Ludwig “Ludwig” Ahgren is the latest personality to leave Twitch in favor of YouTube Gaming.
The popular streamer announced that he is leaving his Twitch channel behind in order to join numerous other streamers that have transitioned to YouTube in 2021. He will join the likes of Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar, who left Twitch in September in order to
start streaming anew on YouTube.
The announcement was made with a tongue-in-cheek video posted to Twitter alongside Smash Bros personality Slime. In it, Ludwig is seen driving around in a purple car with Slime discussing video ideas before the vehicle explodes. The pair then drive off after discovering a red car, delivering a light barb at Twitch by discussing how the red car actually allows them to play music. This is a ribbing directed at Twitch’s general lack of help for streamers in navigating
increasingly aggressive DMCA claims.
The move to YouTube comes a few months after
Ludwig predicted
that a number of prominent streamers were set to leave Twitch. This comes as Twitch makes a major shift in its handling of popular streamers following the collapse of Mixer and its growing market share despite increasing competition.
Why is Ludwig leaving Twitch?
Ludwig is likely leaving Twitch after receiving a blockbuster exclusivity deal with YouTube.
Ludwig is one of the highest-earning streamers on Twitch, with the recent leak of streamer payouts revealing that he had made over $3.2 million over a two-year span through subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations. He was the sixth-highest-earning streamer during this stretch, not including possible exclusivity contracts with Twitch.
Despite those eye-popping numbers, Ludwig is set to leave Twitch in favor of YouTube Gaming. This comes as Twitch is
allowing some popular personalities to leave
for other streaming platforms due to Twitch’s decision to cut back on offering exclusive streaming deals.
The rationale behind no longer tendering large offers to streamers comes largely due to former competitor Mixer’s inability to gain traction. In 2019, Twitch went on a spending spree to lock up popular streamers long-term after Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Michael “shroud” Grzesiek signed exclusive contracts with Mixer.
Despite partnering with two of the biggest names in the industry, Mixer failed to gain sufficient audience share and shut down in 2020. Because of this, and the fact that Twitch actually gained market share during Mixer’s rise, Twitch seemingly believes that its brand stands on its own and that it doesn’t need to lock up popular streamers in order to stay on top.
It’s unclear what sort of money YouTube offered Ludwig to sign up, but odds are he will not be the last one to leave.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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