Earlier this month we reported that Messenger was working on and testing HTML5 games on Messenger. Now, Facebook is rolling out the feature to 30 countries on iOS and Android!
Instant Games are what Facebook calls “a new HTML5 cross-platform gaming experience.” Designed both for Messenger and Facebook News Feed, optimised for mobile and web. In other words, if you just want to play a simple game, you will be able to “easily discover” and play one on Facebook and Messenger, without actually downloading any additional apps.
Its Messenger integration also gives players the ability to share and play games with their friends. To go to Instant Games on Messenger, you need to tap the “game controller” icon below the text field.
In the blog post announcing the feature, Alissa Ju, explained that Instant Games will offer
[quote]a fun and social experience featuring score-based games, leaderboards, and group thread conversations to challenge and compete against anyone on Messenger.[/quote]
Instant Games can be played on Facebook News Feed as well. This allows “a seamless cross-platform experience” for people to find and play games, either through their own searches, but also through recommendations and challenges.
On Facebook,
[quote]a dedicated Instant Games bookmark is also available; where people can view and instantly replay all their favorite titles they previously enjoyed across both platforms.[/quote]
Instant Games is now available in 30 countries and can be found on iOS version 8 or later, and Android version 5 or later. At the moment, there are 17 Instant Games for you to search for and play, including “popular titles from arcade classics to action to other modern favourites.”
Rest assured that there will be many more soon. With legendary gaming companies like TAITO or Konami partnering up with Facebook to bring titles to Instant Games, we are sure there are interesting times ahead.
Koichi Ishii, President at TAITO CORPORATION commented on Instant Games, saying
[quote]We are very happy and excited about this partnership to let game players around the world play SPACE INVADERS again,[/quote]
Instant Games is in closed beta, so game developers can register here.
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