YouTube To Take On Amazon's Twitch With Live Game Streaming: Report

Google tried to acquire live gaming service Twitch last summer before it fell into the hands of Amazon in a $1 billion deal. Now Google is trying to kill it. Unnamed sources told the Daily Dot on Tuesday that live gaming and e-sports may be at the forefront of the relaunch of YouTube Live.

Live streaming isn’t new to YouTube. The company launched its own live-streaming platform in 2010 and has since broadcast large events such as the 2015 State of the Union address via the White House’s YouTube channel. YouTube also already enables users to stream their own events.

But now, YouTube appears to be focused on expanding its platform as competitors increase their abilities. While YouTube was once the dominant space for video content creators, Facebook and Hulu are now attracting celebrities to upload videos directly to their sites, as Variety reported.

Snapchat, the disappearing photo and video message app, has also attracted media partners, original creators and released its own scripted series. New live-streaming app Meerkat has quickly risen to popularity.

The competition is no joke to YouTube. The company has reportedly recruited 50 engineers to help with its streaming project, sources told the Daily Dot. It is expected that YouTube will announce its new streaming services at this June’s Electronic Entertainment Expo.

YouTube declined to comment to the Daily Dot and did not immediately respond to our request.