Facebook introduces new standalone gaming app ahead of schedule to take on Twitch and YouTube in response to the coronavirus pandemic
Facebook has launched its own standalone gaming app to take on the likes of Twitch and YouTube.
The social media giant released the livestreaming video game content ahead of the official launch in response of the coronavirus, as much of the world is under lockdown to limit the spread of the virus.
The app lets users follow other gamers, watch live streams and leave comments to interact with the community – allowing anyone to become an amateur streamer.
The platform currently offers games in a separate tab of the main Facebook app, but the new roll out is a standalone service that is for ‘a focused, gaming-only experience for people who want deeper access’.
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Facebook has launched its own standalone gaming app to take on the likes of Twitch and YouTube. The social media giant released the livestreaming video game content ahead of the official launch in response of the coronavirus
Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, told The New York Times: ‘Investing in gaming in general has become a priority for us because we see gaming as a form of entertainment that really connects people.’
‘It’s entertainment that’s not just a form of passive consumption but entertainment that is interactive and brings people together.’
Simo also noted that the recent coronavirus outbreak has put the development into the new gaming app full speed ahead, allowing the firm to launch it ahead of schedule.
‘We’re seeing a big rise in gaming during quarantine,’ she said.
The app lets users follow other gamers, watch live streams and leave comments to interact with the community – allowing anyone to become an amateur streamer
The Facebook Gaming app was tested in Southeast Asia and Latin American over the past 18 months, and is available on the Google Play Store – the iOS version will launch once Apple approves it.
Streams can then be shared to someone’s personal Facebook page, potentially making it much easier for people to become amateur streamers.
Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, requires users to install third-party programs or connect a smartphone or note pad to a computer in order to access games.
Facebook’s version does not show advertisements for now and plans to generate revenue when viewers share ‘stars,’, which represents sums of month to streamers – it is similar to a commission.
The company said it wanted to build its gaming audience before adding other ways to make money, The New York Times reported.
Facebook is focused on mobile and the new app for streaming because the mobile experience is more intense than computer viewing, Mr. Sharma said. T
And Twitch is more of a desktop PC gaming.
‘We don’t want to be the background window in a Chrome tab while someone is doing their homework or doing something else,’ Sharma said.
‘With mobile, if you have the app open and you’re using the app, it’s in the foreground.’
‘You can’t do anything else on your mobile phone, and that is extremely powerful.’