As of May 30th, Google will be taking down the Youtube Gaming app and website.
Google Will Shut Down Youtube Gaming App on May 30th
Youtube Gaming which was a standalone gaming website and app will be closing officially on May 30th. A platform that was meant to compete with the likes of Twitch, focuses on live streaming for gaming.
As for what will happen to the features and the content that it provided, it will be generally merging with the main Youtube website. A dedicated gaming section will still be available at Youtube.com/gaming. In a post on the officialYoutube Gaming Help, they share that they wish to “…continue to build a stronger home for the gaming community that thrives on YouTube, not just the YouTube Gaming app. After May 2019, we’ll retire the YouTube Gaming app and focus our gaming efforts across YouTube. "
It looks like Google would rather focus on a bringing their services together, than splitting them across multiple fronts, being a more integrated site and app for viewers to experience.
In an article onPolygon, head of gaming at Youtube Ryan Wyatt explained that have a separate app for just gaming didn’t really touch base with the viewership they’d hope for:
So many of these users are just using YouTube and the regular YouTube experience. You’d have some people that funneled through into the gaming app, or the gaming destination, but we were finding we still weren’t touching many people daily.
Google have already shared earlier this year at GDC 2019 their futureplans for gaming with Stadia. This new streaming gaming service sets to integrate itself into Youtube for viewers to be able to access gaming from a variety ways, including smart phones, tablets, computers and TV.
Youtube Gaming originally launched in 2015, both website and app for Android/iOS will be taken down on May 30th.
If you want more news be sure to read to nextMicrosoft And Sony Announces Cloud Gaming PartnershipandGoogle Reveals Their Cloud Gaming Platform Stadia.
