YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing platform, is working on a new feature that will allow users to play online games without downloading or installing them. The feature, called Playables, currently tested internally by Google, the parent company of YouTube.
According to an email sent to Google employees and obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Playables will enable users to access games on their devices through the YouTube website or app. One of the games mentioned in the email is Stack Bounce, an arcade-style game that involves bouncing balls on platforms.
Playables is part of Google’s efforts to expand its offerings and tap into the rewarding game-streaming market, which expected to grow from $1.9 billion in 2020 to $6.9 billion in 2024, according to a report by Newzoo. Playables will also help YouTube generate more advertising revenue, which has been declining due to the pandemic and increased competition from other platforms.
In 2019, Google launched Stadia, a cloud gaming service that allowed users to stream high-end games on various devices. However, Stadia failed to attract enough users and developers and faced technical issues and criticism. Google announced in September 2022 that it would shut down Stadia in January 2023 and refund all purchases made on the service.
Playables seems to be a different approach from Stadia, as it focuses on casual and mobile games rather than console-quality titles. This also leverage YouTube’s massive user base, which reached over 2.3 billion monthly active users in 2021. Playables could also integrate with YouTube’s existing features, such as live streaming, chat, and recommendations.
It will face competition from other cloud gaming services, such as Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Amazon’s Luna, and Facebook’s Cloud Games. These services offer a variety of games and features for different devices and audiences. Playables will have to differentiate itself from these rivals and offer a compelling value proposition for both gamers and advertisers.
It is unclear when Playables will be available to the public or how it will monetized. Google has not officially confirmed or commented on the existence of Playables. However, some users spotted references to Playables in YouTube’s code and interface, suggesting that the feature is under development and could launched soon.