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Google will take on Twitch this summer with YouTube Gaming
Although Google passed on the chance to purchase gaming giant Twitch last year (Amazon later bought the service for $1 billion), that doesn’t meant it’s giving up on the game streaming business altogether. As previously rumored, Google today has announced a new service called YouTube Gaming, an app and website that will be the new home to the company’s gaming video content. The service is slated to launch in the US and UK later this summer.
Even though the service has the word ‘YouTube’ in the title, Google assures users that the new gaming service will be completely separate from the rest of YouTube. For instance, in its announcement post, Google explains “you can search with confidence, knowing that typing ‘call’ will show you ‘Call of Duty’ and not ‘Call Me Maybe.'” Upwards of 25,000 games will have their very own landing page and each one will feature both on demand and live video streams. You’ll also be able to subscribe to different channels from YouTube creators and game publishers. You can get recommendations based on which channels you’re subscribed to, as well.
Take a look at the screenshots below to get a good look at the upcoming app:
So, will YouTube Gaming prove successful in the game streaming market? While the new service does offer users a few things Twitch can’t, the now Amazon-owned company has developed quite a large user base over the past few years. Google knows it has to have a few tricks up its sleeve in order to get the diehard Twitch fans to change services, and it seems as though it’s doing exactly that. With YouTube Gaming, all streams are turned into YouTube videos automatically, which many Twitch users end up doing manually anyway. Although that’s not a feature that will necessarily get all Twitch users to jump ship, it’s certainly a way to start building a solid user base.
We’re still diving into the details of this new service, so stay tuned as we learn more about it in the near future. For those interested in getting more information about the release of YouTube Gaming, you can sign up for updates by following the link below.