YouTube Moves Gaming to Main Site, Plans to Close the Gaming App
YouTube announced a few changes to YouTube Gaming, the biggest being that the formerly separate area is joining the main YouTube site. Gaming videos can now be found at youtube.com/gaming, and the area is linked from the site's left column navigation. The area offers live gaming videos, trending videos, and on-demand clips tailored to the viewers' preferences.
The company's explanation is that it can reach more gamers through its main site than through an app, and increase creator visibility. As part of the change, it's planning to sunset the YouTube Gaming app, which it will discontinue in March 2019.
YouTube dropped plenty of stats with its announcement, noting that the site now attracts 200 million gamers daily, with the audience watching over 50 billion hours of gaming videos in the past 12 months.
The YouTube Gaming app and a separate gaming site debuted in August 2015. The area offered Game Pages for popular titles. YouTube debuted its Dark Theme in Gaming, as well as its Super Chat and Channel Membership tools.
In related news, a 27-year-old video gamer Tyler Blevins (known as Ninja online) this week became the first pro gamer on the cover of ESPN Magazine. Blevins attracts huge audiences online and makes around $1 million each month…from his Twitch account.
Related Articles
Live video chat is part of the gaming experience, so Agora.io and Unity Technologies are making it easier for game developers to add chats directly into their software.
21 Jun 2019
Players got two extra months, but the YouTube Gaming app will close on May 30, according to an update to a YouTube Gaming support page.
29 May 2019
No console required. With Google Stadia, video game watchers can become video game players in seconds. Streaming is coming to gaming, but how much will it cost?
20 Mar 2019
News organizations in 23 countries will receive funds through the Google News Initiative to grow and experiment with video in news reporting.
18 Dec 2018
Starting next year, YouTube will begin moving produced content from behind the paywall, and will create more celebrity-driven, mainstream titles.
29 Nov 2018
Hoping to create a one-stop gaming experience, YouTube Gaming combines live and on-demand video with advanced DVR controls.
26 Aug 2015