![]() I'm sure we'll learn more in the future, but for now there's definitely a curious air around the whole thing.Īnd rather than confirm or deny Fergusson's quote, a Blizzard spokesperson instead told us when asked about it that they would "be in touch" should they have something to share. There's been a lot of controversy around Diablo 4's endgame right from launch, and annual expansions have the potential to dramatically reshape that aspect of the game, so one would think Blizzard would make a slightly bigger deal about it. Will they be paid updates? Will they exist in separate realms that make you start a new character like the seasonal stuff? That wouldn't be very MMO-like, but it's definitely possible.įinally, why haven't we heard anything from Blizzard about this? It seems like pretty big news to nonchalantly drop as a side comment in an interview, which leads me to wonder whether it was a goof by Fergusson. Whatever fate awaits Playables, the feature itself likely isn't Alphabet's first online gaming experiment in the post-Stadia world, with one recent report claiming that Google was working with publishers on new cloud gaming projects as of March 2023.Yearly expansions are most common in MMOs like Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny 2, and Lord of the Rings Online, and although Diablo 4 technically isn't an MMO but an action-RPG, it's interesting to see Blizzard continue to treat it like one in terms of its live-service offerings.Īgain, as there hasn't been an official announcement, we know next to nothing about Blizzard's plans for Diablo 4 annual updates, and I definitely have questions. It is also no stranger to shutting down those that do, as most recently underlined by the June 2023 discontinuation of YouTube Stories. Like most other Google subsidiaries, YouTube frequently experiments with features that never see the light of day. The arrival of this soft launch does not necessarily guarantee that Playables will ever roll out globally. Anyone wanting to check whether they have been included in the ongoing rollout should make sure that they are logged into YouTube with their Google Account before looking for the new feature on their device of choice. However, the company has yet to elaborate on the scope of its Playables test. YouTube historically tests its experimental features by rolling them out to random users in predetermined markets. Playables are also essentially platform-agnostic by virtue of being integrated into YouTube, allowing them to be accessed from desktop browsers and mobile devices. But unlike that previously introduced functionality, all Playables will be available to YouTube users in full, whereas Instant Apps were merely intended as demos. The solution thus seemingly has some overlap with Instant Apps, a Google Play Store feature first introduced in 2016 that allows mobile users to try out supported Android games and other apps without installing them. Much like its name implies, this portion of the site is meant to operate as a library of games that can be played directly on YouTube. Anyone who is currently part of the test should now see the new Playables section on the YouTube home feed. Specifically, a YouTube community manager revealed that the company began rolling out the service to a limited subset of users as of September 5. It now did so via an update on the YouTube Help pages, as first spotted by 9to5Google. ![]() RELATED: PewDiePie Makes Big Return to YouTube The company declined to confirm its existence at that time. The Playables platform has been in the works for a while now, having first been mentioned in a late June report claiming that YouTube started testing the new online gaming service by inviting its own employees and Google staffers to join it. Its soft launch indicates that the Google Stadia shutdown from early 2023 did not dissuade YouTube from continuing to experiment with online gaming offerings. The scope of the Playables test is unclear, and there is no guarantee that it will roll out globally, as YouTube often experiments with features that may not be implemented.Ī new YouTube gaming service for desktops and mobile devices, called Playables, is now rolling out to select users.Playables is a library of games that can be played directly on YouTube, similar to Google Play Store's Instant Apps but with full access to games.YouTube has launched a new gaming service called Playables, even after the Google Stadia shutdown, showing its commitment to online gaming. ![]()
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