Facebook is launching a dedicated mobile app for their Facebook Gaming platform ahead of schedule to battle Twitch and YouTube. It will arrive on the Google Play Store Monday, while the iOS version is going live once Apple approves the app. The company initially planned for a June release, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they saw a big rise in gaming during quarantine.
Users can already watch and livestream games through the main Facebook app, but the feature just does not stand out enough to attract the numbers that YouTube Gaming and Twitch are seeing, with the latter amassing 121.4-million hours alone. Even more importantly, your livestreams will not be plastered with ads, but instead revenue will come from commissions in the form of Facebook “stars” that can be tipped to streamers.
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,” said Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook Gaming app.