KEY POINTS

  • The Facebook Gaming app launched on the Google Play store following 18 months of testing in Southeast Asia and Latin America
  • It will promote and curate content from popular livestreamers on the platform, along with promoting popular online mobile games users may be interested
  • The "Go Live" feature will allow users to livestream a game they are playing on their phone for viewing withouth the need for third-party hardware or software like Twitch or Mixer

Facebook on Monday launched its new gaming mobile app, increasing its footprint in the live streaming space and challenging platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Mixer.

The Facebook Gaming app was released on the Google App store, with an iOS release planned for later in 2020. It follows around 18 months of testing in Southeast Asia and Latin America to ensure platform stability and functionality.

Facebook's launch comes at a time when game streaming platforms have seen a surge due in part to the coronavirus pandemic keeping people at home.

“Investing in gaming in general has become a priority for us because we see gaming as a form of entertainment that really connects people,” Facebook app head Fidji Simo told the New York Times. “It’s entertainment that’s not just a form of passive consumption but entertainment that is interactive and brings people together.”

Like normal Facebook Gaming, the app allows users to watch and chat with streamers or other viewers during live gameplays. It will also curate content from streams and streamers that may be of interest to the user in question, along with promoting online mobile games users may be interested in.

A new feature available on the app will be the “Go Live” function, which allows users to live stream to Facebook Gaming while playing from their phone directly. This means users won’t need third-party software or hardware to begin streaming like they typically would if using platforms like Twitch or Mixer.

“People are watching streams and they’re like, ‘I want to be a streamer,’ and with Go Live it’s literally just a few clicks and then live, you’re a streamer,” Facebook’s vice president of gaming Vivek Sharma said.

The new app is the next step in Facebook trying to grow its footprint in the gaming space. As with other live stream services, it has signed popular streamers like Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios and celebrities like Ronda Rousey to exclusive contracts to increase exposure. Facebook Gaming has also seen a surge in use from December 2018 to December 2019, but streaming research firm StreamLabs said it still sits behind Twitch and YouTube for hours streamed.

Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming have clocked 3.1 billion hours, 1.1 billion hours, and 554 million hours of viewing time since January 2020, respectively.

Much of Facebook's increased use has been at the company's free messaging services, which don't generate ad revenue, company executives said
Much of Facebook's increased use has been at the company's free messaging services, which don't generate ad revenue, company executives said AFP / DENIS CHARLET
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