Facebook has something for Messenger users in form Instant Games tucked within the instant messaging platform. According to reports, Facebook is currently prepping to launch a gaming platform that will allow users play Instant Games with their Facebook friends.
It’s reported that Facebook is partnering with developers in preparing titles for the platform. Though the social media big cheese declined to name the developers, we have discovered some of them. First, King.com known for making Candy Crush has already launched an Instant Game ‘Shuffle Cats Mini’ in New Zealand. It’s also true that startup studio called Big Viking is working on HTML 5 instant Games. The HTML 5 technology allows developers to embed games in several platforms including inside messengers with bots, according to Big Vikings CEO Albert Alai. However, when asked if his company is working on Instant Games for the Facebook Messenger, Mr. Alai said he can’t speak about their involvement with social media powerhouse. Anyway, it doesn’t matter such comments are normal in the corporate world.
Facebook has not been able to make a breakthrough in native mobile gaming that is dominated by Google’s Android and Apple made iOS. However, the social media powerhouse can gather numbers for the standalone chat app if the team can successfully create games into Messenger by using it as a gateway to mobile phones web applications. People could not only come to Messenger exchange messages but also to play Instant Games. And with that Facebook could potentially get something in form of in-game acquisitions. When reached for comments, the company declined to give away any information.
Earlier reports claimed Facebook is creating the platform for games that Facebook friends can play against each other in turns but not necessarily at the same time. Earlier, this year Facebook realized and single-handedly fabricated basketball, chess, and soccer mini-games for the Messenger. And now the Instant Games expands the milestone reached by the built-in mini games that Facebook also allowed third-party developers to build. The social media titan has slated issuance of a development kit later this month. However, it’s not yet known whether Facebook will allow developers to charge users for in-game acquisitions.
Facebook earlier attempts in mobile gaming
Back in 2009, Facebook in collaboration with developers like Zynga and EA built a dominant gaming platform on its desktop site. Unfortunately, users migrated to mobile phones but Facebook’s games could not trace the path. Consequently, Android and iOS became the hosts for mobile and social gaming. As a result, the 30% taxes that Facebook used to earn from in-game acquisitions stopped.
In 2011, Facebook gambled again in mobile gaming, this time around launching HTML5 gaming platform known as Project Spartan. Sadly another problem arose- HTML5 standard was shabby and game makers could not understand how to insert its performance boundaries. No studio was able to create a game to challenge innate iOS and Android games, and the platform rapidly slumped and was phased off.
After years of meditation, Facebook is making another huge come back with Instant Games. In April 2015, Facebook launched Messenger for content and utility. Then, a game called Doodle Draw emerged but never made a breakthrough. In April this year, Facebook Messenger bots platform was launched in an attempt to make the standalone chat service a self-sufficient platform capable of doing different tasks, from ordering cabs to shopping.
As at now, the success of Instant Games cannot be predicted yet but it will be pretty interesting to see how the lightweight games will compare with the now popular iOS and Android games. In addition, the games will aim to give Messenger an upper hand in the hotly contested mobile messaging platform besides enhancing Facebook’s social graph.