Breaking News: YouTube Unveils Highly-Anticipated Gaming Service After Google Stadia Shutdown

YouTube is reportedly testing out a new online gaming service called Playables. This comes just a few months after Google scrapped its ambitious project Stadia, which aimed to popularize cloud gaming but ultimately failed.

The rise and fall of Google Stadia happened in a relatively short span of three years, as the company quickly abandoned the service due to low user adoption. In September 2022, Phil Harrison, the former head of the Stadia project, hinted that Google may incorporate the cloud streaming technology from Stadia into its other offerings going forward.

It is uncertain whether Playables is the initial endeavor in such a repurposing, even though the platform does seem to have some similarities with Stadia's commitment to highly accessible cloud gaming. According to The Wall Street Journal, YouTube recently initiated internal testing of the service, as indicated in an email sent to Google employees inviting their participation in Playables. The provided solution purportedly enables users to instantly engage in and share a variety of games on desktops, smartphones, and tablets using the YouTube app. The ongoing internal test is said to support both Android and iOS devices.

The size of Playables' experimental game library is uncertain, as a recent report only mentioned one title, "Stack Bounce." This game involves destroying brick sheets with a bouncing ball and is currently available exclusively for Android on Google Play. It seems that this game may be the same as the one mentioned earlier. This detail suggests that Playables might provide a way for Android developers to make their games accessible on iOS devices and desktops without needing to create ports.

Unlike Google Stadia, there is no evidence that Playables plans to have exclusive games. The leaked email that revealed the existence of the service did not include any information about YouTube's intentions for the platform. In a statement given to WSJ, a spokesperson for the company stated that gaming is a long-term focus for YouTube and a subject of constant experimentation, but they did not comment specifically on Playables.

It is uncertain whether YouTube Playables will actually be launched, considering the current situation. However, its mere existence proves that Google's ambitions in the online gaming industry were not halted by the Stadia shutdown. This was further emphasized by an earlier report in March, indicating that Google is collaborating with publishers on new cloud gaming initiatives.