In 2021, the streaming community has been defined in large part by a surprising movement: streamers are leaving Twitch. To be specific, lots of content creators are setting up shop on YouTube instead, making use of the video-sharing platform's increasingly popular streaming services through YouTube Gaming instead. After his Twitch ban, Dr Disrespect has found success on YouTube, and TimTheTatMan recently left Twitch to join him. Every time a streamer leaves, speculation about who could be next runs through the Twitch community. Another content creator just left the platform, but nobody saw this departure coming. Twitch star Ludwig is now part of YouTube Gaming.
It's hard to understand at a glance why Ludwig has left Twitch, considering his vast success there. Ludwig had some 3 million followers on Twitch and managed to set a new record for most subscribers on Twitch during his infamous subathon. Nevertheless, Ludwig says he's part of YouTube now, joining a slow but steady movement. While Ludwig has said that YouTube offered him a pretty lucrative deal, he also told his fans that the switch wasn't about money. On the contrary, there's a number of important personal reasons that Ludwig decided YouTube was the place to be, rather than Twitch.
Ludwig's Reasons for Leaving Twitch
Appreciation is one of the main reasons Ludwig decided he should move to YouTube. In a YouTube video explaining his switch, Ludwig recounted how he never felt like he meant anything to Twitch; Ludwig claims that the platform never reached out to congratulate him on his record-breaking Twitch subathon or to acknowledge the huge amount of money he generated for Twitch in that time. He also says that, while he was deciding between signing another deal with Twitch or accepting YouTube's offer, YouTube fought to bring him aboard, while Twitch did little to acknowledge him when he told Twitch he was moving to YouTube. Ludwig seems optimistic that he'll get more recognition and gratitude from YouTube.
Ludwig also stressed the importance of the opportunities that YouTube offered him. He explained that staying at Twitch would mean streaming for long hours and running low on free time, while YouTube showed a willingness to cut back on Ludwig's active hours, giving him time to work on personal projects and to prepare new things for his stream. In the same vein, Ludwig said YouTube seemed more interested in helping him arrange major events, and that YouTube was doing everything it could to make the transition smooth for Ludwig and his fans. YouTube's accommodating attitude played a major part in winning Ludwig over.
One more crucial reason that Ludwig moved to YouTube is more personal than professional. Ludwig explained that one of the few things holding him back from moving to YouTube was his own fear. As he told his viewers, Ludwig strongly dislikes the idea of turning down an opportunity out of fear or staying on his current track at Twitch because he's comfortable there. It seems that Ludwig takes his move to YouTube as a personal challenge, pushing himself to move on to new horizons.
Ludwig's YouTube Partnership Has Potential
Even Ludwig acknowledges that his change in platforms is a big deal. He's become a major face of Twitch in recent years, so he's not the only one who's bound to feel the impact of changing platforms. Ludwig doesn't make it sound like he plans to lose any momentum in the transition, though. He mentioned plans to host a huge Super Smash Bros. tournament for both Melee and Smash Ultimate in 2022, which seems like the perfect way to ring in a new year on a new streaming site. If YouTube really is eager to collaborate with Ludwig on major events like that, then the move to YouTube might open up a lot of doors for Ludwig in the future.