Youtube has quietly released its own gaming platform, Youtube Gaming, made especially for video games. The gaming platform includes an app and website which are both dedicated for gamers and are emphasizing live streaming of games. Youtube Gaming brings in a new rival to game platforms such as Daily Motion and Twitch.
Youtube told BBC that it has redeveloped its gaming platform to bring the focus to gaming content, suiting the needs of its viewers. The video streaming giant, which is arguably the most profitable and biggest name in the online video business, claims that gaming content garners billions of views on the site. Thus, this probed the Google-owned platform to make a spin-off only for gaming content.
"At the moment, there is a fragmented experience. People go to different places for live content, and YouTube for video on demand. We have amazing gamers that don't live stream yet. Now they have that opportunity." Youtube head of gaming Ryan Watt told BBC in an interview. Watt also said that Youtube wants to be a 'one-stop shop' for all content related to gaming.
Youtube's competition on the gaming content business includes Twitch, which is owned by Amazon. Every day, close to a million viewers visit Twitch to watch livestreams of other people play video games. For Youtube, the livestream content is subject to copyright. The online video major is currently subjecting its livestream function to copyright checks.
While copyright has always been a concern for online platforms in general, game analyst Steve Bailey says that not a few consider Youtube as an opportunity to promote themselves, and for game makers, their games. "But some game developers see YouTube as a positive PR opportunity and embrace it. Those that have been very defensive have received bad press."
Youtube appears to be upgrading itself by incorporating other functions to its ever-growing platform. The online video is still its main offering, but apart from livestreaming and gaming content, Youtube has also ventured in music streaming. It calls its service Music Key.
