By now most have heard that streamer Ludwig Aghren left Twitch to start streaming exclusively on YouTube Gaming. He’s not the first Twitch streamer to jump to YouTube and he’s unlikely to be the last, but Aghren’s transparency when discussing his decision to leave Twitch is very illuminating.

Most would assume that Ludwig left Twitch because of the money, and while he admits that YouTube offered the content creator a more lucrative contract, he still wanted to stay with Twitch. As he explains in a “Why I Left Twitch” video, Ludwig felt more inclined to stay with Twitch, he even flipped a coin and felt relief when that randomized result told him to stick with the Amazon-owned streaming platform.

But what struck Ludwig as odd was the way that YouTube continued to fight for him to come to their platform. It started to make Ludwig realize that Twitch didn’t seem to value him as much as he valued the company. At one point in time, Ludwig was the biggest streamer on Twitch - breaking Twitch subscriber records previously held by Ninja - and yet there was no acknowledgment from the company regarding that accomplishment. In way, it seemed like Twitch took for granted what it had in Ludwig, and that ultimately is what led him to move to YouTube.

When Ludwig discussed this feeling several other streamers acknowledged a similar sentiment. Another streamer who left for YouTube, TimTheTatman revealed that he had a similar experience with Twitch when discussing a potential switch to YouTube. It didn’t matter that TimTheTatman had been streaming on Twitch for longer than Ludwig, he still apparently received the same treatment.

Now, obviously, YouTube is going to do more to sway streamers over to its platform. YouTube Gaming is still trying to grow and compete with Twitch, whereas Twitch is already at the top of the mountain. We saw the same thing with Mixer and Facebook, where the offers were bigger and the wining and dining was more aggressive. Ludwig even acknowledged it, but he says that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Will YouTube Truly Compete with Twitch

For Twitch, this may ultimately be a non-issue, but the number of streamers that have switched platforms paints an interesting picture. Grabbing random big streamers is one thing, but Ludwig had a lot of ties to Twitch, as he mentioned. Former Twitch streamer Dr Lupo regularly partnered with Twitch on massive charity streams but was willing to switch to YouTube Gaming.

The culture of Twitch and the feeling that it is one big, faceless corporation has been a topic of discussion for a long time but now it is manifesting in new ways. Some are questioning their value to Twitch, even as others are saying this is ultimately nothing new. Rumors, however, suggest Ludwig won't be the last to make the switch.

YouTube is still making moves and now has a new form of leverage to hold over Twitch. For the Amazon-owned company it may be time to start investing in the creators still on the platform, and at the very least giving them some words of encouragement now and then.