YouTube Gaming is the latest of Google’s ventures to suffer a discontinuation. Google’s attempt at a counter to the dominant streaming platform Twitch, YouTube Gaming is home to livestreams and prerecorded gaming videos alike. Viewers can browse the Gaming section on YouTube to find recommended videos based on channel subscriptions, as well as find livestreams for particular games.
The special features from YouTube Gaming’s app are finalising a merge into YouTube proper, and are displayed at youtube.com/gaming with a shortcut from the left sidebar on the main site.
The standalone smartphone app was delisted from the Google Play and Apple App stores on 30 April. Creators were asked late last year to migrate memberships over to the gaming section of the main YouTube app. In a statement on the support page for YouTube Gaming, about the full shutdown the company says,
“We want to continue to build a stronger home for the gaming community that thrives on YouTube, not just the YouTube Gaming app.”
Other recent updates to YouTube for creators include the YouTube Studio beta with a revamped dashboard, and the removal of the Related Channels section on channel pages. The idea seems to be to streamline features for creators and surface relevant information like recent subscribers with fewer clicks.
