Google launches live streaming gaming service, YouTube Gaming to rival Amazon's twitch

Google said yesterday that it was launching a live streaming gaming service called "YouTube Gaming".

The service would take on Amazon.com Inc's Twitch service. The service, which would be available in the form of an app as also a website, would focus exclusively on gamers and gaming.

Over 25,000 games would each have their own page on the site, bringing videos and live streams about various titles together in a single space, according to the company.

Users would be able to add games to their collection for quick access, subscribe to channels, and receive recommendations on new games according to the games and channels they followed.

"When you want something specific, you can search with confidence, knowing that typing "call" will show you "Call of Duty" and not "Call Me Maybe," Google said in a blog post.

Amazon bought Twitch Interactive last year for $970 million, beating a rival bid from Google (See: Amazon grabs video game site Twitch for $1 bn under Google's nose).

YouTube Gaming would be offered on the web, mobiles and tablets on both Android and iOS operating systems, as per a tweet from its official account.

The service was set to launch this summer, starting in the US and UK.

Unveiling YouTube Gaming during an event yesterday at YouTube Space LA, Ryan Wyatt, YouTube's global head of gaming content said YouTube Gaming would be a destination for users to find gaming videos and live streams.

''Despite the crazy usage that gaming drives on YouTube, we've never really built gamers the experience that they deserve,'' he said. ''That's something that changes today.''

YouTube was also looking to make it easier for users to broadcast live and competitive gaming, known as e-sports, by creating singular links that could be shared, eliminating the need to schedule a broadcast and promoting live broadcasts.

''YouTube Gaming is built from the ground up for gamers, by gamers,'' Wyatt said. ''No longer is gaming going to be lost in a sea of content. We're unleashing a brand-new user experience that puts games front and centre. That includes live gaming, as well.''