Twitch streamer Ludwig Ahgren, who in April set a world record for the highest number of subscribers—at over 270,000—has left the platform and will now be streaming exclusively at YouTube Gaming.
Ludwig achieved the subscription feat at the conclusion of a marathon 31-day streaming event, which began on March 14 and ran for too damn long. In the process, he beat the previous record, held by Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.
The move to YouTube was announced earlier today by Ryan Wyatt, head of YouTube Gaming, who wrote:
I’m excited to announce @LudwigAhgren will now be streaming exclusively on @YouTubeGaming.
Our focus is building a world class VOD, short form, and live platform.
And I have to reiterate; we still aren’t done yet! Welcome to the family, Ludwig!
Ludwig’s own announcement was a little less diplomatic, posting a video where the purple car (Twitch) he’s driving explodes, and he jumps in a red car (YouTube) to get home again, talking some shit about music streaming rights as the clip draws to a close.
Harsh, perhaps, given he built his entire thing on Twitch, but considering the platform’s recent woes—especially when it comes to copyright—also understandable.
He probably wouldn’t make the jump out of charity; YouTube has long thrown serious money at creators to sign them to exclusivity deals, hoping that by drawing big names they can chip away at Twitch’s dominance in the streaming space. Indeed it was only a few months ago that two other huge streaming stars, DrLupo and TimTheTatman, made the same move:
Lupo told The Washington Post this week that, as a result of his deal with YouTube, he’s now “secure for life.” He also said the deal will give him more flexibility to spend time with his family. Betar, meanwhile, didn’t explicitly comment on specific financials, but noted in an interview with Insider that streaming on YouTube will allow him, like Lupo, to spend more time with family.