Ludwig Anders Ahgren (born July 6, 1995), sometimes knownmononymously asLudwig, is an Americanlive streamer,YouTuber, podcaster, comedian,esports commentator andcompetitor. Ahgren is best known for his live streams onTwitch from 2018 through late 2021, and onYouTube beginning in late 2021, where he broadcasts video-game-related content as well as non-video-game-related content such asgame shows and contests. He is also known for his work as anesports commentator at variousSuper Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. He is the co-owner of the esports organizationShopify Rebellion. He began streaming full-time on February 16, 2019.
While holding a widely publicized "subathon" event, Ahgren became the most-subscribed Twitch streamer of all time in 2021, eventually reaching around 282,000 subscribers at its peak, beating the previous record set by fellow streamerNinja. On November 29, 2021, Ahgren announced that he had signed an exclusive deal withYouTube Gaming. At the2022 Streamer Awards, Ahgren won the award for "Streamer of the Year". He became aRed Bull athlete in 2024.[2]
Ahgren began live streaming onTwitch part-time on May 16, 2018,[‡ 5][8] going full-time on February 16, 2019.[‡ 6] During 2018 and 2019, Ahgren's stream had a relatively small audience, mostly streaming the video gamesSuper Smash Bros. Melee,Mario Party 2, andDark Souls.[7][9]Since as early as June 2019, he has frequently made collaborative content with his current partner and fellow streamerQTCinderella.[10][11]On November 10, 2019, Ahgren set the world record for thebutton-mashing mini-gameDomination fromMario Party 4.[12][13] According toPolygon, Ahgren's record was faster than atool-assisted speedrun bot;[12] according toKotaku, this is false, since the bot was capped at a score of 160, while Ahgren was playing on a modified version that removes the cap.[13]Polygon's Owen S. Good said, "If aliens landed and I had to explain what video games are and why they are fun, I'd show them this. Take a bow, Ludwig."[12]
In December 2020, both Ahgren's YouTube channel and his Twitch channel reached over one million followers; Cale Michael ofDot Esports credited his rapid growth to his "Twitch stream expanding, continued collaboration with other big creators, and his willingness to try new forms of content out both live and for his YouTube channel."[17]
In January 2021, Ahgren began hosting a game show on Twitch, titledHivemind, with fellow streamerCr1TiKaL.[18][19] In October 2021, Ahgren was among a multitude of streamers whose earnings from Twitch were revealed in a data breach; between August 2019 and October 2021, Ahgren had earned $3.3 million through Twitch, which Ahgren confirmed.[20]
On March 14, 2021,[21]Ahgren held a subathon that ran for 30 days, ending on April 13, 2021.[22] A "subathon", short for "subscription marathon", is a type of livestream on Twitch where every time a streamer receives a subscription—US$5 donations from viewers[23]—more time is added to a descending timer.[24][25] Once the timer reaches zero, the stream ends.[24] Ahgren received around 282,000 subscriptions during his subathon,[24] breaking the previous record set in 2018 byTyler "Ninja" Blevins of the most concurrent subscribers on Twitch.[24][25] His record lasted until February 2023, when it was broken byKai Cenat.[26]
2021–present: Move to YouTube
Ludwig on an IRL stream in 2022.
On November 29, 2021, Ahgren announced he would depart from live streaming on Twitch and moved toYouTube Gaming on November 30. He announced this with a short comedy sketch, where he blew up a purple car symbolizing Twitch.[27][28][29] According toDot Esports, Ahgren cited his move to YouTube as one of the reasons why Twitch later relaxed its exclusivity rules for itspartnered streamers.[30]
In December 2021, Ahgren received twoDMCA-related bans, temporarily suspending his streams.[31][32][33] On September 11, 2022, Ahgren was banned for a third time during a stream where he deliberately played the copyrighted song "Go!!!" to see how quickly he would be banned. He was banned after one minute and thirty-one seconds which he claimed was a "world record".[33]
From October 21 to 23, Ahgren organized an invitational tournament forSuper Smash Bros. Melee andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate inLas Vegas, Nevada with 32-player brackets and a prize pool of $30,002 for both games, which was increased to $52,502 due to a cross-promotion withCapital One.[38] The event was broadcast across Ahgren's andAlpharad's channels.[39] On October 20, the day before the event was scheduled to begin, Ahgren revealed that a major sponsor had backed out at the last minute. YouTuberMrBeast signed on as a sponsor through his company Feastables.[40] According to Ahgren and tournament organizer Aiden 'Calvin' McCaig, the event cost $200,000 to produce.[41]
Ahgren during an interview in 2022
Ahgren would host anotherSmash invitational, the Scuffed World Tour, on December 18, in light of community uproar surroundingNintendo and Panda due to the cancellation of the 2022 Smash World Tour Championships. Intending to rival Panda's Panda Cup Finale, which was to be held on the same weekend before it got postponed,[42] Ahgren invited the top sixteenMelee andUltimate players from Smash World Tour 2022 to compete with the primary goal of raising money to support VGBootCamp, the organizers of Smash World Tour.[43][44]
From September 2 to 3, 2023, Ahgren collaborating with YouTube, hosted a livestreamed gaming tournament calledWorld's Greatest, where he invited 17 participant to compete in various game such asStreet Fighter 6,Minecraft,Tetris,Fortnite,Trackmania, and many more.[45][46]
On July 13, 2024, Ahgren appeared in a MrBeast video titled "50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000".[47][48] From August 17 to 18, Ahgren hosted a livestreamed athletic competition calledLudwig's Streamer Games, where content creators competed in a mix of traditional track and field events alongside schoolyard games with a twist, including the 1m + 99m Dash,Gymnastics, and theTungsten Cube Toss. The event featured content creators from gaming organizations such asFaZe Clan,100 Thieves,OTV,Red Bull, and more.[49] In December 2024, the event won Best Streamed Event at The Streamer Awards.[50]
On November 30, 2024, Ahgren announced that his YouTube live streaming contract had ended.[51][52] On December 8, Ahgren announced his return to Twitch for the first time in 3 years.[53]
In 2025, Ahgren and fellow YouTuberMichael Reeves documented their journey acrossJapan in daily vlogs, traveling on motorcycles without the use of smartphones, maps, orexpressways. The duo began atCape Sata, the southernmost point of Japan, and reachedCape Soya, the northernmost point, fourteen days later.[54]
The tenth track on the albumLud and Schlatt Crossing by Lud and Schlatts Musical Emporium. Music by Phillip Milman in 2023; funded by Ludwig Ahgren and Jschlatt.
In December 2020, Ahgren released aChristmas album,A Very Mogul Christmas, to allow streamers to listen to Christmas music without receiving DMCA strikes.[55]
On September 28, 2022, Ahgren andJschlatt, a fellow content creator, founded the YouTube channel "Lud and Schlatts Musical Emporium", a project to release royalty-free recordings of famous compositions and two original songs in the style of Nintendo video game music for use in content creation.[56][57]
The Yard podcast
In July 2021, Ahgren announced the launch of his newpodcast calledThe Yard podcast[58] with co-hosts Nick Vercillo, Aiden Calvin, and Anthony 'Slime' Bruno.[59] In April 2022, YouTube CEOSusan Wojcicki appeared as a guest on the podcast.[60] On December 7, 2022, they announced on Twitter the launch of season 2 of the podcast with a brand new setup.[61] On July 27, 2023, the podcast was nominated for the13th Streamy Awards in the podcast category.[62][63]
Offbrand
"Offbrand" redirects here. For the term used to describe brands that are generic, seegeneric brand.
On September 27, 2022, Ahgren announced the founding of thecreative agency Offbrand, along with fellow streamersBrandon 'Atrioc' Ewing, Nathan Stanz, and Nick Allen. The company held their first game show calledJuiced, a game show hosted by Canadian Twitch streamer Félix 'xQc' Lengyel.[64] On June 12, 2023, Twitch streamer and YouTuberJerma985, joined as the company'schief creative officer (CCO).[65] In June 2024, Ahgren announced that the company is becoming aworker-owned cooperative, which will allow all of its staff members to have a say in its operations and corporate decision-making.[66] Later that month, after a year serving as the company's chief creative officer, Jerma985 left the company due to personal reasons.[67] On December 13, 2024, it was announced the studio had closed due to failure to make a sustainable business model.[67]
Offbrand Games
On June 7, 2024, Ahgren and PirateSoftware's CEO, Jason "Thor" Hall, announced the launch of their new game publisher company called Offbrand Games.[68][69] Their first release wasRivals of Aether II, which had a Windows release on October 23, 2024.[70]
Other
In May 2022, Ahgren announced the launch of his new company called Truffle, abrowser extension focused on fixing problems within the livestreaming space.[71][72][73]
On October 15, 2022, Ahgren announced the launch of Swipe, hisbidet product line.[74][75]
In January 2023, Ahgren announced that he had joined as a co-owner ofMoist Esports, an American esports organization founded by fellow streamer Cr1TiKaL.[76][77] In January 2025, Ahgren and White would become co-owners ofShopify Rebellion, effectively merging Moist Esports with the Canadian organization.[78]
Philanthropy
In November 2020, after theMelee tournamentThe Big House 10 received acease and desist letter from Nintendo,[79] Ahgren announced the Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series 3, an impromptu charity tournament.[80] Taking place between December 20 and 21, it raised $261,668 for Gamers for Love.[81]
In February 2021, Ahgren paid and donated $53,000 to hang out withShroud at a charity auction stream for the fundraiser forAlveus Sanctuary, a non-profit exotic animal sanctuary and virtual education center, owned by fellow Twitch streamerMaya Higa.[82][83]
Ahgren during a promotional shoot forState Farm Gamerhood Challenge charity event in 2023
In January 2022, Ahgren held a charity auction stream where he auctioned his stream-related items such as hisYouTooz figure, custom controllers, his iconicCars bed, where he slept during his infamous2021 subathon, and his silver YouTube play button to his viewers. He managed to raise more than $100,000 forNo Kid Hungry.[84]
AtDreamHack Atlanta 2022 in November 2022, Ahgren raised more than $315,000 for Alveus Sanctuary and No Kid Hungry through a 50-hour glass box stream. According to Stream Hatchet, the stream received 882,000 hours of viewing and peaked at 57,500 watchers at the end.[85][86]
In June 2023, Ahgren participated in the 5-weekState Farm Gamerhood Challenge charity event along with content creators such as Ninja, Jessica Blevins, Typical Gamer, Krystalogy, ImDontai, and BlackKrystel. Ahgren and Typical Gamer ended up winning the event and raising $100,000 for their non-profit of choice,Feeding America.[87][88]
From May 31 to June 2, 2024, Ahgren organized and hosted Ludwig Fast 50, a livestreamedspeedrunning charity event featuring popular content creators and speed runners attempting to break speed run records in a variety of retro and new games. By the end of the event, they managed to raise over $251,924 for Wings For Life and No Kid Hungry.[89]
^Michael, Cale (February 7, 2021)."CodeMiko on Twitch: 'It hurts because I feel like they see me as a toxic person'".Dot Esports. GAMURS Group.Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 12, 2021.She also confirmed that Twitch mandated she be removed from a future episode of Hivemind, the platform's new game show hosted by streamers Ludwig and Moistcr1tikal. This decision also applied to any other Twitch-sponsored events that would have featured Miko in some form during her suspension.
^Miceli, Max (August 19, 2021)."American Eagle seeks attention of young customers with new Twitch sponsorship".Dot Esports. GAMURS Group.Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 12, 2021.Not to be confused with Twitch Rivals, the Twitchgaming channel is primarily used as a vehicle for broadcasting a podcast calledThe Weekly, as well as a gameshow-type series calledHivemind with Ludwig and MoistCr1TiKaL.
^Polhamus, Blaine (November 29, 2021)."Ludwig moves to YouTube Gaming".Dot Esports. GAMURS Group.Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. RetrievedNovember 30, 2021.
^Ahgren, Ludwig (September 28, 2021).So Wikipedia Speedruns Exist...Ludwig (Video).Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. RetrievedMay 18, 2022 – via YouTube.
^Ahgren, Ludwig [@LudwigAhgren] (July 6, 2021)."26" (Tweet).Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. RetrievedAugust 26, 2021 – viaTwitter.
_(Ludwig_crop).jpg)
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
