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YouTube’s free games are now available to a wider audience on its “app store.”
On Tuesday, the company announced that its range of accessible free games called “Playables” will soon be available within the YouTube app for all users, though over 75 games are already available for many. These games are also featured on the YouTube Home page under the Explore menu. In the past, the games were exclusively offered to a limited number of users for testing purposes before being introduced to YouTube Premium subscribers in November last year.
As they don’t generate revenue through paid downloads or in-app purchases, YouTube’s Playables don’t directly compete with the app store model or violate Apple’s regulations. But they do rival the free games available on the App Store, which are frequently downloaded by casual gamers and bring in advertising revenue.
With the search giant focusing more on AI integration, there are concerns about how this technology will affect its lucrative ad business, led primarily by sponsored links displayed on top search results. Even though free games on YouTube might offer another avenue for advertising in the future, Google has not yet indicated any plans to monetize Playables.
However, the games could present a diversion for YouTube users during their browsing and viewing periods, potentially enhancing engagement with the app.
The selection of Playables features a number of well-known titles such as “Angry Birds Showdown,” “Words of Wonders,” “Cut the Rope,” “Tomb of the Mask,” and “Trivia Crack,” as well as many more. Additionally, it includes games like “Stack Bounce,” previously available on Google’s HTML minigames service, and “GameSnacks,” built within its internal incubator, Area 120. “GameSnacks” sets out to introduce gaming to audiences in emerging markets, where Android has considerable influence.
According to Google, its Playables catalog currently has more than 75 minigames. Users utilizing the feature will have the ability to save the progress of their game and monitor their highest scores. Although not immediately available to everyone, the Playables feature is expected to fully launch to all in the coming months.
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