Unge was born in 1990 as Simon Wiefels, today he is one of the most well-known streamers on the German-speaking Twitch. We give you an overview of the career of the content creator.
What did Unge do before YouTube? Before making it big as a content creator, Unge worked at a facility for people with intellectual disabilities. He also completed an apprenticeship as an educator, which he completed in 2013 – by that time he already had several YouTube channels.
What were the beginnings like? In his first videos, which Unge posted on the “Unschwer” channel on YouTube from May 2011, it was mainly about “longboarding” and “dreadlocks” – the long, reddish hair was one of his trademarks until 2016.
In 2012, another YouTube channel was added with “unproblematic”, which is about vegan nutrition, because Unge has not used animal products for years. However, both channels have now been discontinued.
YouTube was just a hobby at first
When did it really start? Also in 2012, the then 22-year-old began uploading “unplayed” Let’s Plays to his YouTube channel. Due to his training, Unge had little time or desire to gamble, but a friend persuaded him to play Minecraft together.
In addition to the pixelated sandbox game, Unge also showed horror games such as Slender and casual games. Unge also published personal video diaries and vlogs using the “Unfilmed” format.
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 example by buying a better microphone.
Back then, YouTube was still clearly a hobby for him. Hardly anyone expected that he would one day earn his living with it – in fact, Unge had also planned to study social pedagogy after completing his training.
Minecraft, longboards and separation from Mediakraft
How did Unge’s career develop? The YouTuber quickly became one of the most influential Let’s Players in the Minecraft scene. 2014 ended up being an important year in his career in several ways:
As a consequence, he gave up his channels unplayed and unfilmed and started a new channel simply called Unge. It was quite a risk because Unge had around 2 million subscribers and 30 million views per month at the time – luckily many of his subscribers followed him to the new channel.
What happened after the fight? The agency largely denied Unge’s allegations, but came under massive criticism as a result of the video. Several major content creators, including YouTuber LeFloid, did not renew their deal with Mediakraft Networks.
After his own contract expired, Unge returned unplayed to his channel, which he still runs as his main channel to this day.
Around the world with Unge
Where did the journey go? While Unge mainly makes gaming and reaction content these days, travel used to be an important part of his repertoire. In April 2015, for example, he started a world tour accompanied by changing content creators.
Fans could use an app to determine where to go next, and there was also a live ticker that reported on the current status. In between, the trip was repeatedly interrupted so that those involved could work on other projects at home.
In the summer of 2016, the project “0Tour – without money through the world” followed, in which Unge was on the road together with the YouTuber and streamer Papaplatte. The two traveled through Germany almost without money, with short detours to Austria and Switzerland.
There were regular fan meetings throughout the tour, but spectator support for the trip should be kept to a minimum.
Where does Un 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 largest German streamers.
Unge now lives on his estate in Madeira, where little by little houses for himself and his whole family are to be built. On the former horse farm there is also space for additional amenities such as a fitness area or a dog park.
Over time, animals that are in need will also be taken in there, a kind of sanctuary. In March 2022, Unge showed his kingdom to moderator Kai Pflaume. He also owned other properties on the island – in his community it is a kind of running gag that he practically owns half the island.
However, Unge sold his apartment building with a total of 6 apartments after he found his dream home in the courtyard (via YouTube).
Unge and Kai Plum in Madeira
fortune with meat substitutes
Where does all the money actually come from? Un’s hobby of uploading videos to YouTube made him a millionaire. There is probably a good deal of luck involved, because with a CPM in the double-digit range, the YouTuber has far higher income per 1,000 clicks than, for example, his colleague Trymacs.
But the 31-year-old did not rely on the income from his videos and streams.
Unge was able to increase his wealth through clever investments in stocks and cryptocurrencies. The convinced vegan, for example, relied on the meat substitute startup “Beyond Meat” early on, which ultimately went public with great success.
Unge invested the profits in the car company Tesla, once again proving that he had a golden touch in his investments.
He also invested in bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. However, Unge sold his cryptocurrencies in order to be able to afford the farm, since he does not buy on credit as a rule – a stroke of luck, because prices went down shortly afterwards.
There is also income from product placements and more unusual investment opportunities such as Pokémon cards. On top of that, Unge has his own shop for merchandise and, since 2021, his own condom company wtf.social.
This is what it looks like in 2023
Where is Un today? Today, Unge has over 3.7 million subscribers on YouTube, which puts him in the top 100 most subscribed German channels (via SocialBlade). However, Unge now uses his channel primarily to post excerpts from his streams on Twitch.
He has been inactive for a while on the live streaming platform, but returned in December 2021. Since then he has mainly shown World of Warcraft there, conversing with his viewers in “Just Chatting” or reacting to other content in the course of the “unclicked” format.
On average, between 3,200 and 3,600 people watch him at the same time. For the release of Wrath of the Lich King Classic in September 2022 and Dragoflight in November 2022 (both WoW), he even landed in the top 5 German streamers after watched hours and became one of the most watched WoW streamers worldwide (via sullygnome).
After his 1st subathon, which ended on January 9, 2023 after 55 days, Unge allowed himself a break and a short vacation with his girlfriend. In the meantime he’s busy streaming again, but he’s taking a little break from gaming and is currently mainly represented in the Just Chatting category (as of February 3, 2023).
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