YouTube today launched its spin-off platform for video gamers - YouTube Gaming. The app
and website is focusing exclusively on gaming content, with a greater emphasis on live steams.
Google's Yutube wants to create a one-stop shop for all gaming content. More than 25,000 games will be given their own page. The site will also serve as a home for popular YouTube creators, gamers, channels and game publishers as well as live streams, which will feature front and center on the page.
As a dedicated gaming channel, when typing in "call," for instance, the site will autocomplete the search with "Call of Duty," not "Call Me Maybe."
YouTube has been facing competition from services such as Amazon-owned Twitch, which has become the go-to platform for gamers who want to broadcast live. Hundreds of thousands of people visit Twitch daily to watch live steams of other people playing video games.
YouTube said it had redeveloped its live streaming function for its gaming app, but confirmed that live broadcasts would be subject to its standard copyright checks.
The company's Content ID system will terminate broadcasts if "third-party content" such as music is detected, a feature absent on Twitch.