Google recently announced that it is shutting down the YouTube Gaming app. The app will be taken down at the end of May. In its place, the company recommends viewers visit the new YouTube hub page.
To help with the transition, the company recently released a FAQ to help address any concerns about the discontinuation. As part of this, it recommends that any users merge their subscriptions to retain most of the streaming preferences.
In regards to the new hub page that’s replacing the app, Google states that users currently won’t be able to set it as their default YouTube experience. They instead recommend that people simply bookmark it.
Additionally, any games saved by users in YouTube Gaming will not transfer over. While the removal of the app seems like a loss for viewers, Google states that it is “exploring better ways to organize your game interests on YouTube.”
In regards to streamers on the platform, Google states that nothing is changing for them. People will still be able to watch their streams on YouTube via the new hub.
The YouTube Gaming app launched in 2015 as Google’s hub for gaming live streams. As part of this, Google used the app as a testing ground for a number of new YouTube features. However, the app supposedly caused confusion among viewers. In its FAQ, Google states that its developers “want to make easier for Gaming creators and fans to connect where everyone is watching: in the main YouTube app.”
Of course, Google will be launching its new gaming subscription service Stadia sometime in the future. With this in mind, it’s likely that Google pulling down the app is somehow related to Stadia. Google will be revealing more details about Stadia soon, players will likely learn what the discontinuation of the YouTube Gaming app factors into the service then.
