A new, free Facebook app aims to allow anyone to become a live streamer, but it’s only available for Android devices.
The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t only led to an increase in popularity for video games, but live streamers now have more of an audience to entertain and keep invested.
As such, Facebook has decided to take advantage of the situation by releasing its new gaming app earlier than planned.
Initially reported on by The New York Times, the mobile app, simply called Facebook Gaming, was initially planned to launch in June, but has instead launched today and it’s completely free, with no ads either.
At the moment, however, it’s only available for Android devices. Facebook has stated that it’s waiting for approval from Apple before it can be released on iOS devices.
Facebook Gaming’s main aim is to encourage would-be streamers to finally take the plunge by offering a much simpler experience, with the app’s Go Live feature.
‘There are a lot of people who listen to music and say, ‘I can imagine myself being a musician,’’ said Vivek Sharma, Facebook’s vice president for gaming.
‘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.’
The app will also come with some games of its own and users will be able to share their livestreams via their personal Facebook pages.
In order to keep the app ad-free, Facebook will be making money via donations that viewers can give to streamers they enjoy. These donations (called ‘stars’) will be split between the streamers and Facebook, though, at the time of writing, Facebook hasn’t commented on what kind of split it will be.
With established streaming sites like Twitch already so successful, Facebook’s attempt to make a big splash in this market will no doubt be an uphill battle, but it sounds like it’s determined to become a possible contender.
It’s also likely that it will start to try and poach popular streamers from Twitch and Mixer, something it’s already began with the, admittedly not-that-famous, Smash Bros. champ ZeRo.
‘We don’t want to be the background window in a Chrome tab while someone is doing their homework or doing something else,’ said Sharma, ‘With mobile, if you have the app open and you’re using the app, it’s in the foreground. You can’t do anything else on your mobile phone, and that is extremely powerful.’
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