{"id":18760,"date":"2018-05-01T05:38:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T05:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apptopia.com\/en\/insights\/facebook-messenger-instant-games-are-gaining-traction-are-you-ready\/"},"modified":"2018-05-01T05:38:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-01T05:38:00","slug":"facebook-messenger-instant-games-are-gaining-traction-are-you-ready","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/apptopia.com\/en\/insights\/facebook-messenger-instant-games-are-gaining-traction-are-you-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Messenger Instant Games Are gaining Traction, Are You Ready?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After suspending app reviews following the public backlash from the Cambridge Analytica controversy, Marketing Land<\/a> tells us Facebook is jumpstarting the review process for Instant Games and Messenger apps. If you want to know what type of game to build, check out an earlier post for us<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s a plus that Facebook has reopened the process since switching on the pause button in late March\u2014and the waiting time will be long as Facebook works through a huge backlog. What winning games concepts are likely to top the list? We get some clues from this recent GDC interview with Leo Olebe<\/a>, Global Director of Games Partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile our initial selection of games at launch focused more on high score-based game play, we are continually learning as developers experiment with new genres and formats, from turn based games like Words with Friends to classic Match 3, progression games like Cookie Crush through to multiplayer card classics like Uno, all of which are finding an audience on the service,\u201d he states. \u201cThose games in turn are bringing in new audiences to the platform. The common thread across all of these games is a social element that makes them more enjoyable to play with your friends and family in Messenger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some suggest the real question is not how long it will take your app to be approved, but rather, is it worth the investment in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move to halt app reviews was what Marketing Land calls \u201cFacebook\u2019s way of showing it was performing due diligence around the very thing that caused its latest crisis.\u201d But observers point out that precisely this crisis has cost it trust and audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case in point: the number of people leaving the platform and\u2014worse\u2014embracing the option (first reported by TechCrunch<\/a>) to remove apps in bulk from their Facebook profile settings. The new feature, which is accessible on mobile and desktop, will not only remove the apps but also will offer the option to delete any posts the individual apps have made to a user\u2019s profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chat app gaming gains traction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some companies are moving the needle on their games by making them available via Facebook Messenger. After all, the opportunity to address and engage an audience of 1.3 billion monthly active users does have its advantages. This week PocketGamer.biz updates<\/a> us on the latest game to joins the fold. Disney Tsum Tsum is live on the platform. The Instant Games release was developed by Everwing developer Game Closure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to PocketGamer, the puzzle title has generated more than 75 million downloads and $1 billion in revenue on since its launch on mobile back in 2013. The title on Facebook\u2019s games platform, is not the complete game. It\u2019s been called an \u201cintroductory version\u201d of the app, sharing the same basic rules and certain features but missing certain elements of the full mobile title, the post explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s clear that blockbuster games can afford to experiment and ride the tide of chat gaming\u2014which is turning out to be one of the hottest emerging trends in the mobile games space. But does it offer promise and profits to indie developers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great folks at PocketGamer, who have dedicated all of April to news and views around the space, put this same question to some top indie studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perchang Co-Founder Ben Murch<\/strong><\/a> expects that indies\u2014given their enthusiasm for new ideas and opportunities\u2014will step up to take advantage of new chat app gaming experiences. The aim, he says, is to \u201cmake our mark before the big companies realize the potential and ruin it for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strange Flavour CEO Aaron Fothergill<\/strong><\/a> sees it as another way to get games in front of users. \u201cTheoretically,\u201d he adds, it\u2019s goal is supported by \u201cthe fact that you\u2019re already in a multiplayer environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the game has better chances of success if it enhances (not interrupts) what users are there to do in the first place. As Aaron puts it in PocketGamer: \u201cIf you\u2019re within a messaging app, your players aren\u2019t 100 per cent focused on your game. They\u2019re there to chat, so your game is likely to work better if it\u2019s more casual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is the revenue?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more important than the fit with the players is the question: how to monetize them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, Facebook\u2019s Instant Games platform supports monetization through advertising. In-app purchases are still in the experimentation phase in closed testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This literally changes the game for indie developers, who can\u2019t ask players for cash. They have to think of other ways to generate revenue. One way is to drive more players to the app on the platform \u2013 in the hopes they will come in droves and stay to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this simple strategy to grow your game can have hidden costs. Aaron sums it up, explain what he calls \u201cthe classic Facebook lock-in problem.\u201d More users on Facebook costs more. \u201cThe more users\/followers you have on Facebook, the more you have to pay them in advertising to be able to actually post anything to them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big studios naturally report bigger wins. Games studio FRVR tells Variety<\/a> it\u2019s \u201cbanking seven figures\u201d for ads running on the Basketball FRVR version on the Instant Games platform. It has been played more than 4.2 billion times. \u201cAs a game developer, it\u2019s rare that you have an opportunity to reach more than one billion people the first day your game goes live,\u201d said FRVR founder Chris Benjaminsen in a statement. \u201cWe knew an investment in Facebook\u2019s Instant Games would pay off \u2014 and it certainly has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get in early<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it makes sense for agile indies and established studios to get on the Instant Games bandwagon, Ben Chong over at Gamesutra<\/a> highlights the opportunities for brands that get in on the bottom floor before the real boom comes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popularity of casual games with high-power IP bodes well for brands that want to align their names with compelling games. \u201cAs it turns out,\u201d he writes, \u201cgames are a great way to get attention too. The act of playing a game itself, and getting rewarded for your actions is a great hook for attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply, brands license HTML5 games<\/a> to help them get more attention. \u201cThe attention can manifest in a few ways, including time spent in the game, social media mentions, leads generated and possibly even revenue down the road.\u201d More importantly, HTML5 games offer cross-platform interoperability and can be offered in forms and formats sure to be a crowd-pleaser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n