It looks like Youtube is seeing the potential of video game commentaries and live gameplay. The video giant said on Friday that it is creating an online arena dedicated to video gameplay, joining the eSports boom and challenging another video giant, Twitch.
The online arena, which is called Youtube Gaming, will debut in the United States and Britain in the coming months, according to product manager Alan Joyce.
“YouTube Gaming is built to be all about your favorite games and gamers, with more videos than anywhere else,” Joyce said in a blog post.
“From ‘Asteroids’ to ‘Zelda,’ more than 25,000 games will each have their own page, a single place for all the best videos and live streams about that title.”
Youtube Gaming will also feature channels from their most popular users and game publishers. A preview of the online arena in action will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next week in Los Angeles. The new addition to the video site will have big content creators demonstrating the arena at the event. “Live streams bring the gaming community closer together, so they’ve put them front-and-center on the YouTube Gaming homepage,” Joyce said.
“In the coming weeks, YouTube will launch an improved live experience that makes it simpler to broadcast your game play to YouTube.”
Battle of The Giants
Amazon, which owns Twitch, will be facing off against Google and Youtube. The popularity of gaming has gotten to a point where some viewers don’t even play, they just sit and watch their favorite players try to beat a game or play online.
Youtube Gaming will be accessible through the browser and will also have an application for mobile devices. Twitch, which has become one of the favorite sites for gamers to watch livestreams or gameplays, will be at E3, showing the new things they have coming.
Twitch is now focusing on increasing its English language broadcast with shows in specific areas from partners including Rocket Beans TV in German and Jeuxvideo in French.
Amazon made a surprising move last year, acquiring the livestream giant for a whopping $970 million. The site has become popular because many gaming events can be watched from there. A lot of eSports personalities have also made Twitch their home and usually have streams on with thousands of viewers. The popular site allows you to chat with the player and the people watching.
Google was also interested in Twitch, but pulled out of a huge deal with the company. This gave Amazon the chance to come in and take the company for a little less. The acquisition was at the perfect time, gaming was on the rise and many players were livestreaming from there.
Twitch is even partnered with a console giant, Sony, to let gamers livestream straight from their systems. This deal made the feature one of the selling points of its successful new PlayStation 4 model. Sony rivals, Microsoft, also put in Twitch capabilities into its new Xbox One console.
The broadcasting site is usually packed with fans and players of Major League Gaming, Electronic Sports League, and IGN Pro League. Millions of people watch gameplays and livestreams everyday.
