Facebook Launches New Games SDK for PC Game Development

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In its effort help developers keep their players engaged, Facebook has announced a new Games SDK for PC games.

Only days after Facebook opened up its Instant Games platform to all developers who want to build HTML games for Facebook and Messenger, the company has announced a new Games SDK for PC game development. The new software development kit supports both C++ and Unity, and includes new features that Facebook says aim to help developers keep their players engaged, as well as help them understand and optimise the “impact of a game’s community activity with app events and analytics.”

The first feature is a new livestreaming API that allows developers to integrate livestreaming functionality into their games. Once it’s introduced within “the coming weeks,” the API will allow players to stream their gaming, as well as record clips and share on Facebook Pages, Groups, or their profiles with a new “clipping” feature.

Facebook’s new Games SDK supports both C++ and Unity, and includes several new features for PC game developers

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Then, there’s Rewards – a free in-game rewards system that works by rewarding users for their livestream views. In the announcement for the new SDK, Facebook Software Engineer Alex Hopmann, explains that it “enables PC developers to create a meaningful watch experience for their community and re-engagement opportunities for their game by curating and granting free, in-game rewards for viewers who tune in during livestreams on Facebook.” Furthermore, the feature is designed to help “increase community interaction as players watch together and offer an incentive to jump back into the games they love.”

Rewards was previously only available to a few developers – it will now be available to all.

Another feature coming as part of the Games SDK is a new Key Player Stats feature, that allows game player stats to be integrated into Facebook Groups. This gives players the ability to post their stats and find other players to connect and compete with.

With Facebook’s new Games SDK, PC game developers can now integrate custom App Events to use in their Facebook Analytics

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Finally, as part of Facebook‘s aim to help developers better understand the impact of their game’s community, the SDK brings PC game developers the ability to integrate custom App Events to use in their Facebook Analytics. The feature was only available on mobile and the web up until now.

Developers can find out more about the new SDK here.