Ludwig to host biggest Smash Ultimate & Melee tournaments ever with $1m prize pool
Smash / LudwigAfter leaving Twitch for YouTube, streamer Ludwig Ahgren has revealed he has plans to host the biggest Smash tournament of all time, with an insane prize pool that will cost upwards of $1 million.
On November 29, one of Twitch’s biggest names decided to join the likes of CouRage and Dr Disrespect on YouTube – that man was Ludwig, who has over 3.1 million followers on the platform he’s leaving.
Many of them will likely shift over to his new home in due course, as it will be his exclusive destination for the foreseeable future.
While this might be good or bad news for those who watch him already, the deal will be hugely popular with fans of Smash Ultimate and Smash Melee, as they’re getting a huge tournament as part of the package.
NintendoLudwig reveals Smash tournament plans for 2022
This announcement comes after Nintendo confirmed they would start to support Smash tournaments with an esports circuit on November 18, which is something the scene had been pining for.
During an interview on the Stanz Show, the streamer revealed his plans to go one better and to run the largest Smash tournament in history. He also noted how these ambitions were a key consideration when picking which company he would sign for. As we now know, he chose YouTube.
“That doesn’t mean I’m just getting the bag and not streaming. Let me give you an example that’s cool, in 2022 I will make the biggest Smash tournament of all time. It will be the biggest in entrance and prize pool for Melee and Ultimate.
“This will probably cost $1 million, straight up, between prize pool, venue, and all that.”
(Watch the segment below at 5:00)
How it affected his decision
Throughout the interview, the new YouTube exclusive creator revealed the Smash tournament idea actually pushed him towards the YouTube deal, instead of Twitch.
Ludwig said: “I was leaning towards Twitch for 99% of it [the negotiation], but while I was leaning towards Twitch, I was like OK – I’ll do a subathon, run ads, have more money, and that’s how I’ll afford this tournament. I was genuinely thinking of giving up a month of my life so I had the resources to throw away $1 million, and it not be stupid.
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“At this point, I have like 10 employees, so I can’t throw away $1 million,” he added. “Being with YouTube, I can just do that and it’s totally chill. I don’t have to stress about being live, or trying to make the money – they allowed me to just do those projects.”
Ludwig is yet to confirm any dates for the Smash tournament he intends to set up, but based on what we do know from a prize pool standpoint, this is something fans of the fighting game genre will be really interested in.