Facebook has today launched a live gaming mobile app today for its users following the surge in video games surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has invested 700 million of its 2.5 billion users already involved with gaming content.
The app will rival Amazon’s Twitch, YouTube and Microsoft mixer services. Originally, Facebook set to launch it in June but due to the unprecedented circumstances, the company has since moved up its plans to take advantage of the pandemic. Most of the people are indoors, this is the best times to have the app working.
Basing on Facebook’s huge user audience, there are high chances the app will pick positively and even attract more users to it. The mobile gaming industry has really grown. From phone makers realising phones that support gaming to ease of access.
Mobile games are likely to out space PC games. Newzoo, earlier predicted that PC games will account for about 23 per cent of the market share, Console games 31 per cent while mobile games will take the lead by 46 per cent in 2020.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered its growth three-fold beyond the prediction. Mobile games offer flexibility and portability to the user compared to PCs.
The Facebook-owned app is designed for watching and creating live gameplay. It includes casual games and gives unlimited access to gaming communities. The app will also not support any form of advertising.
“Investing in gaming, in general, has become a priority for us. We see gaming as a form of entertainment that really connects people,” says Fidji Simo, head of the gaming app as quoted by the NYT.
“It’s entertainment that’s not just a form of passive consumption. But entertainment that is interactive and brings people together,” Simo said.