Last summer, top-earning professional video gamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek paid a heavyweight $9.4 million for a hilltop mansion within Hidden Hills, the guard-gated San Fernando Valley city that is also home to Drake, Madonna, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and nearly every member of the Kardashian brood. So it’s not surprising that the Toronto native, 27, has just sold his other multimillion-dollar home, a two-story affair in the bustling Orange County city of Irvine, about 70 miles southeast of Hidden Hills.
Located in the recently developed Great Park, a family-friendly enclave of upscale tract houses, the Irvine home was built in 2018 using the coveted “Crescendo Collection Residence 1” tract floorplan, per the listing. Shroud bought the house that same year, paying $1.9 million, and subsequently spent “almost $1 million” in upgrades — again, per the listing.
Among those upgrades were $500,000 in landscaping, including the installation of a big pool/spa combo out back and huge swathes of AstroTurf, plus a state-of-the-art solar system, custom lighting throughout, motorized window shades and custom wall treatments.
All that spending appears to have paid off for Shroud, or at least netted him a bigger return than expected. The house was put on the market and sold within a month for $3.3 million, a fat $500,000 over the ask and one of the priciest deals ever inked in this particular neighborhood. Records reveal the spendy new owners are a married pair of medical doctors, one of them an allergist/immunologist and the other a plastic surgeon. Martin Mania at Agencyone held the listing; Joseph Chow at Redfin repped the buyers.
So how does a 20-something gamer afford this sort of lifestyle? Shroud isn’t exactly your average gamer, for starters. The frequently foul-mouthed streamer has been playing professionally since his late teens, and has amassed a whopping 10 million followers on Twitch, making his the sixth most-followed account on the platform.
Back in 2019, Shroud briefly departed Twitch to sign on with Microsoft’s Mixer app. Mixer subsequently struggled and was soon folded into Facebook Gaming. But Shroud refused to join Facebook, and Microsoft was forced to buy out his contract, reportedly paying him a $10 million lump sum — after which he quickly returned to Twitch.
Beyond that, Forbes says Shroud hauled in $12.5 million during 2019 alone, prior to the contract buyout. And his income has almost certainly soared since then, as his views and follower count have continued to skyrocket. Much of that increased success is likely due to the Covid quarantines, which left millions of people bored at home.
-
Image Credit: Zillow Speaking of home, Shroud’s former Irvine pad is a vaguely Tuscan-style villa with just over 4,000 square feet of living space. There are four bedrooms, uncluding an upstairs master and a downstairs “junior master,” and 4.5 bathrooms. Out front, a pair of wizened olive trees stand guard. And that tandem garage can actually fit three cars.
-
Image Credit: Zillow -
Image Credit: Zillow The arched front door opens into a double-height foyer with custom ceramic flooring underfoot, per the listing.
-
Image Credit: Zillow There are open family and dining rooms downstairs, the former with custom “floating” bookshelves.
-
Image Credit: Zillow -
Image Credit: Zillow The eat-in kitchen is lavishly outfitted with high-end Wolf and SubZero appliances, plus a wine fridge and quartz countertops.
-
Image Credit: Zillow There’s a swank office with views of the backyard and those aforementioned custom wall treatments.
-
Image Credit: Zillow Upstairs is a more intimate family den, with more floating bookshelves.
-
Image Credit: Zillow The master suite has hardwood flooring, an office with custom built-ins and a bathroom equipped with a soaking tub.
-
Image Credit: Zillow -
Image Credit: Zillow Out back, the custom pool was designed to Shroud’s specifications. Tall hedges ring the entire corner lot property, which spans nearly 10,000 square feet — generous for the neighborhood.
-
Image Credit: Zillow -
Image Credit: Zillow There’s also a firepit and cabana area with an outdoor kitchen.
-
Image Credit: Zillow A covered loggia is perfect for al fresco entertaining, or relaxing in front of the fireplace on balmy nights.
-
Image Credit: Zillow The Great Park neighborhood is loaded with communal outdoor amenities that include a volleyball court, basketball courts, hiking trails and park benches for sunny lunches.
-
Image Credit: Zillow -
Image Credit: Zillow