Responding to earlier rumors, YouTube confirmed in June that it was working on a game-streaming site to take on the popular Twitch service.
YouTube Gaming appears all set to roll out today, offering iOS, Android, and desktop users live streams and archived videos for more than 25,000 games, each one with its very own page.
Google-owned YouTube is aiming for its new site to “keep you connected to the games, players, and culture that matter to you, with videos, live streams, and the biggest community of gamers on the web – all in one place.”
Channel subscribers will be able to receive notifications whenever a live stream starts or a new gaming video gets posted. Once live streams have gone out, they’ll be automatically converted into on-demand gameplay footage for you to watch anytime. YouTube Gaming will also present you with suggestions for other games and channels based on your specific viewing patterns.
— YouTube Gaming (@YouTubeGaming) August 25, 2015
The streaming giant has been prepping its new service for some time, introducing, for example, 60fps live-streaming support that offers ultra-smooth playback for gaming and other fast-action videos.
At launch, YouTube’s new offering will only be available to those in the U.S. and U.K., though we we can expect to see it rolled out more widely over time.
Google revealed its interest in the gaming-focused streaming platform in 2014 when it came close to buying Twitch, now YouTube Gaming’s main rival. In the end, Amazon acquired Twitch for almost $1 billion.
With Google’s massive resources behind YouTube Gaming and Twitch already well established in the space, excited gaming fans will surely be watching closely to see how the competing services develop in the coming months.
