Twitch will no longer hold the lion’s share of the video game streaming market, now that Google has confirmed plans to launch its dedicated YouTube Gaming platform later today.
Almost a year to the day since the mega-company lost out to Amazon in an attempt to acquire the popular Twitch service, YouTube Gaming has been described as the “go-to destination for anything and everything gaming,” offering both streamers and viewers the tools to collate and navigate the vast swathes of video game content lining the YouTube archives.
Indeed early impressions of the beta version indicate that YouTube Gaming will operate much like its chief competitor, with video game fans able to search through broadcasts by title or a particular streamer/personality. One feature that is unique to the Google-owned platform, however, is its DVR functionality.
Automatically recording the last four hours of gameplay footage, YT Gaming gives those viewers the chance to rewind to a particular part of the stream on demand. Couple this with the fact that YouTube is, traditionally speaking, a more reliable and consistent video platform than Twitch – it is owned by Google, after all – and it’s evident that Twitch’s once-steadfast grip on the streaming market is no longer as secure as it once was.
To commemorate today’s launch, YouTube Gaming will also receive a dedicated app for iOS and Android, both of which are due to launch in the US and UK once Google flips the switch on its budding new platform. It’ll be fascinating to see how YT Gaming pans out, and particularly how the platform’s biggest players will interact with the new UI. But one thing’s for sure: YouTube is taking its gaming scene more seriously than ever before. Your move, Twitch.