Google will launch YouTube Gaming this summer, an app and website featuring live-streaming gameplay aimed at competing with Amazon’s Twitch.

About a year ago, YouTube reached a preliminary deal to acquire Twitch for around $1 billion, before Amazon.com swooped in and clinched a deal to buy the company.

Now comes YouTube Gaming, which will have a dedicated page for each of more than 25,000 games including live streams for each title, ranging from “Asteroids” to “Zelda,” according to the Internet-video site.

“Uncover new favorites with recommendations based on the games and channels you love,” YouTube product manager Alan Joyce wrote in a blog post announcing the launch. “And 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.'”

According to Google, YouTube Gaming in the next few weeks will launch an improved live service that makes it simpler to broadcast gameplay. The site currently supports streaming of up to 60 frames per second, as well as automatically converting the live stream into an on-demand YouTube video.

The YouTube Gaming service will be available this summer starting in the U.S. and U.K. “We’re building this just for gamers — so we want to hear from you about how we can make it the best way to connect with your community,” Joyce wrote.

YouTube announced the gaming destination and app ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which runs June 16-18 in Los Angeles.

http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/youtube-gaming-amazon-twitch-1201518608/

Was just reading about this, they have a long way to go if they want to go head to head with Twitch but if any company has the funding to compete its Google. Wonder what they will do to tempt Twitch streamers to jump ship.

It still baffles me how Twitch is an actual business platform.

It just doesn't make sense.

Why oh why would you watch someone play when you could play it yourself or watch a walkthrough on youtube.

Hope this venture fails.

I cannot say I fully get it as used Twitch once or twice.   To me YouTube is superior because I can watch when I want rather than having a set time to tune in.  Maybe because I remember how television use to be and how much DVR and streaming improved the experience I have no desire to go back to live broadcasts outside of sporting events.

Live interactions with the streamer >>> Talking via YT comments after the fact.

As for playing the game myself I sometimes dont own the game, cant currently play it or sometimes I actually have no intrest in playing the game but enjoy chatting with some of my friends over on Twitch. I tune in to a Minecraft stream all the time despite having zero intrest in playing it to just chill and talk with some mates.

I totally understand where you are coming from and I personally do not use Twitch very often, but I just thought I'd offer an example. For instance, not too long ago, Blizzard released the LOTV beta to only a handful of SC2 personalities. The only way that you could experience this beta was to watch one of these people on Twitch. It's probably easier for these people to stream on Twitch instead of creating Youtube videos and they can make money from the donations that they get while they are streaming. Food for thought. Or should I say food for father?

I'm personally not a frequent user of Twitch, but I know that Twitch definitely has good ground, with people being greatly invested into e-sports, and the live interactions between the person streaming and the audience is another thing.

Again, I'm not a frequent user of Twitch, but the possibilities that Twitch has allowed for the gaming communnity was able to open a good platform.

Im watching EU LCS atm on twitch, and enjoying myself.

Theres like 220,000+ viewers btw (for 1 game only atm) on twitch tv.

To me this is like asking

"why would anyone ever watch the american foot ball on tv, when you could just go pratics it yourself, or play it with friends".

Most people, I think, watch for the commentary.