According to the Wall Street Journal, Google seems to be testing out a cool new feature for YouTube gamers. They’re calling it “Playables,” and it’s all about letting users play games right on their mobile devices or computers while using the popular video streaming platform.

This exciting development was revealed in an internal email sent to Google employees. If the rumours are true, Playables will allow players to dive into games instantly through the YouTube app on their mobile devices. It’s kind of like what Stadia, Google’s cloud-based gaming platform, offers.

You may remember Stadia, which allowed players to stream their game library through Chrome, Chromecast, and other devices. Well, it seems that Google is eager to continue exploring the gaming realm with Playables. However, it’s still unclear whether Playables will rely on the same technology as Stadia or if it will expand beyond basic game titles.

Interestingly, Google had previously attempted to repurpose the Stadia technology by teaming up with fitness giant Peloton. They wanted to create gamified workouts that users could access through the cloud. Unfortunately, that venture didn’t pan out, and the plans were scrapped.

In September 2022, Phil Harrison, the general manager of the Stadia platform, announced that they would be winding down Stadia. It turns out that the service didn’t gain as much popularity as Google had hoped after its launch in November 2019. Harrison openly admitted the disappointment, citing the lack of user traction as the reason behind the decision.

So, while Stadia may be coming to a close, Google’s interest in gaming is far from over. With Playables potentially on the horizon, we’ll have to keep an eye out for any updates on this exciting development.