Summarize

Simplifying... Inshort

YouTube's free gaming catalog, 'Playables', is now available to all users, offering over 75 mini-games without any in-app purchases or paid downloads.
This move is seen as a way to increase user engagement and potentially serve ads in the future.
YouTube's venture into gaming mirrors similar moves by other tech giants like Netflix and LinkedIn, highlighting a trend of companies using games to boost revenues and bypass App Store commissions.

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Google has not indicated any plans to monetize its Playables

YouTube's free gaming catalog 'Playables' now available to all users

By Dwaipayan Roy

May 29, 2024

01:04 pm

What's the story

YouTube has announced the expansion of its free gaming catalog, 'Playables,' to all users within its app and on the YouTube Home page. Initially, these games were exclusively available to a select group of users for testing, before being introduced to YouTube Premium subscribers in November. The 'Playables' collection includes popular games such as Angry Birds Showdown, Cut the Rope, Words of Wonders, Tomb of the Mask, and Trivia Crack.

Market competition

YouTube's Playables: A new competitor for free app store games

YouTube's Playables does not monetize through paid downloads or in-app purchases, thereby not posing a direct threat to the app store model or violating Apple's rules. However, they do take on free games on the App Store, which are frequently downloaded by casual gamers, and generate revenue via ads. As Google shifts its focus toward integrating AI, questions arise about the impact of this technology on its ad-driven businesses.

Future prospects

Google's future plans for Playables remain unclear

Currently, Google has not indicated any plans to monetize its Playables. However, these games could potentially serve as a distraction for YouTube users between their browsing sessions, thereby increasing user engagement with the app. In the future, free games on YouTube could potentially become another platform for serving ads. The Playables catalog currently boasts over 75 mini-games, with features that allow players to save their game progress, and also track their all-time high scores.

Tech trend

YouTube joins other tech giants in gaming expansion

YouTube is not the only tech giant expanding into gaming. Netflix has been improving its own game catalog via acquisitions, licensing deals, and in-house game development. Fortnite creator Epic Games is leveraging new EU rules to bring its games store to European users. Other unexpected companies, including LinkedIn, are also exploring gaming. These moves underscore how firms are using games to bypass App Store commissions, while raising their own revenues.