YouTube to challenge Twitch in live gaming and esports streaming

If you can’t buy them… try and beat them?

There is no doubt that Twitch.tv has made a massive splash in esports and online competitive gaming, giving internet denizens the opportunity to both stream themselves playing games or watch their favorite gamers duke it out in any number of games such as Counter-Strike, League of Legends, DOTA, Minecraft, World of Warcraft and more.

Amazon recently purchased the gamer-focused site for nearly a billion dollars, quite the statement being made, especially considering YouTube had tried to buy it prior.

The Daily Dot is reporting that YouTube is now going to jump into the ring and gun for Twitch directly, launching live streaming functionality for gamers similar to Twitch.

The Google-owned online video behemoth, which tried and failed to acquire streaming giant Twitch last year, has watched the growth of esports with great interest and is looking to acquire broadcast content and talent within the industry.

It will be no easy task, as Twitch is a bit of a darling among gamers, and they have no shortage of resources being backed by Amazon now. While Google and YouTube will certainly be able to drop considerable resources into this as well, it seems plausible that they will offer heated competition, but only time will tell if gamers will willingly make the switch.

YouTube does have a history with esports previously, being home to one of the largest League of Legends championships.

Google is currently remaining silent on the deal, as The Daily Dot seems to believe that YouTube will have a big announcement during this years E3 conference, one of the biggest launchpads for all new games and gaming platforms.