Facebook has just launched a new dedicated app for Android that is aimed at rivalling popular game streaming services like Twitch and YouTube. The app is designed to curate and focus on streamers in the community, while also focusing on casual streams of games like “Words with Friends”.
The app offers three main services: Watch, Play and Connect. The Watch area is where users can view streams and discover new streamers. The Play service is a place where users can quickly and instantly start playing games without having to download them. And the Connect service lets users join communities via gaming groups, with new ones being added everyday.
While Facebook’s viewer base for gaming is nowhere close to leaders in streaming services like Twitch and YouTube, they have been steadily growing over the past few years. During the period of December 2018 to December 2019, reports indicate a 210 percent increase in hours watched.
Facebook will soon be adding a feature called “Go Live” to make it easier for users to start streaming. It will allow users to upload streams with a game of their choice from the same device itself. Once the streams are live, it will appear on the user’s personal pages where their friends can start viewing. Facebook is also planning to bring better monetization for the platform.
Facebook Gaming is currently only available for Android, on the Play Store. They have stated that they will be releasing an iOS version soon.
Commenting on the Facebook interest in gaming, Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app said:
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.