The Real Reason Ludwig Left Twitch For YouTube
Two of the biggest names in streaming have been going at it for months now, with streamers like TimTheTatman and DrLupo leaving Twitch to start streaming exclusively on YouTube. Of course, there were already plenty of popular and dedicated YouTube streamers, like Valkyrae and Dr Disrespect, but more and more people are jumping the Twitch ship in favor of the Google-owned content platform. Adding to that list is Ludwig Ahgren, one of Twitch's biggest stars.
On November 29, Ludwig posted a skit in which he drives a purple car (representing Twitch) down the street, which then blows up. After this, he hops into a red car (representing YouTube). The skit ends with a joke about how he can play music in the red car — a reference to the number of music-related DMCA strikes that have plagued Twitch streamers. The clever video saw a ton of support from the streaming community, with the likes of Sykkkuno, Valkyrae, TommyInnit, and even Twitch itself congratulating him.
The biggest question about the entire thing was why Ludwig made the move so suddenly. His girlfriend, QTCinderella, hinted that his YouTube contract was worth around $30 to $35 million, but that doesn't seem to be the sole reason.
Shortly after the announcement, Ludwig made an entire video explaining to fans what led him to this new chapter. While money was a factor, there's a lot more to the story.
Ludwig's reasons for joining YouTube Gaming
Ludwig explained to fans that the move really came down to the fact that Twitch didn't seem to care about him. "Even though I've been with Twitch for 3 plus years, even though people call me the golden boy of Twitch, I've never felt like the golden boy of Twitch," he explained. "I've never felt particularly loved by Twitch ... it hasn't been a two-way street."
Ludwig felt this disconnect between himself and especially pretty hard when he was debating between the platform and YouTube. While he originally planned to use the possibility of signing with YouTube Gaming contract as a form of "leverage" when negotiating with Twitch for a better contract, it was YouTube that kept fighting for him. When he went to Twitch to explain that he was going to take YouTube's contract, Ludwig said that Twitch basically just "we wish you the best," which hurt his feelings.
On the bright side, the YouTube contract also gave Ludwig more freedom to create content outside of streaming. The streamer hinted that his dream of hosting the biggest "Super Smash Bros." tournament in the world is closer to becoming a reality.