestic partners.
We intend to establish talent networks abroad to monetize our brand awareness outside of the U.S. and have begun our international expansion plan in select pilot markets. We plan on expanding our global brand presence in international markets by following the same strategy we have successfully executed in the U.S.: developing and signing talent, expanding our content platforms to produce targeted content internationally, and leveraging the growth of digital and social platforms. However, because we experienced high redemptions in connection with the Business Combination, we received less proceeds from the Business Combination to pursue our anticipated growth strategies and new initiatives. This may cause significant delays in, or limit the scope of, our planned international expansion.
Potential competition may exist as we attempt to enter international markets. Our successful expansion into international markets will depend on our ability to effectively leverage relationships with our existing partners, build new partnerships, and tailor our content and branding to new markets. Should our assumptions prove overly optimistic, we may incur delays in our ability to expand our business to new markets. Such delays may also lead us to make changes in our go-to-market plans, which could result in cost overruns which could adversely impact margins and cash flows.
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Key Components of Sales and Expenses
Revenue
We have the following major revenue types:
| Brand Sponsorships: We offer advertisers an association with the FaZe brand which we deliver through various promotional vehicles that are highly tailored to reach our target audience. These vehicles include but are not limited to online advertising, livestream announcements, content generation, social media posts, logo placement on FaZes official merchandise, and special appearances by members of our talent network. Brand deals are made through the FaZe sales team and provide the sponsor an association with our brand across the FaZe platform, including the full roster of FaZe talent. Revenues from our larger brand sponsorship agreements are typically based on a term and are recognized ratably over the contract term. Payment terms and conditions vary by contract type, but payments are generally due periodically throughout the term of the contract. Some smaller sponsorship deals are based on a specific deliverable and not a term and are recognized and invoiced when delivered. |
We also offer talent deals, which are typically smaller in size than brand deals and are made directly with individual FaZe talent members to promote a brand or product within content created by the selected talent. These deals are often sourced and negotiated by FaZe employees and include FaZe as a counterparty. Payment terms are similar to our brand deals with talent receiving a contractually negotiated percent of the revenue as a fee.
| Content: We generate original content which we monetize through Googles AdSense service, which permits Google to place paid advertisements on FaZe branded YouTube sites. Revenue is generated when the advertisement is viewed on a cost per view or cost per click basis. Each time a fan views a FaZe-programmed YouTube page, Google will display an advertisement to the fan. Depending on the type of advertisement the advertiser agrees to with Google, the advertiser agrees to pay Google based on the number of views or the number of times a fan clicks on the advertisement. This cost per view or cost per click can vary substantially depending on the channel, content, and seasonality. Google pays us a percentage of what Google charges the advertiser, and we receive reporting from Google, which we use to recognize revenue on a revenue-per-thousand playbacks (RPM) basis which represents a blend of cost per view and cost per click advertisements. |
| Consumer Products: We sell consumer products directly to end users online (predominantly on our website but also on other websites, including those of our partners) and at events. |
| Esports: Our Esports revenue consists of league participation revenue, prize money, player transfer fee revenue, and licensing of intellectual property revenue. League participation revenue is generated from our participation in closed Esports leagues which historically share net revenue between all partnered teams on a pro rata basis, with FaZe receiving between 4% and 8%, subject to a minimum guarantee. Prize money is earned by competing in organized competitions and successfully placing at a level where the organizer has offered a prize. Prize money is typically paid to FaZe by the competition organizer and we will then distribute a percentage of the money to players based on contractually agreed terms. Player transfer fee revenue is earned through player transfer agreements which compensate FaZe for the release of a team member from their agreement with FaZe. Licensing of intellectual property revenue is royalty revenue in connection with the usage of our brand logo during each game or tournament. |
We expect continued growth in revenues primarily due to increased organic growth as our brand builds momentum, which results from building strategic partnerships and generating new, innovative content. In the future, we expect to invest in new, innovative content and content creation.
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Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue primarily consists of amounts paid to talent and other contractors, as we perform the underlying services related to satisfying the performance obligations under our agreements. It also includes other costs, such as those related to textiles, labor, and license fees associated with consumer products.
We expect our cost of revenue to increase primarily due to the increased volume of new strategic partnerships and costs associated with increased investments in original content.
General and Administrative
General and administrative costs consist primarily of personnel-related expenses, rent and premises costs, professional service fees, and other general corporate expenses.
We expect to incur higher general and administrative expenses as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and stock exchange listing standards, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities, and other administrative and professional services. We also expect to increase the size of our general and administrative function to support the growth of our business and other costs associated with being a public company. As a result, we expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing costs consist primarily of promotional, public relations, and advertising expenses. Sales and marketing costs also include other general marketing expenses.
In connection with our growth strategy, we expect to incur additional sales and marketing expenses, including marketing expenses to drive international expansion, increase consumer products sales, and market new content. However, because we experienced high redemptions in connection with the Business Combination, we received less proceeds from the Business Combination to pursue our anticipated growth strategies. This may cause significant delays in, or limit the scope of, our planned international expansion.
Additionally, we expect 2022 sales and marketing expenses to increase as a result of the strategic decision to increase our content production budgets, including a corresponding increase to our marketing budget to increase the probability that our content is seen by a larger audience.
Interest Expense, Net
We incur interest expense from our outstanding debt obligations, including our senior convertible promissory note issued in 2020, our other convertible promissory notes issued in 2020 and 2021, and our term loan issued in 2019.
Other (Income)/Expense
Other income/expense consists primarily of foreign currency gain or loss.
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Results of Operations
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods or years indicated, and the respective changes between comparative periods or years.
Six months ended June 30, |
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(in thousands, except for percentages) |
2022 | 2021 | $ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||
Total revenues |
$ | 34,609 | $ | 25,263 | $ | 9,346 | 37.0 | % | ||||||||
Cost of revenues |
24,177 | 20,875 | 3,302 | 15.8 | % | |||||||||||
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Gross Profit |
10,432 | 4,388 | 6,044 | 137.7 | % | |||||||||||
Operating Expenses: |
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General and administrative |
22,097 | 14,312 | 7,785 | 54.4 | % | |||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
2,078 | 1,361 | 717 | 52.7 | % | |||||||||||
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Impairment of content assets |
1,073 | | 1,073 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(14,816 | ) | (11,285 | ) | (3,531 | ) | 31.3 | % | ||||||||
Other (income)/expense: |
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Interest expense, net |
4,032 | 2,118 | 1,914 | 90.4 | % | |||||||||||
Other (income)/expense |
16 | (67 | ) | 83 | (123.9 | )% | ||||||||||
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Total other (income)/expense: |
4,048 | 2,051 | 1,997 | 97.4 | % | |||||||||||
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Net Income (Loss) |
$ | (18,864 | ) | $ | (13,336 | ) | $ | (5,528 | ) | 41.5 | % | |||||
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Our historical results, as shown above and explained in further detail below, reflect strong growth in revenues, primarily due to increased organic growth as our brand builds momentum, and as we engage in more and larger brand partnerships. At the same time, net losses increased due to an increase in cost of revenue, increases in marketing and promotional expenses, increases in headcount, increase in stock compensation expense due to stock option grants in the third quarter of 2021, increase in interest expense associated with new debt issuances, and additional reasons explained below. Gross profit increased in the period ended June 30, 2022 as compared with the period ended June 30, 2021 primarily because of an increase in revenues, as explained further below. Additionally, refer to Key Components of Sales and Expenses above for additional detail on expectations regarding expenses relative to our projections.
Revenue
Total revenues increased by $9.3 million, or 37.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. This change was primarily driven by effective scaling and growth of our business through our various revenue streams. Brand sponsorships revenue increased approximately $10.3 million, content revenue decreased approximately $3.9 million, Esports revenue increased approximately $3.1 million, partially offset by a decrease in consumer products revenue of approximately $0.4 million. Increases in brand sponsorships revenue were primarily due to our sales and talent teams generating new and/or larger brand sponsorships through the second quarter of 2022. Content revenues decreased due to a decrease in payments to FaZe in the six months ended 2022, when compared to 2021, of $2.1 million for sales to a third-party exclusive license for certain historical content by certain content creators. Content revenue also decreased due to a decrease in content revenue earned on YouTube of $1.8 million because two FaZe talent members left FaZe in the third quarter of 2021, which resulted in a decrease in viewership for the FaZe programmed FaZe YouTube Channel. Our overall increase in total revenues was also driven by an increase in our Total Number of Significant Sponsors and by an increase in our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers. These metrics and their relationship with revenue are described in the Key Performance Indicators section. The increase in Esports revenue was primarily due to an increase in player transfer revenue of $0.6 million, an increase in prize winnings earned by talent members of $1.3 million, and an increase in league participation revenue of $1.2 million. Further, Esports revenue in the first half of 2022 was higher than in the first half of 2021 due to the easing of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, given that Esports revenue is highly dependent on live events.
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The following table presents the Companys revenue by type for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021:
Six months ended June 30, |
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(in thousands, except for percentages) |
2022 | 2021 | $ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||
Brand Sponsorships |
$ | 20,982 | $ | 10,695 | $ | 10,287 | 96.2 | % | ||||||||
Content |
6,543 | 10,413 | (3,870 | ) | (37.2 | )% | ||||||||||
Consumer Products |
1,857 | 2,232 | (375 | ) | (16.8 | )% | ||||||||||
Esports |
4,963 | 1,814 | 3,149 | 173.6 | % | |||||||||||
Other |
264 | 109 | 155 | n/m | (1) | |||||||||||
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Total Revenue |
$ | 34,609 | $ | 25,263 | $ | 9,346 | 37.0 | % | ||||||||
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(1) | Not meaningful. |
Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue increased by $3.3 million, or 15.8%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. Brand Sponsorships costs increased by $1.4 million due to increases in both the volume and size of sponsorship deals. We also increased the mix of sponsorship-related content, including content for new deals with certain large-name brands that required higher production costs. Content costs decreased by $4.1 million, related to a decrease in revenue share payments in the six months ended 2022, when compared to 2021, of $1.9 million made to certain content creators for the payment received by FaZe for sales to a third-party exclusive license for certain historical content by certain content creators. Content costs related to content revenue earned on YouTube decreased by $2.2 million because two FaZe talent members left FaZe in the third quarter of 2021. The increase in Esports costs of $6.3 million was due primarily to increases in player salaries of $1.2 million, production costs of $4.5 million, prize money costs provided to talent members of $0.9 million, partially offset by player transfer costs of $0.3 million. The increase in Esports costs was also due to the easing of travel restrictions associated with COVID-19 pandemic, as there were fewer live events in the first half of 2021 compared to the first half of 2022.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses increased by $7.8 million, or 54.4%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. Our compensation and benefits costs increased by $2.8 million as we added headcount to grow our business. We also experienced a $2.7 million increase in stock compensation expense due to the granting of stock options in the third quarter of 2021 and restricted stock awards in the subsequent quarters. Additionally, travel and entertainment increased by $0.8 million as COVID-19-related travel restrictions lifted. IT and telecommunications fees increased $0.4 million, and non-legal professional service fees increased $1.6 million. These increases were offset by a decrease in legal settlements and other legal fees of $1.0 million, which are related to the various matters discussed in Note 9 to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements (as defined herein). Additionally, severance decreased by $0.3 million and rent and premises costs increased by $0.8 million.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $0.7 million, or 52.7%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. As part of our commitment to growth, we increased marketing expenses by $0.2 million and production fees for promotional content by $0.5 million.
Impairment of Content Assets
Impairment of content assets expenses increased by $1.1 million, or 100.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. In the second quarter of 2022, management had determined that the content asset has no further utility and wrote off the entire balance. There was no content asset impairment for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
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Interest Expense, Net
Net interest expense increased by $1.9 million, or 90.4%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increase in interest expense is due to the increase in the outstanding principal amount of loans as additional notes were issued in the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022. On July 19, 2022, we completed the Business Combination, upon which certain convertible notes were converted into common stock and such notes were paid in full. After the consummation of the Business Combination on July 19, 2022, the Company does not have any outstanding debt. Debt agreements are explained further in the Liquidity and Capital Resources section below.
Other (Income)/Expense
Other (income)/expense increased by $0.1 million, or 123.9%, for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. The change was primarily driven by an increase of other expense of $0.1 million from 2021 to 2022.
Net Income (Loss)
For the reasons discussed above, net loss increased approximately $5.6 million, or 41.5%, from a net loss of $13.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 to a net loss of $18.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods or years indicated, and the respective changes between comparative periods or years.
Years ended December 31, |
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(in thousands, except for percentages) |
2021 | 2020 (As revised) |
$ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||
Total revenues |
$ | 52,852 | $ | 37,166 | $ | 15,686 | 42.2 | % | ||||||||
Cost of revenue |
41,553 | 28,072 | 13,481 | 48.0 | % | |||||||||||
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Gross Profit |
11,299 | 9,094 | 2,205 | 24.2 | % | |||||||||||
Operating Expenses: |
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General and administrative |
39,401 | 31,975 | 7,426 | 23.2 | % | |||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
3,352 | 1,357 | 1,995 | 147.0 | % | |||||||||||
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Loss from operations |
(31,454 | ) | (24,238 | ) | (7,216 | ) | (29.8 | )% | ||||||||
Other (income)/expense: |
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Interest expense, net |
5,467 | 3,780 | 1,687 | 44.6 | % | |||||||||||
Other (income)/expense |
(55 | ) | 759 | (814 | ) | (107.2 | )% | |||||||||
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Total other (income)/expense: |
5,412 | 4,539 | 873 | 19.2 | % | |||||||||||
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Net Income (Loss) |
$ | (36,866 | ) | $ | (28,777 | ) | $ | (8,089 | ) | (28.1 | )% | |||||
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Our historical results, as shown above and explained in further detail below, reflect strong growth in revenues, primarily due to increased organic growth as our brand builds momentum, and as we engage in more and larger brand partnerships. At the same time, net losses increased due to an increase in cost of revenue, increases in marketing and promotional expenses, increases in headcount, stock option grants in 2021, interest expense associated with new debt issuances, and additional reasons explained below. Gross profit increased in the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared with the year ended 2020 primarily because of an increase in revenues, as explained further below. Additionally, refer to Key Components of Sales and Expenses above for additional detail on expectations regarding expenses relative to our projections.
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Revenue
Total revenues increased by $15.7 million, or 42.2%, from 2020 to 2021. This change was primarily driven by effective scaling and growth of our business through our various revenue streams. Brand sponsorships revenue increased approximately $8.3 million, content revenue increased approximately $4.0 million, Esports revenue increased approximately $3.0 million, and consumer products revenue increased approximately $0.2 million. Increases in brand sponsorships revenue were primarily due to our sales and talent teams generating new and/or larger brand sponsorships in 2021. Content revenues increased due to a one-time payment to FaZe in 2021 of $4.5 million for the sale to a third party of a five-year exclusive license for certain historical content posted to YouTube by one content creator prior to June 2021, partially offset by a decrease in content revenue earned on YouTube and Twitch of $0.5 million because two FaZe talent members left FaZe in the third quarter of 2021, which resulted in a decrease in viewership for the FaZe programmed FaZe YouTube Channel. Our overall increase in total revenues was also driven by an increase in our Total Number of Significant Sponsors and by an increase in our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers. These metrics and their relationship with revenue are described in the Key Performance Indicators section. The increase in Esports revenue was primarily due to an increase in digital goods sold of $2.7 million attributable to overall brand growth, an increase in prize winnings earned by talent members of $0.3 million, and an increase in league participation revenue of $0.1 million, partially offset by a decrease in player transfer revenue of $0.2 million. Further, Esports revenue in 2020 was lower due to the COVID-19 pandemic, given that Esports revenue is highly dependent on live events, which were halted due to stay-at-home orders during 2020.
The following table presents the Companys revenue by type for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020:
Years ended December 31, |
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(in thousands, except for percentages) |
2021 | 2020 (As Revised) |
$ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||
Brand Sponsorships |
$ | 24,867 | $ | 16,520 | $ | 8,347 | 50.5 | % | ||||||||
Content |
16,068 | 12,077 | 3,991 | 33.0 | % | |||||||||||
Consumer Products |
5,751 | 5,560 | 191 | 3.4 | % | |||||||||||
Esports |
5,847 | 2,860 | 2,987 | 104.4 | % | |||||||||||
Other |
319 | 149 | 170 | 114.1 | % | |||||||||||
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Total Revenue |
$ | 52,852 | $ | 37,166 | $ | 15,686 | 42.2 | % | ||||||||
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Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue increased by $13.5 million, or 48.0%, from 2020 to 2021. Brand Sponsorships costs increased by $5.1 million due to increases in both the volume and size of sponsorship deals. We also increased the mix of sponsorship-related content, including content for new deals with certain large-name brands that required higher production costs. Costs related to our content revenue increased by $4.2 million related to revenue share payments made to one content creator related to the one-time payment received by FaZe in 2021 of $4.5 million for the sale to a third party of a five-year exclusive license for certain historical content posted to YouTube by the content creator prior to June 2021. The increased brand sponsorships costs and increased content costs are also tied to increases in our Total Number of Significant Sponsors and Aggregate YouTube Subscribers. For instance, as sponsorships increase, the costs to service those sponsorships increase, and as our Aggregate YouTube Subscribers increase, we expect to generate more revenues from our content, and the related amounts we pay to our talent increase. The increase in Esports costs of $4.0 million was due primarily to increases in the sale of digital goods of $1.7 million, player salaries of $1.6 million, league participation fees of $0.2 million, production costs of $0.4 million, and prize money costs provided to talent members of $0.1 million. The increase in Esports costs was also due to the easing of travel restrictions associated with COVID-19 pandemic, as live events were halted due to stay-at-home orders during 2020, but Esports live events resumed in 2021, which increased the associated costs.
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General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses increased by $7.4 million, or 23.2%, from 2020 to 2021. Our compensation and benefits costs increased by $6.7 million as we added headcount to grow our business. We also experienced a $1.6 million increase in stock compensation expense due to the granting of stock options in 2021. Additionally, travel and entertainment increased by $0.5 million as COVID-19-related travel restrictions lifted. IT and telecommunications fees increased $0.5 million, depreciation and amortization increased by $0.3 million, and non-legal professional service fees increased $1.4 million. These increases were offset by a decrease in legal settlements and other legal fees of $2.5 million, which are related to the various matters discussed in Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements as of, and for the years ended, December 31, 2021 and 2020 (the FaZe Audited Financial Statements). Additionally, severance decreased by $1.0 million and rent and premises costs decreased by $0.3 million.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $2.0 million, or 147.0%, from 2020 to 2021. As part of our commitment to growth, we increased marketing expenses by $0.4 million and production fees for promotional content by $1.8 million. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in public relations expenses of $0.2 million.
Interest Expense, Net
Net interest expense increased by $1.7 million, or 44.6%, from 2020 to 2021. The increase in interest expense is due to the increase in the outstanding principal amount of loans as additional notes were issued in the fourth quarter of 2020 and throughout 2021. The $5.1 million increase in interest related to debt agreements initiated in late 2020 and throughout 2021 more than offset the $3.4 million decrease in interest related to FaZe paying off its loan with Bridging Financing, Inc. in the fourth quarter of 2020. Debt agreements are explained further in the Liquidity and Capital Resources section below.
Other (Income)/Expense
Other (income)/expense decreased by $0.8 million, or 107.2%, from $0.8 million in other expense in 2020 to $0.1 million in other income in 2021. The change was primarily driven by a decrease in foreign currency translation losses of $0.8 million from 2020 to 2021. That is, we paid off our Bridging Financing, Inc. loan in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Net Income (Loss)
For the reasons discussed above, net loss increased $8.1 million, or 28.1%, from a net loss of $28.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to a net loss of $36.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Non-GAAP Information
This prospectus includes adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net loss before share-based compensation expense, exited activities expense, foreign currency gains and losses, interest expense, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and impairment of content assets. Adjusted EBITDA is used by the FaZe board and management as a key factor in determining the quality of our earnings (loss).
Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure that we believe is useful to investors and analysts because it illustrates the underlying financial and business trends relating to our core, recurring results of operations and enhances comparability between periods.
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Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized measure under U.S. GAAP and is not intended to be a substitute for any U.S. GAAP financial measure and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry. Investors should exercise caution in comparing our non-GAAP measure to any similarly titled measure used by other companies. This non-GAAP measure excludes certain items required by U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to information reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
The table below presents our adjusted EBITDA, reconciled to our net loss for the periods indicated.
Six months ended June 30, |
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(in thousands) |
2022 | 2021 | ||||||
Net Loss |
$ | (18,864 | ) | $ | (13,336 | ) | ||
Adjusted for: |
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Share-based compensation expense |
2,659 | | ||||||
Foreign exchange loss |
| | ||||||
Interest expense |
4,032 | 2,118 | ||||||
Provision for income tax |
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Impairment of content assets |
1,073 | | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
663 | 434 | ||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | (10,437 | ) | $ | (10,783 | ) | ||
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While not included in the adjustments above, management also removes certain expenses for internal reporting purposes, as they are unpredictable and not considered core to our operations. These expense adjustments that are utilized for internal reporting purposes include expenses related to legal settlements, legal fees outside of the ordinary course of business, and severance. For the six months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021, legal settlements totaled $0.1 million and $0.0 million, legal fees outside of the ordinary course of business totaled $0.1 million and $0.7 million, and severance expenses totaled $0.0 million and $0.3 million, respectively. See Note 9 to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements for further information relating to these legal and severance related expenses that are not included in our EBITDA calculations, other than for internal reporting purposes.
The table below presents our adjusted EBITDA, reconciled to our net loss for the periods indicated.
Years ended December 31, |
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(in thousands) |
2021 | 2020 | ||||||
Net loss |
$ | (36,866 | ) | $ | (28,777 | ) | ||
Adjusted for: |
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Share-based compensation expense |
1,637 | 20 | ||||||
Exited activities(1) |
| 28 | ||||||
Foreign exchange loss |
| 796 | ||||||
Interest expense |
5,467 | 3,780 | ||||||
Provision for income tax |
| | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
1,021 | 741 | ||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | (28,741 | ) | $ | (23,412 | ) | ||
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(1) | Consists of warehousing and fulfilment expenses associated with our consumer products activity prior to FaZes use of a third-party provider. |
While not included in the adjustments above, management also removes certain expenses for internal reporting purposes, as they are unpredictable and not considered core to our operations. These expense adjustments that are utilized for internal reporting purposes include expenses related to legal settlements, legal fees outside of the
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ordinary course of business, and severance. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, legal settlements totaled $3.2 million and $6.2 million, legal fees outside of the ordinary course of business totaled $3.4 million and $3.6 million, and severance expenses totaled $0.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively. See Note 11 to the FaZe Audited Financial Statements for further information relating to these legal and severance related expenses that are not included in our EBITDA calculations, other than for internal reporting purposes.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our ability to expand and grow our business in the short and long-term will depend on many factors, including our working capital needs and the evolution of our operating cash flows.
We measure liquidity in terms of our ability to fund the cash requirements of our business operations, including working capital and capital expenditure needs, contractual obligations and other commitments, with cash flows from operations and other sources of funding. We have financed our operations primarily through the sale of convertible preferred stock and through debt agreements with third-party lenders. See below for a summary of our material debt and equity financing arrangements.
We have incurred net losses since inception. We expect to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future. However, based on cash received from the completion of the merger as more fully described in Note 12 to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements as compared to the cash needs to fund operations, the Company currently expects that it will have sufficient cash to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. As such, substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern has been alleviated. In connection with the Business Combination, holders of 15,883,395 shares of BRPM Class A common stock exercised their right to redeem those shares for cash at a price of approximately $10.00 per share, for an aggregate of approximately $158.9 million, which represented approximately 92% of the funds held in BRPMs Trust Account. Because we experienced high redemptions in connection with the Business Combination, we received less proceeds from the Business Combination to pursue our anticipated growth strategies and new initiatives, including our acquisition strategy. This may cause significant delays in, or limit the scope of, our planned acquisition strategy.
As a result, our results of operations and financial condition may be worse than we projected. Additionally, while the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, are difficult to assess or predict, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global financial markets may reduce our ability to access capital, which could negatively impact our short-term and long-term liquidity. The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. Nonetheless, we believe our cash on hand will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for a period of at least twelve months through August 2023, including if no warrants are exercised.
We may need additional cash due to changing business conditions or other developments. Our future short and long-term capital requirements will depend on several factors, including, but not limited to, the rate of our growth, our ability to attract and retain fans and brand sponsorships and their willingness to pay for our services. Further, we may enter into future arrangements to acquire or invest in businesses, products, services and strategic partnerships. To the extent that our current resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may need to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of debt financing would result in debt service obligations, and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that restrict our operations. Additionally, the sale of all of the securities registered for resale hereunder and future sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public market (including the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of our Warrants), or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause our stock price to decline and impact our ability to raise additional financing on favorable terms. If the needed financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to scale back our existing operations and growth
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plans, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial prospects. Refer to Risk FactorsOur failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in the future could reduce our ability to compete successfully and adversely affect our results of operations for further details related to the risk of our failure to raise or generate additional cash on our business operations.
The shares of Common Stock offered for resale by the Selling Holders in this prospectus represents approximately 66% percent of our Common Stock outstanding as of August 29, 2022 (assuming no exercise of any of our Warrants or options), and would represent over 95% of our public float assuming the sale of all shares registered hereunder for resale at the effective date of this prospectus. Each of the Founder Shares and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants that are owned by the Sponsor and all shares of Common Stock issued as consideration in the Business Combination, collectively representing 7% of the shares of Common Stock registered hereunder, are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. Further, the 5,312,098 shares of Common Stock issued to Legacy FaZe securityholders as earnout consideration and 50% of the Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture following Closing if certain price-based vesting conditions are not met during the five-year period beginning on the date that is 90 days after the Closing and ending on the fifth anniversary of the Closing Date. Once such resale restrictions end and the shares are vested, the market price of our Common Stock could decline if the holders of currently restricted shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. The shares of Common Stock held by the PIPE Investors are not subject to lock-up restrictions. As such, sales of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stock in the public market could occur at any time. The sale of all of these securities in the public market, or the perception that holders of a large number of securities intend to sell their securities, could reduce the market price of our Common Stock and Warrants. Refer to Risk FactorsThe sale of all of the securities registered for resale hereunder and future sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public market (including the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of our Warrants), or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause our stock price to decline for further details related to the risk of the decline in market price of our securities as a result of the sale, or the perception of sale, of the securities registered hereby.
Equity
We did not issue any convertible preferred stock during the six months ended June 30, 2022 or June 30, 2021, or during the years ended December 31, 2021 or 2020.
Debt
Upon the close of the Business Combination, all outstanding debt was converted to equity or paid with transaction proceeds. See the section entitled Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information, as well as additional details on outstanding debt agreements below, for more information.
2022 B. Riley Term Loan
In March 2022, we entered into the Bridge Loan Agreement with B. Riley Commercial Capital, LLC, an affiliate of the Sponsor, allowing us to borrow an aggregate principal amount of up to $20 million which matured on the Closing Date of the Business Combination. The interest rate was 7% per annum, compounded quarterly, and the Term Loan is secured by all of our assets, other than certain excluded collateral, and subject to Intercreditor Agreements entered into between the B. Riley Lender, Cox, and CPH. In connection with the Term Loan, we waived the Minimum Proceeds Condition under the Merger Agreement. We drew the initial $10 million upon closing of the B. Riley Term Loan in March 2022, and drew the final $10 million in April 2022.
The Term Loan was fully paid in July 2022 in connection with the closing of the Business Combination.
2021 Cox Convertible Promissory Notes
As explained in further detail in the Notes to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements, in August 2021, we entered into an agreement with Cox, to which we sold convertible promissory notes of $10.0 million. Cox also purchased
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an additional $5.0 million in convertible promissory notes in October 2021. The maturity date of the notes was the earliest of December 15, 2023, or various other conditions outlined in the Notes to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements, one of which is the consummation of the Business Combination. These convertible promissory notes, which could not be prepaid without consent of the holder, bore interest at a rate of 10.00% per annum and were secured against substantially all of our assets.
The convertible promissory notes were fully converted into shares of Common Stock in July 2022 in connection with the closing of the Business Combination.
Senior Convertible Note Purchase Agreement and Senior Convertible Promissory Note
Pursuant to a Secured Convertible Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 15, 2020, as amended, by and among Legacy FaZe, CPH Phase II SPV LP (CPH II) and CPH Phase III SPV LP (CPH III and, together with CPH II, CPH), Legacy FaZe issued $55,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of convertible promissory notes to CPH between December 15, 2020, and August 30, 2021 (the CPH notes). The CPH notes accrued interest at a rate of 10% per year and had a maturity date of December 15, 2023. In addition, CPH had the right to purchase certain additional convertible promissory notes from FaZe (the CPH Right). Upon the Closing, CPH elected to convert the CPH notes into 17,018,805 shares of Common Stock.
Pursuant to a letter agreement, dated as of December 15, 2020, as amended by and between Legacy FaZe and CPH II (the CPH Letter), as long as CPH or its affiliates owned at least 2% of the outstanding capital stock of Legacy FaZe on an as-converted-to-common stock basis, Legacy FaZe was required to invite a CPH representative to attend all meetings of Legacy FaZes board of directors in a non-voting observer capacity, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, in consideration of CPHs purchase of the CPH notes, so long as any amount remained outstanding under the CPH notes, Legacy FaZe agreed to pay to CPH a nonrefundable quarterly monitoring fee of $62,500, and, upon CPHs request, reimburse CPH for any reasonable, necessary and documented expenses incurred by CPH in connection with the monitoring of its investment in FaZe and/or activities performed on behalf of FaZe, subject to a limit of $250,000 in total.
On October 23, 2021, CPH entered into a letter agreement with Legacy FaZe, pursuant to which, among other things, (i) CPH agreed to convert the CPH notes into shares of Legacy FaZe common stock immediately prior to Closing Date, (ii) CPH agreed to waive the CPH Right in exchange for the issuance of a Legacy FaZe convertible note, such note to be converted into shares of Legacy FaZe common stock immediately prior to Closing, and such shares of Legacy FaZe common stock to be converted into 4,800,000 shares of Legacy FaZe common stock, (iii) CPH agreed to waive any interest on the CPH notes in exchange for (x) the issuance of a Legacy FaZe convertible note, such note to be converted into shares of Legacy FaZe common stock immediately prior to Closing, and such shares of Legacy FaZe common stock to be converted into 523,763 shares Common Stock and (y) payment in cash of interest on the CPH notes that accrues starting on February 1, 2022, and ending on the Closing Date, and (iv) FaZe nominated Nick Lewin for election as a director of New FaZe, and upon election of Mr. Lewin as a director of FaZe.
The CPH convertible notes were converted in July 2022, in connection with the closing of the Business Combination, and the CPH Letter terminated upon the election of Mr. Lewin as a director of FaZe.
Other Convertible Promissory Notes
In March 2020 through August 2021, we entered into Convertible Promissory Note Agreements with accredited investors pursuant to which we sold promissory notes totaling approximately $3.2 million. For each of the $2.5 million of notes issued in 2020, the maturity date was the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the closing of a private round of preferred stock financing with immediately available proceeds of at least $1.0 million, with one note of $0.5 million with a maturity date as the earlier of April 21, 2023, or the or the closing of a private round of preferred stock financing with immediately available proceeds of at least $1.0 million. For each of the $0.7 million in notes issued in 2021, the maturity date was the second anniversary of the date of the debt purchase agreement.
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The conversion price of the notes was equal to 90% of the price per share sold in a preferred stock financing, provided the price is subject to adjustment in the event our enterprise value is greater than $250.0 million on that date. The convertible promissory notes, which could not be prepaid without consent of the holder, bore interest at a rate of 4.00% per annum. The convertible promissory notes were subordinate and junior in right of payment to any senior indebtedness of FaZe.
The other convertible promissory notes were fully converted into shares of Common Stock in July 2022, connection with the closing of the Business Combination.
Paycheck Protection Program Loan
On May 4, 2020, we entered into a promissory note dated May 4, 2020, with Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC., pursuant to which Harvest agreed to make a loan to us under the Paycheck Protection Program offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration in a principal amount of approximately $1.1 million pursuant to Title 1 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act). The loan proceeds were available to be used to pay for payroll costs, including salaries, commissions, and similar compensation, group health care benefits, and paid leaves; as well as rent; utilities; and interest on certain other outstanding debt.
The Paycheck Protection Program loan was fully repaid in July 2022, using the proceeds from the closing of the Business Combination.
Term Loan Facility
On October 28, 2019, Legacy FaZe entered into a term loan agreement with Bridging Financing Inc., pursuant to which Bridging agreed to make a loan to us in the amount of 30.0 million Canadian dollars. The loan would have matured on the earlier of (i) 24 months following October 28, 2019, or (ii) a date one day prior to the maturity of any of convertible notes outstanding. Interest on the loan accrues at a rate equal to the Bank of Nova Scotia Prime plus 4.05%, per annum. The Term Loan was convertible into shares of Common Stock at the discretion of Bridging Financing Inc., at a price equal to $220.0 million divided by the total number of shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis. The loan was subject to a financial covenant, whereby, as of the last day of the fiscal quarter, we were required to maintain a minimum balance of cash in a deposit account, for the immediately prior 12 calendar months. We were not in compliance with this covenant for certain periods of 2020 and 2019; however, noncompliance did not result in any event of default or financial penalty with the lender.
The loan was fully paid in 2020 upon issuance and sale of the 2020 senior convertible promissory note.
Other Contractual Obligations Commitments and Contingencies
We may be party to various claims in the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions are expensed as incurred. We assess the need to record a liability for litigation and other loss contingencies, with reserve estimates recorded if we determine that a loss related to the matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. We did not record losses related to legal settlements in the six months ended June 30, 2021 and recorded less than $0.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. We recorded losses related to legal settlements of $6.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Our future contractual commitments related to future minimum payments for non-cancelable operating lease obligations at June 30, 2022, are $1.4 million for the remainder of 2022, $2.9 million for 2023, and $2.0 million for 2024 and thereafter.
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Cash FlowsSix Months Ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):
Six months ended June 30, |
$ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except for percentages) |
2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(3,828 | ) | (225 | ) | (3,603 | ) | n/m | (1) | ||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
18,382 | 19,819 | (1,437 | ) | (7.3 | )% | ||||||||||
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Net increase (decrease) in cash and restricted cash |
(11,124 | ) | 4,480 | (15,604 | ) | n/m | (1) | |||||||||
Cash and restricted cash, beginning of period |
17,618 | 4,431 | 13,187 | n/m | (1) | |||||||||||
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Cash and restricted cash, end of period |
6,494 | 8,911 | (2,417 | ) | (27.1 | )% | ||||||||||
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(1) | Not meaningful. |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
We used $10.6 million more in cash for operating activities in the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared with the six months ended June 30, 2021. This change was largely related to the changes in net loss explained in the Results of Operations section, offset by the impact of various non-cash charges explained in further detail below.
Net cash used in operating activities was $25.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Our net loss of $18.9 million was partially comprised of non-cash charges: interest expenses of $4.0 million, stock-based compensation expense of $2.7 million, depreciation and amortization of $0.7 million, additions to content assets of $0.6 million, and impairments to content assets of $1.1 million. Additionally, during the six months ended June 30, 2022, changes in operating assets and liabilities used cash flows from operations of $14.6 million, primarily due to a combination of an increase in accounts receivable and contract assets of $2.5 million, a decrease in prepaid expenses of $0.2 million, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $7.2 million and a decrease in contract liabilities of $5.1 million.
Net cash used in operating activities was $15.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Our net loss of $13.3 million was partially comprised of non-cash charges: interest expenses of $2.1 million as well as depreciation and amortization expense of $0.4 million. Additionally, during the six months ended June 30, 2021, changes in operating assets and liabilities used cash flows from operations of $4.3 million, primarily due to a combination of an increase in accounts receivable and contract assets of $0.8 million, an increase in prepaid expenses of $0.6 million, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $3.1 million and an increase in contract liabilities of $0.3 million.
Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities
We used $3.6 million more in cash for investing activities in the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared with the six months ended June 30, 2021 due to increased purchases of property, plant and equipment and purchase of intangible assets.
Net cash used in investing activities of $3.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 was due to purchases of property, plant and equipment of $3.5 million and purchases of intangible assets of $0.3 million.
Net cash used in investing activities of $0.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was due to purchases of tangible and intangible assets totaling $0.1 million as well as the issuance of note receivable of $0.1 million.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
We generated $1.4 million less cash from financing activities in the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared with the six months ended June 30, 2021, primarily due to increases in payment of deferred transaction costs.
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These changes which decreased cash generated from financing activities were partially offset by an increase in the issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise of stock options and a decrease in the payment of debt issuance costs.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $18.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 was primarily due to proceeds from the issuance of a term loan of $20.0 million and the issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise of stock options of $0.1 million, partially offset by payments of deferred transaction costs of $1.7 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $19.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was primarily due to proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt of $20.0 million, partially offset by debt issuance costs of $0.2 million.
Cash FlowsYears Ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):
Years ended December 31, |
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(in thousands, except for percentages) |
2021 | 2020 | $ Change | % Change | ||||||||||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
$ | (25,180 | ) | $ | (16,856 | ) | $ | (8,324 | ) | 49.4 | % | |||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(1,705 | ) | (791 | ) | (914 | ) | 115.5 | % | ||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
40,072 | 10,079 | 29,993 | n/m | (1) | |||||||||||
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Net increase (decrease) in cash and restricted cash |
13,187 | (7,568 | ) | 20,755 | n/m | (1) | ||||||||||
Cash and restricted cash, beginning of period |
4,431 | 11,999 | (7,568 | ) | (63.1 | )% | ||||||||||
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Cash and restricted cash, end of period |
17,618 | 4,431 | 13,187 | n/m | (1) | |||||||||||
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(1) | Not meaningful. |
Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
We used $8.3 million more in cash for operating activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with the year ended December 31, 2020. This change was largely related to the changes in net loss explained in the Results of Operations section.
Net cash used in operating activities was $25.2 million for the year-ended December 31, 2021. Our net loss of $36.9 million was partially offset by non-cash interest expenses of $5.5 million, stock-based compensation expense of $1.6 million, depreciation and amortization of $1.0 million, and additions to content assets of $0.5 million. Additionally, during the year-ended December 31, 2021, changes in operating assets and liabilities used cash flows from operations of $4.0 million, primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable, contract assets, and prepaid expenses of $4.2 million, $2.8 million, and $0.5 million, respectively, as well as an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $4.7 million and contract liabilities of $6.8 million.
Net cash used in operating activities was $16.9 million for the year-ended December 31, 2020. Our net loss of $28.8 million was partially offset by non-cash charges, including: interest expenses of $3.1 million, depreciation and amortization expense of $0.7 million, and foreign exchange impact of $0.8 million. Additionally, during the year-ended December 31, 2020, changes in operating assets and liabilities provided cash flows from operations of $7.3 million, primarily due to a decrease in accounts receivable and contract assets of $0.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively, as well as an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $4.9 million and contract liabilities of $0.9 million.
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Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities
We used $0.9 million more in cash for investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with the year ended December 31, 2020 due to increased purchases of tangible and intangible assets, and issuances of notes receivable.
Net cash used in investing activities of $1.7 million for the year-ended December 31, 2021, was primarily due to purchases of property, plant, and equipment of $0.7 million, purchases of intangible assets of $0.8 million, and issuances of notes receivable of $0.1 million.
Net cash used in investing activities of $0.8 million for the year-ended December 31, 2020, was primarily due to purchases of property, plant, and equipment of $0.7 million and purchase of intangible assets of $0.1 million.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
We generated $30.0 million more cash from financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to increases in the proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt and decreases in payments of loan principal. These changes which increased cash generated from financing activities were partially offset by a decrease in the issuance of loans payable.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $40.1 million for the year-ended December 31, 2021, was primarily due to proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt of $40.7 million, partially offset by payments on loan principal of $0.4 million and debt issuance costs of $0.3 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $10.1 million for the year-ended December 31, 2020, was primarily due to proceeds from the issuance of loans payable of $1.1 million and proceeds from issuance of convertible debt of $35.4 million, partially offset by payments on loan principal of $26.1 million and debt issuance costs of $0.3 million.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. Preparation of the financial statements requires our management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amount of net sales and expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates and assumptions could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our critical accounting policies are described below.
Revenue Recognition
Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted the new accounting standard and related amendments, using the modified retrospective transition method for all contracts. Based on our assessment, the adoption of ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606) did not have a material impact to the Companys consolidated financial statements and there were no material differences between the Companys adoption of ASC 606 and its historic accounting under ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. For further information regarding the impact of the adoption of this standard refer to Note 2 to the FaZe Interim Financial Statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The below describes our revenue recognition policies and significant judgments in further detail:
Principal Versus Agent Considerations
A significant amount of our brand sponsorships and content revenues are generated from independent contractors who we pay based on revenue that they generate for FaZe. We have evaluated the terms of our brand sponsorships
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and content agreements and have concluded that FaZe is the primary obligor. That is, we own our brand and intellectual property, take primary responsibility for delivery of services, and exercise control over content generation and monetization. FaZe contracts directly with Google on its operated channels, and the talent contracts directly with Google on their own channels. As part of FaZes contracts with its talent, FaZe agrees to serve as the talents exclusive management company as it relates to any and all type of work the talent may perform, including content creation and advertising revenue generated from the content. While the talent owns the content they create while they are under contract with FaZe, the talent grants FaZe an exclusive perpetual license to the content, and FaZe grants limited usage rights of that content back to the talent, conditional upon them complying with the contract. Furthermore, all income earned from services provided by the talent related to gaming, Esports, content creation or the business of FaZe, which includes revenue from advertising via talent content, is subject to the talent agreement and is payable to FaZe. In addition, FaZes contracts with its talent specify rules and restrictions on the content the talent can create and post. As such, through its contracts with talent, FaZe is the principal because FaZe is the entity exercising primary control over the content generated in the YouTube channels being monetized.
Therefore, we recognize brand sponsorships and content revenues on a gross basis and record revenue-sharing and other fees paid to our talent as cost of revenues.
In relation to our consumer products revenue, we have outsourced the design, manufacturing, fulfillment, distribution, and sale of our consumer products to a third party, in exchange for royalties based on the amount of revenue generated. We evaluated the terms of the agreement to determine whether our consumer products revenues should be reported gross, or net of royalties paid. Key indicators that we evaluate in determining whether we are the principal in the sale (gross reporting), or an agent (net reporting) include, but are not limited to:
1) | FaZe is the party that is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the specified good or service, |
2) | FaZe has inventory risk before the good is transferred to the customer, and |
3) | FaZe is the party has discretion in establishing pricing for the specified good or service. |
Based on our evaluation of the above indicators, FaZe is the primary obligor with respect to consumer products sales and thus, we report consumer products revenues on a gross basis.
Timing of Recognition
The timing of revenue recognition depends on the type of revenue recognized, as explained further below.
1) Brand Sponsorships
Although our brand sponsorships may include multiple services that are capable of being distinct, these services are highly interdependent such that the services are not separately identifiable within the context of the contract. Therefore, management identified one performance obligation which is transferred over time. Therefore, brand sponsorship revenue is recognized ratably over the contract term as services as provided.
2) Content
Content revenue is variable and is earned when the visitor views or clicks through on the advertisement. We recognize revenue based on viewership reports, which we receive on a monthly basis. As described above, we recognize revenues on a gross basis. See Principal vs. Agent Considerations.
FaZe grants exclusive licenses to customers for certain content produced by FaZe talent. FaZe grants the customer a license to the intellectual property, which is the content and its use in generating advertising revenues,
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for a pre-determined period, for an amount paid by the customer upon execution of the contract. FaZes only performance obligation is to license the content for use in generating advertising revenues, and recognizes the full contract amount at the point at which FaZe provides the customer the right to use the content, which is at the execution of the contract. FaZe has no further performance obligations under these types of contract and does not anticipate generating any additional revenue from these arrangements apart from the contract amount.
3) Consumer Products
Consumer products revenues are recognized at a point in time, as control is transferred to the customer upon shipment.
4) Esports
(a) League Participation: Generally, FaZe has one performance obligationto participate in the overall Esport eventbecause the underlying activities do not have standalone value absent our participation in the tournament or event. Revenue from prize winnings and profit-share agreements is variable and is highly uncertain, we recognize revenue at the point in time when the uncertainty is resolved.
(b) Player Transfer Fees: Player transfer agreements include a fixed fee and may include a variable fee component. FaZe recognizes the fixed portion of revenue from transfer fees upon satisfaction of our performance obligation, which coincides with the execution of the related agreement. The variable portion of revenue is considered highly uncertain and is recognized at the point in time when the uncertainty is resolved.
(c) Licensing of Intellectual Property: Our licenses of intellectual property generate royalties that are recognized in accordance with the royalty recognition constraint. That is, royalty revenue is recognized when the sale occurs.
Stock-Based Compensation
We recognize the cost of stock-based awards granted to FaZe employees, directors, and nonemployee consultants based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the awards. Cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award. We have elected to recognize the effect of forfeitures in the period they occur.
Based on the early stage of our companys development and other relevant factors, we determined that an Option Pricing Model (OPM) was the most appropriate method for allocating FaZes enterprise value to determine the estimated fair value of Common Stock. Application of the OPM involves the use of estimates, judgment, and assumptions that are highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding its expected future revenue, expenses, and cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable companies, and the probability of future events. Specifically, we have historically used the back solve analysis to estimate the fair value of our Common Stock, which derives the implied equity value for one type of equity security from a contemporaneous transaction involving another type of security (shares of our preferred stock in this instance). The estimates utilized in determining the grant date fair value for new awards will not be necessary once our shares are publicly traded. The grant date fair value of our Common Stock was determined with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation specialist.
We specifically determine the fair value of FaZe stock options using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model, which is impacted by the following assumptions:
| Expected TermWe use the simplified method when calculating the expected term due to insufficient historical exercise data. |
| Expected VolatilityAs our stock has recently become publicly traded, the volatility is based on a benchmark of comparable companies within our peer group. |
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| Expected Dividend YieldThe dividend rate used is zero as we have never paid cash dividends on our Common Stock and do not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. |
| Risk-Free Interest RateThe interest rates used are based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon instrument with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award. |
Income Taxes
We record a tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations. In accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, the provision for income taxes is computed using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences attributable to differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, operating losses and tax credit carryforwards.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities due to a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We evaluate deferred tax assets each period for recoverability. For those assets that do not meet the threshold of more likely than not that they will be realized in the future, a valuation allowance is recorded. We have considered our history of cumulative tax and book losses incurred since inception, and other positive and negative evidence, and have concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize the benefits of the net deferred tax assets as of June 30, 2021, or 2022 or as of December 31, 2020, or 2021.
We report a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We recognize interest and penalties, if