Google appears to be internally testing a new way for users to play online games, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
The new product, reportedly called Playables, will let people play games on their mobile devices or computers via YouTube. Games could be played on the YouTube website or app. So far, Google doesn’t appear to have immediate plans to launch this product.
“Gaming has long been a focus at YouTube,” Alex McQuiston, YouTube spokesperson, told CNET in an emailed statement. “We’re always experimenting with new features, but have nothing to announce right now.”
The reported product testing comes months after Google shut down its cloud gaming service Stadia, which launched in 2019. According to Phil Harrison, Stadia vice president and general manager, the cloud gaming service didn’t gain any “traction” with subscribers as the company expected. In September, Harrison said the technology powering Stadia could be used in other parts of Google such as YouTube, Google Play and augmented reality.
