YouTube reportedly tests adding playable games to its video platform
By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.
“Playables” is a new feature in development for YouTube that could add interactive games to the video platform, The Wall Street Journal reports. The feature was apparently detailed in an email Google sent to its employees asking them to test it. Games could either be playable via the YouTube app on iOS and Android or through the browser on desktop.
The WSJ’s report only contains details on one game the service could include, Stack Bounce, which it describes as “an arcade game in which players attempt to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball.” It sounds a little bit like Atari classic Breakout to me, but it’s hard to tell without seeing screenshots.
In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson declined to confirm the existence of the initiative. “Gaming has long been a focus at YouTube,” they told the WSJ. “We’re always experimenting with new features, but have nothing to announce right now.”
“We’re always experimenting with new features, but have nothing to announce right now”
YouTube’s test of Playables comes as some social media companies have rolled back their previous investments in gaming. ByteDance reportedly aggressively downsized its gaming operations last year after earlier experiments with adding simple games into TikTok. Around the same time, Snap also said it would be cutting its investment in games. However, Netflix’s push to include games for free with subscriptions is ongoing, and the company is also working on a cloud game streaming service.
YouTube already boasts a large library of gaming content that includes both livestreams and prerecorded videos.
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