Google, Nvidia, Amazon, and other contenders have been quick to flight their own cloud gaming services in a bid to capture what might be the future of mashing your fingers on a controller – but now Facebook has committed to launching its own cloud gaming service, aptly dubbed Facebook Gaming.
In a statement to the press, Jason Rubin, Vice President of Play at Facebook, offered that “Today we’re announcing that Facebook Gaming has launched several cloud-streamed games in the Facebook app and on browser — playable instantly, with no downloads required. We recently had 200,000 people playing our cloud-streamed games per week in limited regions, so while it’s not exactly a secret, I’m excited to lay out what we’re building.
Cloud game streaming promises to deliver unprecedented access to games across every screen. And while we’re thrilled to play a part in that future, that future is a ways off. So before we talk about our aspirations, let me start with what we’re not doing. Cloud gaming announcements are prone to hype, so I’m going to speak openly from the outset.
First teased earlier this year, Facebook Gaming is intended to launch as a beta which will enable users to kickstart their use of the platform by accessing mobile-native Android games in APK formats.
Whereas Google has perhaps been more prolific with its intent to get you to buy Stadia-compatible accessories, Facebook is instead hoping that its cloud-only service will appeal to more users.
Rubin continued to elaborate that:
I want to clarify what we’re not doing: we’re not spinning off a separate cloud gaming service. All cloud-streamed games are playable in the same way you play games now on Facebook — whether it’s in our Gaming tab or from News Feed. No special hardware or controllers needed – your hands are the controllers since we’re launching with native mobile games. And you can play these games with a mouse and keyboard on desktop. More than 380 million people play games each month on Facebook, and people will play cloud-streamed games right alongside those playing instant games in HTML5. And if we do our jobs right, you won’t notice how the games are delivered.“
According to Rubin, the first playable games on Facebook Gaming will be:
- Asphalt 9: Legends
- Mobile Legends: Adventure
- PGA TOUR Golf Shootout
- Solitaire: Arthur’s Tale
- WWE SuperCard
Additionally, Facebook has redesigned its Gaming tab in a bid to assist gamers in finding new titles to play. Naturally, given that we’re dealing with the big blue version of Big Brother, the platform will additionally support cloud-playable ads.
What are your thoughts? Would you be prepared to use Facebook Gaming, or is your heart set on another cloud gaming service entirely? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below.
