YouTube is exploring a move into gaming by testing a new product that would allow users to play games on the platform, according to an internal email The Wall Street Journal obtained. The potential new product, called Playables, would be compatible with desktop or mobile devices running Apple or Android operating systems. YouTube is already a destination for audiences to watch gaming content, and the move could lead to new growth for the platform as the gaming industry’s advertising spend has decreased.
- In January, parent company Google shut down its cloud gaming platform Stadia after saying it didn’t obtain enough users.
By Tiffany Moustakas, Editor at LinkedIn News
YouTube is testing an online-games offering
ETtechThe games can be played on YouTube’s site on web browsers or via devices running Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS mobile systems, the report added.
A spokeperson for YouTube said that gaming has long been a focus, adding that the company was experimenting with new features and had “nothing to announce right now.”
Hosting online games on YouTube, which is a popular place for users to stream games and watch livestreamed game footage is part of CEO Neal Mohan’s push into new areas of growth amid a slowdown in advertising spending, the WSJ report said.
