Former streamer of streaming platform Twitch Ludwig Aghren recently explained why he eventually left for YouTube, despite his love for the Amazon-owned platform.
Most people are aware that Twitch streamer Ludwig Aghren has left the platform to focus solely on YouTube Gaming. Aghren isn’t the first Twitch streamer to make the switch to YouTube, and he’s unlikely to be the last, but his candor in discussing his decision to leave Twitch is refreshing.
Most people assume Ludwig left Twitch for financial reasons, and while he admits that YouTube offered him a more lucrative contract, he chose to stay with Twitch. Ludwig felt more inclined to stay with Twitch, as he explains in a video titled “Why I Left Twitch.” He even flipped a coin and felt relieved when the randomized result told him to stick with the Amazon-owned streaming platform.
What struck Ludwig as odd, however, was YouTube’s continued lobbying for him to join their platform. Ludwig began to notice that Twitch didn’t seem to value him as highly as he valued the company. Ludwig was once Twitch’s most popular streamer, breaking subscriber records previously held by Ninja, but he received no recognition from the company. In some ways, it appeared that Twitch took Ludwig for granted, and this is what eventually drove him to YouTube.
When Ludwig mentioned this, a number of other streamers expressed a similar sentiment. When discussing a potential switch to YouTube, TimTheTatman, another streamer who left for YouTube, revealed that he had a similar experience with Twitch.
Despite the fact that TimTheTatman had been streaming longer on Twitch than Ludwig, he appears to have been treated the same way.
Obviously, YouTube will do more to entice streamers to use its platform. YouTube Gaming is still trying to catch up to Twitch, despite the fact that Twitch has already reached the summit. The same thing happened with Mixer and Facebook, where the deals were bigger and the wining and dining was more aggressive. Ludwig even admitted it, but he claims it doesn’t make it any less painful.
Will YouTube be able to compete with Twitch in the long run?
This may be a non-issue for Twitch but the number of content creators and streamers who have switched platforms paints an interesting picture. Grabbing random big streamers is one thing, but Ludwig, as he mentioned, had a lot of ties to Twitch. Dr Lupo, who regularly collaborated with streaming platform Twitch on large charity streams, was open to switching to YouTube Gaming.
Twitch’s culture and the perception that it is one big, faceless corporation has long been a topic of debate, but it is now manifesting in new ways. Some are questioning their worth to Twitch, while others argue that this is nothing new. According to rumors, Ludwig will not be the last to make the switch.
YouTube is still making moves, and it now has a new weapon in its arsenal against Twitch. It may be time for the Amazon-owned company to start investing in the remaining creators on the platform, or at the very least offering them some words of encouragement from time to time.
