YouTube, the popular video streaming platform, is entering the world of online gaming. Google, YouTube’s parent company, is exploring the potential of gaming as a new source of income, according to recent reports from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The company has initiated testing of an online gaming product, as revealed in an internal email to Google employees. This is happening as various platforms embrace streaming gaming, while others, like Amazon, rethink their video game streaming approaches.
The testing phase involves Playables, a YouTube product that allows users to play games on both mobile devices and desktop computers. Similar to Netflix’s gaming product, Playables provides paying users with access to casual games on mobile platforms. It enables users to enjoy these games directly on the YouTube website through a web browser or on the YouTube app for Android and iOS devices.
While the report indicates the availability of several games for testing, it specifically mentions “Stack Bounce.” This ad-supported arcade game challenges players to break layers of bricks with a bouncing ball. Notably, YouTube already generates revenue from gaming livestreams, and this new gaming product presents an additional avenue for income generation within the industry, especially amid a decline in advertising spending.
In 2021, Google made the decision to close down Stadia, its video game streaming service. The move came after Stadia experienced a significant increase in users when Google offered two months of free access to the premium version during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With YouTube’s foray into online gaming, the platform aims to leverage its massive user base and established infrastructure to capitalise on the growing interest in gaming. As the streaming giant continues to evolve, the expansion into gaming demonstrates its commitment to exploring new avenues for revenue generation and offering diverse experiences to its users.
