Ludwig and MoistCr1tiKaL’s Esports Pivot 🎮

They’ll lead Shopify’s esports team, Shopify Rebellion

Author

Hannah Doyle
22 Jan

Good morning. Seven-time author and creator John Green recently weighed in on the age-old debate—does listening to an audiobook count as reading? 

“Most people retain more information from audiobooks than print books,” Green said in a VlogBrothers video. “And if the job of a print book—as Horace said so long ago—is ‘to delight and instruct’ then audiobooks do that job.” Given our Audible shelf is deeper than our physical bookshelf, his take sounds very good to us.

MoistCr1tiKaL, Ludwig Merge Esports Team

Ludwig Ahgren (left) and MoistCr1tiKaL (right) merge Moist Esports with Shopify Rebellion / Redbull, WIRED, and Illustrations via Shopify Rebellion

Moist Esports, the esports team owned by gaming streamers Ludwig Ahgren and Charles Christopher White Jr. (aka MoistCr1tiKaL), has merged with Shopify’s esports team, Shopify Rebellion.

Context: Esports as an industry has struggled in recent years. Ludwig became co-owner of Moist Esports in 2023, but even with his support, Moist Esports has lost money. 

  • Last week, White Jr. said in a video that the team has never been profitable and he’s lost $4.2 million since the team started competing. 

  • FWIW, streamer Disguised Toast, who started his esports team Disguised in 2023, has also reported losing money. 

“I love this space, even though it’s infamous for being impossible to make profit in,” White Jr. said. “And you know what, I’d do it all over again [for the love of the game].”

Going forward, the combined teams will operate as Shopify Rebellion with Ludwig and MoistCr1tiKaL as owners. The potential business advantages of the merger: widening merch opportunities and creating a “more resilient” organization, Shopify Rebellion Founder Jeremy Steeves said in a statement.

Big picture: Despite early venture investment, esports has struggled to make money amid high player costs and shrinking sponsorship opportunities. That’s forced esports organizations to expand their policies to allow support from industries like sports betting. White Jr. said that the most successful esports brands like Karmine Corp and 100 Thieves primarily make their money through merchandise. 

A silver lining for the genre, despite recent speedbumps? Esports viewership is increasing, expected to top 600 million viewers this year.

How a Brand Designer Cofounded BigTime

Andy Paz (left) leads branding and merchandising for BigTime, which is hosted by Jeremiah Burton (second from right) and Zach Jobe (right) / Photography via Andy Paz, BigTime

Last year, designer Andy Paz co-founded auto YouTube channel BigTime after over a decade of working in fashion and music merchandising.

We spoke with Paz about his journey to YouTube and where BigTime is headed →

How he got here: Paz ran his own screenprinting business through high school and college, making designs for music creators like Odd Future and IllRoots.

In 2016, he started the design agency Six Ounce Studio with fellow designer Mike Cherman (who went on to start the fashion brand Chinatown Market). During that time, Paz helped create a clothing brand, SUCC International, around an alien meme account called Lil Mayo.

In 2021, Paz was recruited to join auto YouTube channel Donut. 

  • He helped grow Donut’s merch into a full apparel business, with seasonal collections and collaborations with retail brands like Zumiez. Paz said the brand grew from a six- to seven-figure business during his time there.

  • “I’ve seen what good product can do for a YouTube channel, and at some point it can outweigh the success of the content,” Paz told us.

In 2024, Paz started BigTime with fellow ex-Donut talent Jeremiah Burton and Zach Jobe. The channel ownership is split six ways among the founding hosts, video editors, and filmers including Paz, Jobe, and Burton.

Going forward: Paz will lead BigTime’s branding and merchandise by experimenting with new media, like sharing designs through livestreams. 

“I have to be pushing [the brand] forward in a way that’s not just looking like all the other merchandise out there,” Paz said. “Merchandising and creating a brand is [often] guessing. It’s important to do your research, build a brand package, and build a story around what you’re making.” 

This is part of our series covering the operators who power creator businesses behind the scenes—read more here. Know someone we should highlight? Hit reply and let us know.

Sponsored by Artlist

Your All-in-One Creative Powerhouse for 2025

If you’re a brand or video creator, there’s no shortage of platforms offering AI tools to fuel your work. But cutting through the noise of countless options can feel overwhelming.

Lucky for you, since 2016, there’s Artlist. And in 2025, their vision is to simplify your workflow by giving you even more of the premium experience they’ve become known for, and expanding the boundaries of AI.

Maximize your creative potential with access to innovative GenAI features, exclusive high-quality music, footage, AI voiceovers, and more. You can have all this, in one place, without needing to become a prompt engineer.

“Our goal is to make these tools not just innovative but truly accessible and practical for every creator,” said Artlist Chief Product Officer, Roee Peled.

Ready to create without limits this year? Learn how Artlist can make it happen in this post.

Platforms Look to Dominate Short-Form Video

Bluesky, Instagram, and X roll out short-form video features / Illustration by Moy Zhong

On Monday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order delaying the TikTok ban for at least 75 days, but the app still has a target on its back. 

So? Platforms are jockeying for a leadership position in short-form video given TikTok’s uncertain future →

Instagram has been giving creators cash bonuses up to $50K/month for exclusive Reels content, according to The Information. The app also recently extended Reels to three minutes and launched a video editing app.

BlueSky launched a custom feed for vertical video in its app. It now has a trending video section in the Explore tab, and users can pin the feed to show up on their home page.

X rolled out a Video Tab with an algorithmic feed of recommended videos reflecting the “real-time nature” of sports, news, entertainment, and more.

🔥 Press Worthy