Unge was born in 1990 as Simon Wiefels, and today he is one of the most well-known streamers in the German-speaking Twitch. We provide an overview of the career of the content creator.
What did Unge do before YouTube? Before he gained prominence as a content creator, Unge worked in a facility for people with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, he completed a training as an educator, which he finished in 2013 – by that time, he had already launched several YouTube channels.
What did the beginnings look like? In his first videos, which Unge posted on the channel “Unschwer” starting in May 2011, he mainly focused on the topics of “longboarding” and “dreadlocks” – the long, reddish hair was one of his trademarks until 2016.
In 2012, another YouTube channel titled “unproblematisch” was added, which focused on vegan nutrition, as Unge has been avoiding animal products for years. However, both channels have since been discontinued.
YouTube was initially just a hobby
When did it really take off? In 2012, the then 22-year-old started uploading Let’s Plays on his YouTube channel “ungespielt”. Originally, Unge had little time and desire to game because of his training, but a friend persuaded him to play Minecraft together.
Apart from the pixelated sandbox game, Unge also showcased horror games like Slender or casual games. With the format “Ungefilmt”, he also released personal video diaries and vlogs.
The concept was well-received – when Unge was invited to re:publica, an annual digital conference, in May 2013, he already had 90,000 subscribers. Unge invested his first earnings in his content, for instance purchasing a better microphone.
Back then, YouTube was clearly a hobby for him. Hardly anyone expected that he would eventually earn his living from it – Unge had actually planned to study social pedagogy after his training.
Minecraft, longboards, and parting ways with Mediakraft
How did Unge’s career develop? The YouTuber quickly became one of the most influential Let’s Players in the Minecraft scene. 2014 became an important year in multiple ways for his career:
- In April 2014, he co-directed the Minecraft project “Vanilla Roleplay” (Varo) with GermanLetsPlay, involving a total of 41 Let’s Players.
- In September, he took a longboard tour of over 1,400 kilometers with YouTubers Felix “Dner” von der Laden, Cheng Leow, and Julien Bam. They were accompanied by a team from the television show Stern TV, where Unge and Dner also appeared in October. Additionally, Unge released daily videos about the tour (via YouTube).
- At the end of 2014, in December, Unge announced in a video that he was having difficulties with his agency Mediakraft Networks. He accused them of not adequately supporting him with his projects. To Der Spiegel, he stated that he felt like he was in a gag contract (via YouTube).
As a consequence, he gave up his channels ungespielt and ungefilmt and started a new channel simply named Unge. This was quite a risk, as Unge had around 2 million subscribers and 30 million views per month at the time – fortunately, many of his subscribers followed him to the new channel.
What happened after the dispute? The agency largely denied Unge’s allegations but came under significant criticism as a result of the video. Several major content creators, including the YouTuber LeFloid, did not renew their contracts with Mediakraft Networks.
After his contract expired, Unge returned to his ungespielt channel, which he still operates as his main channel today.
Once around the world with Unge
Where did the journey go? While Unge primarily makes gaming and reaction content today, traveling was also an important part of his repertoire in the past. In April 2015, he embarked on a world trip, accompanied by various content creators.
Fans were allowed to determine via an app where the next destination should be, and there was also a live ticker reporting on the current status. The journey was frequently interrupted so that the participants could work on other projects back home.
In the summer of 2016, the project “0Tour – Without Money Around the World” followed, where Unge traveled together with YouTuber and streamer Papaplatte. The two traveled through Germany with hardly any money, making short detours to Austria and Switzerland.
During the tour, regular fan meetings occurred, but the support from viewers should remain at a minimum.
Where does Unge live today? In 2018, Unge finally turned his back on Germany and emigrated to the Portuguese island of Madeira. There, he founded the content clique “Schwinsel Gang,” which also included Reved, one of the now largest German female streamers.
Currently, Unge lives on his property in Madeira, where houses for himself and his whole family will gradually be built. The former horse farm also has space for additional amenities like a fitness area or a dog park.
Over time, there are plans to accommodate animals in need, creating a kind of sanctuary. In March 2022, Unge showed his domain to moderator Kai Pflaume. He also owned additional properties on the island – in his community, it’s a sort of running gag that he practically owns half the island.
However, Unge sold his multi-family house with a total of 6 apartments after he found his dream home on the property (via YouTube).
Wealth with meat alternatives
Where does all the money actually come from? According to Unge, his hobby of uploading videos to YouTube made him a millionaire. There is certainly a fair portion of luck involved, as the YouTuber has a significantly higher CPM in double digits than, for example, his colleague Trymacs.
However, the now 31-year-old did not rely solely on income from his videos and streams.
Unge was able to increase his wealth through smart investments in stocks and cryptocurrencies. The convinced vegan invested early in the meat substitute startup “Beyond Meat,” which eventually had a highly successful IPO.
Unge invested the profits in the car company Tesla, demonstrating yet again a golden touch with his investments.
Additionally, he invested in bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. However, Unge sold his cryptocurrencies to afford the farm, as he generally does not buy on credit – a fortunate decision, as prices plummeted shortly after.
Moreover, there are revenues from product placements and rather unusual investment opportunities like Pokémon cards. On top of that, Unge has his own merchandise shop and since 2021, his own condom company with wtf.social.
How does it look in 2023?
Where is Unge today? Today, Unge has over 3.7 million subscribers on YouTube, placing him in the top 100 of the most subscribed German channels (via SocialBlade). However, Unge now mainly uses his channel to post clips from his streams on Twitch.
He was inactive on the livestreaming platform for a while but returned in December 2021. Since then, he has primarily showcased World of Warcraft, engages with his viewers in “Just Chatting,” or reacts to other content as part of the “ungeklickt” format.
On average, between 3,200 and 3,600 people watch him simultaneously. For the release of Wrath of the Lich King Classic in September 2022 and Dragonflight in November 2022 (both WoW), he even landed in the top 5 of German streamers based on hours watched and became one of the most-watched WoW streamers worldwide (via sullygnome).
After his first Subathon, which ended on January 9, 2023, after 55 days, Unge took a break and went on a short vacation with his girlfriend. Since March 12, Unge has been on a streaming break. He is using this time to game and work on yet-to-be-revealed projects.
Nevertheless, there are new reaction videos on Unge’s YouTube channel at irregular intervals.
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