YouTube could be testing playable games on the site

Games could be making their way to the YouTube platform, with a recent report indicating that it’s being internally tested.

A recent Wall Street Journal report has revealed that Google is potentially testing out gaming directly within YouTube. While the hopes are that it’d be a revival of the Stadia platform, it seems to be more in line with Netflix’s current offerings.

The feature is being dubbed “Playables” according to the email, and they’d be accessible via the app or website itself. However, the games appear to be on a much small scale, with one game detailed being a spin on the classic arcade game, Breakout.

WSJ only appears to have information about this one game, Stack Bounce. Inside the report, it’s detailed as an “arcade game in which players attempt to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball”.

For those that might have wanted bigger games or the Stadia tech to be reused, it seems Google has other plans for YouTube’s gaming side. Meanwhile, competitors like TikTok have already scrapped integrated games from the app, and others, like Netflix, are still rumored to be working on a gaming streaming service themselves.

Netflix also offers games included with your subscription, but these are downloaded as separate apps on your phone. This would be similar to the dinosaur jumping game when your internet cuts out while using Chrome.

Google rumored to return to gaming with YouTube Playables

Unsplash: @helloimnik

Google originally had plans to merge Stadia and YouTube under one banner. Eventually, due to poor sales performance and a lackluster subscription service, Stadia was shuttered.

Since then, Google has remained quiet about gaming for the most part, with its only major moves in the business to securing exclusivity of streamers like TimTheTatman, DrLupo, and Ludwig.

Whether this sees the light of day has yet to be seen, but Google is requesting that staff try out these new YouTube “Playables”, which means it could be gearing up for a wider launch. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up as another product on the long list of dead Google projects.