Ludwig Addresses Backlash to Speedrunning Event Reveal
Streamer and esports enthusiast Ludwig Ahgren, usually known for hosting a variety of creator-focused events such as Mogul Chess Boxing and World's Greatest Gamer, has come under fire with the speedrunning community following the announcement of his latest project — Fast50
After explaining that Good Games Done Quick had lost its magic after becoming a bit too mainstream, Ludwig announced that he was going to host his own speedrunning-themed charity event in an attempt to bring back that old school vibe. Unfortunately, it has caused a huge amount of drama for speedrunners.
Before the official event announcement above, Ludwig had sent out a tweet asking for speedrunner recommedations. The niche competitive community stepped up with a lot of top speedrunners and speedrun-focused content creators but noticed that none of them were in the current lineup.
i got a crazy idea for an event.. if there are any speedrunners who wanna be a part of it hmu 👀
— ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) May 10, 2024
Fast 50 Speedrun Marathon Has Speedrun Community Angry
Called the Fast 50, Ludwig is going to host a speedrun event from May 31 - June 2 that aims to raise money for charity while bringing content creators together to entertain viewers. But that's where the issue lies — Ludwig called the featured creators "speedrunners" but some are not considered speedrunning-focused content creators and some don't even do that kind of gaming heavily at all.
Said one angry gamer: "What's the point of putting out a tweet asking for speedrunners if you're only making ~50% of the roster dedicated speedrunners? Like, this isn't a speedrunning event, it's a 'let's get my friends together and have a good time, and we also might play games fast' event."
Someone replied that Ludwig was probably trying to drum up views with larger names but gamers argued back that he should have called it a "content creator event" instead.
Other concerns about the lineup include the lack of diversity. All of the content creators featured in the initial lineup reveal for Fast 50 are white males.
Hey Ludwig!
— Jupie ✨ (@jupieverse) May 23, 2024
Did you know the leader of the Twitch Women's Guild is a notable speedrunner? Check out @CocoConfession would love to see some women featured in your events.
Ludwig Responds to Speedrunning Controversy
As speedrunners continued to critique the initial lineup, Ludwig responded that they were "gatekeepers." This was seen as bullying, especially since Ludwig has a massive amount of fans who started sending hate to any speedrunner that he replied to on X.
Said one X user: "Then what was the point in you wanting to reach out to speedrunners Ludwig? A genuine question. This ain't gatekeeping, it's a community rightfully biting back after they feel like they were tricked."
Ludwig responded that he reached out to "dozens" of the speedrunners who were nominated for the idea at the time of his original tweet.
Spyro speedrunner Lumilaura later took to the social platform to say that she was included in that yet-to-be-revealed final roster.
just got word i can talk about it, i- a woman, have officially been invited to ludwig's speedrunning event :)
— lumilaura (@lumilauraa) May 23, 2024
wish me luck!
The initial lineup reveal certainly painted a concerning picture for many speedrunning community members, but it is worth noting that Ludwig has featured women and marginalized groups in his events in the past. He has also been outspoken about the treatment of women in the content creation space, including asking the former CEO of YouTube about a perceived double standard in content moderation.
Late Friday night, Ludwig uploaded a second video to his Mogul Mail channel addressing the various criticisms point by point, confirming that the full roster of the event was in fact more diverse than the initial reveal roster would imply.
Esports Illustrated has reached out to Ludwig's content and event companies Mogul Moves and Offbrand for comment.
OLIVIA RICHMAN
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!