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YouTube is reportedly working on an instant-play 'Playables' feature for mobile and PC

Google employees are reportedly testing a system that will allow players to play games on mobile and desktop platforms.

TJ Denzer

June 26, 2023 6:10 PM

Image via YouTube

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It would seem that Google is prepping what could be a new game streaming service through YouTube. Supposedly called Playables the system would allow users to play simple games through mobile or desktop platforms, presumably through YouTube’s ecosystem. While there is no official confirmation of when this service could be made available to the public, Google employees are reportedly testing Playables now.

Word of Playables came out through a report from the Wall Street Journal, with a Google spokesperson speaking to questions regarding the service. According to anonymous sources familiar with the service, Playables will allow players to explore and play various simple games on the YouTube website and on the YouTube app on mobile devices. When asked about the service, a Google spokesperson declined to speak directly to Playables.

“Gaming has long been a focus at YouTube," Google’s representative said, nonetheless. “[We are] always experimenting with new features.”

Google has some precedent to continue to try to build a game service. The company only recently shut down cloud streaming game platform Google Stadia after the service failed to gain the traction Google wanted. Even so, Google continues to have the capabilities to stream games via its cloud networking capabilities.

As for Playables itself, it seems less like Google Stadia and perhaps more like Netflix Games, where players can access various games through Netflix on their mobile devices. Familiar sources said that one of the games being tested was Stack Bounce, an arcade game akin to Breakout or Arkanoid where players bounce a ball against bricks to destroy them with a user-controlled platform.

It’s unknown if we might see Playables come out of testing and become available to consumers. Stay tuned here at Shacknews for further updates on the story.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.