Ludwig “Ludwig” Ahgren has established himself as one of the biggest names in streaming, spawning a number of different trends and finding new ways to leverage his popularity.
Streaming is a unique form of entertainment because it’s always there and there’s always something happening. That makes it relatively hard to stand out, but Ludwig is one of the few personalities who has cracked the code and made it so appointment viewing still exists in this new landscape.
Whether it’s a subathon on Twitch or a chess boxing tentpole show on YouTube, Ludwig is always up to something big. Here’s his story and some of the biggest moments in his career so far.
Who is Ludwig?
Ludwig Ahgren is a streamer who has enjoyed major success on both Twitch and YouTube. He has also established himself as a notable figure in a number of different Nintendo titles including Pokemon and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by competing in or organizing esports events. His network of associated acts is vast and he can often be spotted alongside Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, Connor “CDawgVA” Colquhoun, and many others.
The streamer enjoyed a rapid rise to success. While others like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins were grinding on-air for years before breaking out, Ludwig went from streaming part-time in 2018 to being the biggest name on Twitch in under three years.
Ludwig broke Ninja’s long-standing active subscription record during his 2021 subathon and hit 283,066 subscribers. His record stood until 2023 when streamer Kai Cenat ran a subathon of his own and reached 305,344 active subscribers. Despite enjoying unprecedented success on Twitch, he left the platform less than a year after his subathon.
What is Ludwig’s real name?
YouTube streamer Ludwig is really named Ludwig Anders Ahgren. He is of French and Swedish ancestry, although he’s a natural-born American.
Interestingly, Ludwig pronounces his own name as “Lewd-vig”, something he deems to be a “bastardization” of his actual name. His mother still calls him “oud-vig”, owing to her French ancestry, but he changed the name’s pronunciation in second grade because “everybody wanted to bully a kid named ‘oud-vig.’”
Where is Ludwig streaming?
Ludwing currently streams on YouTube after signing an exclusivity deal back in 2021.
Ludwig was once the most successful streamer on Twitch, and he leveraged his success to land an exclusivity deal with YouTube. While this means he can no longer stream on Twitch in any capacity, it didn’t take long for his Twitch followers to migrate to YouTube.
Given that Ludwig’s March 2021 subathon broke Ninja’s all-time sub count, his drawing power was undeniable. He continues putting on large, splashy events like a chessboxing competition and a tournament to crown the greatest gamer of all time. He will occasionally pop up on Twitch as part of other streamers’ broadcasts or in chats, but his stream has been dark for some time now.
Why did Ludwig leave Twitch?
Ludwig left Twitch in 2021 after receiving an exclusive offer from YouTube. He noted feeling underappreciated by Twitch and stated that his love for the platform was unrequited.
“I realized at that moment that even though I’ve been with Twitch for three-plus years, even though people call me ‘the golden boy of Twitch,’ I never felt like the golden boy of Twitch. I never felt particularly loved by Twitch. I love Twitch but it hasn’t been a two-way street,” Ludwig said during a fan Q&A.
Details regarding Ludwig’s deal with YouTube were not publicly disclosed but the decision came at a time when Twitch was overhauling its handling of content creators. For several years, Twitch routinely signed prominent streamers to exclusive contracts with guaranteed cash. As Twitch’s market share grew and competitors stopped spending large amounts to sign streamers, Twitch pulled back from offering large contracts.
Though Ludwig didn’t offer exact details, he also acknowledged that YouTube also had lower hours-per-month requirements. Many different streamers have discussed struggling with work-life balance due to Twitch’s time requirements.
How long has Ludwig been streaming?
Ludwig started streaming in 2018 and is currently in his fifth year as a professional streamer.
Surprisingly, Ludwig is a relatively “young” streamer in the grand scheme of things. He began his career in 2018 playing games such as Super Smash Bros. Melee, Dark Souls, and a variety of other games. Most of his contemporaries such were streaming or creating content for much longer than he was before breaking through.
He enjoyed an extremely quick rise to the top and has also had one of the most successful transitions between streaming platforms to date. With the regularity of his events and the sheer number of other content creators he collaborates with, he could remain one of the biggest names on social media for some time.
Who is Ludwig dating?
Ludwig has been dating fellow streamer QTCinderella since 2020. It’s unknown when they first began dating, but Ludwig publicly announced their relationship that May, with QTCinderella cheekily acknowledging it:
The couple has appeared together in content on many occasions and Ludwig has discussed their relationship at length. Though Ludwig left Twitch in order to stream exclusively on YouTube, QTCinderella remains on Twitch though she does publish videos to her YouTube channel regularly.
Who is Ludwig’s sister?
Ludwig’s sister is Pernilla Ahgren. Ludwig’s sister Pernilla also has a YouTube channel of her own.
Her content is mostly centered around vlogs and Q&As. She sometimes collaborates with Ludwig and QTCinderella in her videos.
Will Ludwig run another chess boxing event?
It’s unlikely that Ludwig will run another chess boxing event like the one seen in 2022.
In December 2022, Ludwig hosted a unique event that combined two trends in streaming. The 2018 boxing match between YouTubers Logan Paul and Olajide Olayinka Williams “KSI” Olatunji led to a number of Celebrity Boxing-style events around popular streamers and YouTubers, and chess became one of the most popular games on Twitch in 2020.
The event garnered significant attention across social media and had numerous sponsors, but proved to be a net loss. He stated on YouTube that the event ultimately cost him $200,000. He hoped that he could recover some of that by creating more content surrounding the event.
In 2023, Ludwig revealed that he attempted to organize another chessboxing event, but was unable to do so. Nuances regarding the rules prevented from getting a license through the Nevada State Athletic Commission and he was unable to secure a different regulator. He states that the event falling through cost him over $100,000.
What is Ludwig’s company?
Ludwig is the founder and co-owner of the creative agency Offbrand. He also became a co-owner of Moist Esports in January 2023.
Ludwig has leveraged his brand to create his own companies. Offbrand is a creative agency he started with Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing, Nathan Stanz, and Nick Allen in September 2022, which is his most notable effort to date. In June 2023, the variety streamer Jerma985 joined Offbrand as its chief creative officer.
In January 2023, Ludwig became co-owner of Moist Esports, partnering with fellow streamer and organization founder Charles “MoistCr1tikal” White. Following his addition as co-owner, the organization partnered with digital retailer Shopify to sign a Valorant team.
Does Ludwig own Moist Esports?
Ludwig is a co-owner of Moist Esports alongside MoistCr1TiKaL. The organization was founded in 2021, with Ludwig signing on to the team in January 2023.
Moist Esports was built by MoistCr1TiKaL after partnering with professional Super Smash Bros. player Kolawole “SALTONE” Aideyan. He has his own branch of the team dubbed Moist Moguls that competes in multiple games including Smash Bros. Melee and Riot Games’ tactical shooter Valorant.
What is Ludwig’s net worth?
Ludwig’s net worth has been estimated to be over $7 million.
The exact size of his bank account is unknown but a portion of his income was revealed in the October 2021 Twitch leaks. This enormous data breach revealed the exact amount of money earned from subscriptions, ad revenue, and Twitch bits by the top 10,000 streamers on the platform. During that time, Ludwig took in $3,290,777.55 from Twitch.
That’s a large sum but it doesn’t count a number of other revenue streams such as direct sponsorships, affiliate deals, or income from other platforms like YouTube. This means that his actual income during that time was higher than the amount disclosed in the Twitch leaks.
The move from Twitch to YouTube has certainly paid off in spades for the streamer, who claims that his company now earns about $25,000 USD per day from the platform. He cites that hiring employees early on to handle the logistics of his media empire as the reason for his success. In Graham Stephan’s video, Ludwig states that his company is now making $10 million USD annually.
Ludwig’s contract with YouTube likely represented a sizable windfall for him, but it’s unclear whether he is making the same amount through subscriptions and ads on YouTube. He has also famously lost large amounts of cash through events he has organized including his chess boxing event and his Ludwig Smash Invitational esports event.
Is Ludwig a Smash Bros. commentator or a pro player?
Ludwig is a Smash Bros. organizer and commentator, but is not an esports competitor.
Ludwig is the organizer of the Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series and Ludwig Smash Invitational. He often serves as an esports commentator for both tournaments.
After the high-profile cease-and-desist that the Smash Bros. Melee Tournament The Big House 10 received from Nintendo, he held an impromptu charity tournament, where he raised $261,668 for Gamers for Love. After Nintendo’s new restrictions on tournaments, he revealed that he was actually sued by Nintendo over one of the events he ran.
