YouTube’s free games catalog ‘Playables’ rolls out to all users

Comment
YouTube’s “app store” for games is rolling out more broadly. The company announced on Tuesday that its collection of lightweight, free games dubbed “Playables” will soon start to appear in the YouTube app for all users, in addition to the YouTube Home page. Previously, the games had been made available to select users for testing before arriving for YouTube Premium subscribers last November.
Because they don’t monetize as paid downloads or via in-app purchases, YouTube’s Playables don’t directly challenge the app store model or break Apple’s rules. However, they do compete with the App Store’s free games, which are often downloaded by casual gamers and generate revenue via ads. As the search giant itself is shifting its focus to integrate AI, there are questions about the technology’s impact on its ads businesses cash cow, driven by the sponsored links that appear above search results. Free games on YouTube, in theory, could become another place to serve ads further down the line. For now, though, Google hasn’t signaled its intention to monetize its Playables.
The games could, however, provide a distraction for YouTube users in between their browsing and viewing sessions, and help keep them engaged with the YouTube app.
The lineup of Playables includes a handful of more popular titles like Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask and Trivia Crack, among others. It also pulls in titles like Stack Bounce, a game that Google offered on its HTML minigames service, and GameSnacks, which had been developed out of its internal incubator, Area 120. With GameSnacks, the goal was to bring gaming to users in emerging markets — a place where Android dominates.
Today, there are currently over 75 mini-games in the Playables catalog, Google says. Players who use the feature will be able to save their game progress and track their all-time best scores. Not everyone will see the Playables right away, but the feature should complete its rollout in the coming weeks.
YouTube isn’t the only tech giant looking to expand into gaming. Netflix has been growing its own game catalog through acquisitions, licensing deals and in-house game development. Meanwhile, Fortnite maker Epic Games is looking to leverage new EU regulations to bring its games store to European users. Elsewhere, other unexpected companies are delving into games, too, including most recently, LinkedIn.
These moves highlight how companies are using games to route around App Store commissions while boosting their own bottom lines. Though Netflix’s games are available on the App Store, they require a Netflix subscription — bought via its website — to access.
Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.
Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.
The latest Fintech news and analysis, delivered every Tuesday.
TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.
China has closed a third state-backed investment fund to bolster its semiconductor industry and reduce reliance on other nations, both for using and for manufacturing wafers — prioritizing what is…
Apple’s annual list of what it considers the best and most innovative software available on its platform is turning its attention to the little guy.
The spyware maker’s founder, Bryan Fleming, said pcTattletale is “out of business and completely done,” following a data breach.
AI models are always surprising us, not just in what they can do, but what they can’t, and why. An interesting new behavior is both superficial and revealing about these…
On Friday, Pal Kovacs was listening to the long-awaited new album from rock and metal giants Bring Me The Horizon when he noticed a strange sound at the end of…
Jan Leike, a leading AI researcher who earlier this month resigned from OpenAI before publicly criticizing the company’s approach to AI safety, has joined OpenAI rival Anthropic to lead a…
Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week, we’re looking at the long-term implications of Synapse’s bankruptcy on the fintech sector, Majority’s impressive ARR milestone, and more!  To get a roundup of…
YouTube’s free Playables don’t directly challenge the app store model or break Apple’s rules. However, they do compete with the App Store’s free games.
Featured Article
The tech layoff wave is still going strong in 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, this year has already seen 60,000 job cuts across 254 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. Companies like Tesla, Amazon, Google, TikTok, Snap and Microsoft have conducted sizable layoffs in the first months of 2024. Smaller-sized…
OpenAI has formed a new committee to oversee “critical” safety and security decisions related to the company’s projects and operations. But, in a move that’s sure to raise the ire…
Time is running out for tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to secure their early-bird tickets for TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! With only four days left until the May 31 deadline, now is…
AI may not be up to the task of replacing Google Search just yet, but it can be useful in more specific contexts — including handling the drudgery that comes…
Faircado has built a browser extension that suggests pre-owned alternatives for ecommerce listings.
Tumblr, the blogging site acquired twice, is launching its “Communities” feature in open beta, the Tumblr Labs division has announced. The feature offers a dedicated space for users to connect…
Remittances from workers in the U.S. to their families and friends in Latin America amounted to $155 billion in 2023. With such a huge opportunity, banks, money transfer companies, retailers,…
Google said today it’s adding new AI-powered features such as a writing assistant and a wallpaper creator and providing easy access to Gemini chatbot to its Chromebook Plus line of…
The dynamic duo behind the Grammy Award–winning music group the Chainsmokers, Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, are set to bring their entrepreneurial expertise to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Known for their…
The deal will give LumApps a big nest egg to make acquisitions and scale its business.
Featured Article
Nubank is taking its first tentative steps into the mobile network realm, as the NYSE-traded Brazilian neobank rolls out an eSIM (embedded SIM) service for travelers. The service will give customers access to 10GB of free roaming internet in more than 40 countries without having to switch out their own existing physical SIM card or…
Infra.Market, an Indian startup that helps construction and real estate firms procure materials, has raised $50M from MARS Unicorn Fund.
Small operations can lose customers by not offering financing, something the Berlin-based startup wants to change.
India’s Adani Group is in discussions to venture into digital payments and e-commerce, according to a report.
Ledger, a French startup mostly known for its secure crypto hardware wallets, has started shipping new wallets nearly 18 months after announcing the latest Ledger Stax devices. The updated wallet…
A data protection taskforce that’s spent over a year considering how the European Union’s data protection rulebook applies to OpenAI’s viral chatbot, ChatGPT, reported preliminary conclusions Friday. The top-line takeaway…
Here’s a shoutout to LatAm early-stage startup founders! We want YOU to apply for the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. But you’d better hurry — time is running…
The countdown to early-bird savings for TechCrunch Disrupt, taking place October 28–30 in San Francisco, continues. You have just five days left to save up to $800 on the price…
Venture investment into Spanish startups also held up quite well, with €2.2 billion raised across some 850 funding rounds.
Featured Article
James Khatiblou, the owner and CEO of Onyx Motorbikes, was watching his e-bike startup fall apart.  Onyx was being evicted from its warehouse in El Segundo, near Los Angeles. The company’s unpaid bills were stacking up. Its chief operating officer had abruptly resigned. A shipment of around 100 CTY2 dirt bikes from Chinese supplier Suzhou…
Featured Article
Iyo represents a third form factor in the push to deliver standalone generative AI devices: Bluetooth earbuds.
Arati Prabhakar, profiled as part of TechCrunch’s Women in AI series, is director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Powered by WordPress VIP

source
Sponsor:News technical sponsor
Sponsor:News AI sponsor
Sponsor: AI sponsor
Sponsor: AI sponsor