YouTube is reportedly testing an online gaming platform.
The video-sharing website - which is owned and operated by search engine giant Google - is thought to be planning a new venture called Playables which would allow users to play games such as 'Stack Bounce', an arcade game in which players attempt to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The outlet claimed to have seen an email that invited employees to a meeting to test out the new games and went on to report that the new platform will be available on both desktop and mobile devices, running directly through the YouTube website or available as an app for both Apple iOS and Android platforms.
However, the company later insisted that there is nothing formal to announce as yet.
A company spokesperson told the outlet: "Gaming has long been a focus at YouTube. We’re always experimenting with new features, but have nothing to announce right now,"
Towards the end of 2022, it was announced that YouTube's cloud gaming service Stadia was shutting down because it had not "gained the traction" that was initially hoped.
Stadia's Vice President and General Manager, Phil Harrison, said: "For many years, Google has invested across multiple aspects of the gaming industry. We help developers build and distribute gaming apps on Google Play and Google Play Games. Gaming creators are reaching audiences around the world on YouTube through videos, live streaming and Shorts. And our cloud streaming technology delivers immersive gameplay at massive scale.
"A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. And while Stadia's approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service."
