YouTube Gaming goes live

YouTube has rolled out its dedicated YouTube Gaming video service in the UK and US, in a move that puts it head-to-head with Amazon-owned rival Twitch.

YouTube Gaming offers gaming videos and live streams of videogame play and is available on the gaming.youtube.com site or as dedicated apps for Android and iOS devices.

YouTube said that the new service automatically pulls in “all gaming-related videos and live streams from YouTube” and will roll out in more countries soon.

“Viewers get personalised gaming recommendations based on the games and channels they collect. With over 25,000 game pages and even more gaming channels, it’s never been easier to connect with your gaming community,” said YouTube engineering manager, Frank Petterson, in a blog post announcing the launch.

YouTube first said it would launch a gaming site in June in an effort to establish “the biggest community of gamers on the web.”

The move comes after Amazon agreed to buy Twitch – a rival video platform and community for videogame enthusiasts – for US$970 million (€860 million) last August.