Ludwig reacts to GMHikaru joining Kick, says xQc might follow next

Ludwig gives his take on GMHikaru joining Kick (Image via Sportskeeda)

Popular YouTube streamer Ludwig recently shared his reaction to the news of Grandmaster Hikaru "GMHikaru" signing a non-exclusive deal with Kick. While the former had nothing negative to say about the move, he expressed surprise at the choice, given his impression that Kick was seeking a mainstream creator rather than a niche chess streamer.

Earlier this week, Kick announced that they will be adding five more big names to their roster. Ludwig also believes that fellow streamer Felix "xQc" could be one of them, although this has yet to be confirmed.

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"Are you f**king with me right now?" - Ludwig taken aback by GMHikaru's decision to join Kick

As a chess enthusiast, Ludwig has received coaching from Women's FIDE Master and streamer Alexandra Botez and Grand Master Hikaru Nakamura. Reacting to the latter's recent move to Kick, the streamer said:

"Are you f**king with me right now?...that's crazy. Man, I am curious how streaming chess will go on Kick. That's interesting, that's an interesting decision from Hikaru."

He continued:

"I thought the streamers were going to be like Bruce and more people in the variety streaming side. Less like, niche chess streamer."

Speaking about the six people that Kick had initially hinted at, he added:

"I imagine the people are like, I guess Hikaru. I bet Bruce, I bet Buddha, I bet one other GTA RP'er, I don't know of the top. I believe that X might sign a deal. I could 100% believe. Actually, he probably has a deal preventing him from doing this exact thing. Like, YouTube probably has signed him up with a deal that prevents him."

He did not confirm xQc's transfer to Kick, instead suggesting that it could be a possibility. He provided an example of a potential scenario where xQc could sign a "50-hour non-exclusive deal" with Kick while streaming for 400 hours on Twitch.

In his final thoughts, he hinted at Kai Cenat, YourRAGE, and BruceDropEmOff as potential creators who could also sign a non-exclusive deal with Kick.

Here's what the internet said

Hikaru is among the top chess creators on Twitch. His latest decision has sparked many reactions from Ludwig's community:

Ludwig's fan base comments on the move (Image via Ludwin Clips YouTube)

There has been speculation in the streaming community about the potential involvement of Guy "Dr DisRespect" with Kick. He recently reacted to questions about joining the platform, expressing frustration with the constant inquiries. However, he did mention that he would keep his audience updated on any future developments.