MoistCr1TiKaL and Ludwig now co-own one of the world’s biggest esports orgs

Ludwig Moist Cr1TiKaL co-own shopifyRed Bull/MoistCr1TiKaL

Moist Esports and Shopify Rebellion have merged, making MoistCr1TiKaL and Ludwig co-owners of one of the biggest esports orgs in the world, Shopify Rebellion.

Shopify Rebellion has made big moves to get involved in Riot Games, especially in 2024. Not only did they enter the LCS to kick off the year, they’ve also consistently had one of the best Valorant Game Changers teams and have invested in other esports like DOTA 2, Street Fighter, Halo, Smash, Rainbow 6, and more.

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And now, with Ludwig and MoistCr1TiKaL signing on, these two YouTubers are now co-owners of one of the biggest orgs in esports. This includes them co-owning a team in the LCS (now LTA North) and being a part of some of the biggest competitive circuits.

While this is an exciting move for these two YouTubers and the players on current teams, it has come at a cost.

Moist Esports merges with Shopify Rebellion

Moist Esports started as a venture from MoistCr1TiKaL, something that Ludwig would end up getting in on when they made the Moist Moguls Valorant team and eventually became a co-owner of Moist.

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From there, the two YouTubers put together some of the best teams in the world for both Rocket League and Apex Legends, putting their org on the map as a real threat while simultaneously digging themselves in a hole financially.

This is something they acknowledge even in their announcement video, and something Disguised Toast has also been open about in talking about the scene. You only make money in esports if you’re in the big leagues.

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Fortunately, this merger puts both YouTubers in a position to be a part of one of the biggest orgs out there. Content creator orgs have become a pretty standard thing, with teams like Caedrel’s Los Ratones and Disguised Toast’s Disguised both making waves.

This is, however, the first time an org with financial backing the likes of Shopify is doing a true merger with a creator made-org. It’s somewhat similar to what Ibai did with KOI, except he kept the name he wanted and got backing from other investors.

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With Shopify Rebellion having dozens of players under its umbrella across several esports, they have reach that’s outmatched only by industry titans like Cloud9 and Team Liquid.

However, this has come at a cost, as some players and staff at Moist were laid off. Hotashi, one of the best Guilty Gear players in the world, confirmed that he was getting dropped by Moist.

Aaron, a Smash player that was sponsored by Moist, has also been dropped.

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Other staff members like Moist’s graphic designer have also been laid off as the team drops its branding in the merger. So, while it’s a big win for both Charlie and Ludwig, it does come at a cost for several now-former Moist employees.