YouTube’s gaming efforts got a shot in the arm at E3.
Google formally announced its gaming-focused streaming video platform just ahead of last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, and kicked it off with a live show dedicated to the event on June 15. It has released some impressive viewer statistics from the debut this week, highlighting 8 million views of the YouTube Gaming live stream in just 12 hours on Monday. The success of this event will help YouTube build its presence in gaming as it attempts to go up against leading streaming game video platform Twitch, which sees 100 million monthly active users. Amazon paid $1 billion for Twitch late last year.
E3 draws thousands of press, and tens of thousands of industry attendees, but it’s still a closed show for most fans. Streaming video is an opportunity for YouTube, Twitch, and other video platforms to bring the show to millions of viewers at home.
In an effort to bolster its gaming reach, YouTube tapped game news personality Geoff Keighley to host the live event. The stream included the press conferences of major game publishers, including Microsoft and Sony, and offered exclusive interviews with creators, media, and gaming personalities.
YouTube says that its YouTube Live at E3 2015 broadcast was one of its largest live streams in company history. Total viewership for the day equates to over two million hours watched. The company also counted over 500,000 user comments during the event.
An archive of the June 15 broadcast is available in its entirety on YouTube.