YouTube's “app store” for games is getting a broader rollout. The company announced Tuesday that a collection of lightweight, free games called “Playables” will soon appear in the YouTube app for all users, in addition to the YouTube homepage. Previously, the games were made available to some users for testing before being made available to YouTube Premium subscribers in November of last year.
YouTube Playables do not directly challenge the App Store model or violate Apple's rules because they do not monetize through paid downloads or in-app purchases. They do compete, however, with free games on the App Store, which are often downloaded by casual gamers and generate revenue through advertising. As the search giant itself shifts its focus to integrating AI, questions are being raised about how the technology will impact the company's cash cow advertising business, driven by sponsored links that appear above search results. In theory, YouTube's free games could be another place to serve ads in the future. But so far, Google has not indicated any intention to monetize Playables.
But games could provide YouTube users with a distraction between browsing and watching, helping them maintain interest in the YouTube app.
The Playables lineup includes some of the most popular titles, including Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask and Trivia Crack, as well as titles like Stack Bounce, which was offered by Google in its HTML mini-game service, and GameSnacks, which was developed in the company's internal incubator, Area 120. GameSnacks' goal was to bring games to users in emerging markets dominated by Android.
Google says there are currently over 75 mini-games in the Playables catalog. Players who use the feature can save their game progress and keep track of their best scores to date. Playables won't be visible to everyone right away, but the company plans to complete the rollout of the feature over the next few weeks.
YouTube isn't the only big tech company looking to expand into gaming. Netflix has been expanding its game catalogue through acquisitions, licensing deals and in-house game development, while Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, is looking to take advantage of new EU regulations to bring its game store to European users. Other surprising companies, such as LinkedIn, have also recently entered the gaming space.
The move highlights how companies are using games to circumvent App Store fees while increasing their own profits. Netflix games are available on the App Store, but access requires a subscription purchased through the Netflix website.