The “app store” for games on YouTube is expanding rapidly. Along with the YouTube Home page, the firm said on Tuesday that its library of lightweight, free games called “Playables” would soon show up on the YouTube app for every user. A small number of chosen testers had access to the games before they became available for YouTube Premium members in November.
YouTube’s Playables do not directly threaten Apple’s policies or violate the app store model, as they do not profit from paid downloads or in-app purchases. However, they face competition from the App Store’s free games, which attract casual players and generate revenue through advertising. Driven by the sponsored links shown above, there are concerns about the technology’s impact on the search giant’s cash flow, particularly as it focuses on integrating artificial intelligence. In principle, free games on YouTube may turn into another venue for advertising down the road. Google hasn’t said, so far, if it intends to profit from its Playables.
On the other hand, the games could serve as a diversion for YouTube users during their browsing and watching periods, thereby keeping them engaged with the YouTube app.
Among the most well-known games in the Playables collection are Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask, and Trivia Crack. It also draws in games like GameSnacks, which sprung from Area 120, an internal incubator, and Stack Bounce, a game Google provided on its HTML minigame platform. With GameSnacks, the intention was to introduce gaming to consumers in developing countries, where Android rules.
Google claims that the Playables catalogue has over 75 mini-games nowadays. The functionality will allow users to monitor their all-time top scores and store their gaming progress. Though the playables should finish their spread in the next few weeks, not everyone will see them immediately.
Not only is YouTube among the internet behemoths vying for dominance in gaming, Netflix has been expanding its own gaming catalogue through purchases, licensing agreements, and internal game production. Epic Games, a Fortnite producer, is seeking to introduce its games shop to European consumers by using new EU laws. Other surprising businesses are also exploring gaming elsewhere, including, most recently, LinkedIn.
These actions show how businesses are routing around App Store commissions using games to improve their own bottom lines. Netflix’s games are available on the App Store, but access requires a Netflix membership acquired through its website.
