Speculations are now beginning that Google might be planning to shut down the Google Play Games app on Android, as many of its main features are now being added directly into the Play Store.
A well-known APK teardown expert, AssembleDebug, as spotted by Android Police, showed hidden updates in the Play Store that show future options like gamer profiles, tracking achievements, and even following other players. These are some of the main features that were only available in the Google Play Games app before.
The Play Games app launched back in 2013 to compete with Apple’s Game Center and helped Android users keep track of game progress, achievements, and leaderboards. But over the past few months, there haven’t been any major updates to the app.
Instead, it is been noted Google has been quietly working behind the scenes to bring these features into the Play Store. So already, we may see this to be removed completely shortly.
However, Google says there’s no need to worry yet. Replying to that very post on X, the company explained that the recent code changes are meant to prepare for future improvements.
They also said gaming is still a very important part of Google Play and more updates will be revealed in the coming months. However, it is interesting to note that they didn’t completely answer the rumours of the Play Games removal. More in the coming days, surely.