Facebook FB has been focusing on expanding its gaming efforts to diversify its revenue source for some time.
Recently, Facebook announced the debut of two Pokemon games titled Pokémon Tower Battle and Pokémon Medallion Battle on Facebook Gaming, which were built on the social network’s Instant Games platform.
Notably, it is the first time The Pokemon Co. has created video game titles for Facebook Gaming. Both the games are free-to-play on PC using Facebook’s social platform and on mobile through Facebook Messenger.
Pokémon Tower Battle Details
Available worldwide, Pokemon Tower Battle is a unique take on the Pokémon franchise developed by Bombay Play. Players compete by stacking Pokémon against one another to create the tallest Pokémon towers.
As players discover, catch and level-up rare Pokémon, they can compete in real time against friends or across a global leader board.
Pokémon Medallion Battle Details
Pokémon Medallion Battle is a digital card battle strategy game developed by GCTurbo. The game is currently restricted to players in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Oceania and Vietnam.
In the game, trainers are required to collect, battle and evolve Pokémon in medallion form. Players embark on a journey with their companions to win gym badges and complete their "Pokédex".
Moreover, players can discover new Pokémon, introduced every month, to create even better decks.
Facebook’s Instant Gaming Initiatives Amid Competition
Facebook has been steadily expanding in the video gaming industry. In early 2019, the company introduced the Facebook Gaming tab, a hub for players to find and play Instant Games, aimed at challenging Amazon's AMZN Twitch.
Per a Motley Fool Report, Twitch had 2.94 million active streamers in September 2019. The figure dropped 19.9% year over year primarily due to competition from rivals like Alphabet's GOOGL YouTube, Microsoft's MSFT Mixer and Facebook Gaming.
Per a CNBC report, Facebook Gaming has more than 700 million monthly users who play games, watch gaming videos, or engage in gaming groups on Facebook.
NexxuzHD, one of YouTube's top Spanish-speaking streamers, also recently started streaming games on Facebook Gaming.
Additionally, Facebook confirmed the acquisition of PlayGiga, a cloud-gaming startup based in Spain, which will be integrated into Facebook Gaming platform team.
Popular titles on Instant Games include Zynga’s Words With Friends, Mattel163’s Uno, Lotum’s Quiz Planet, Softgames’ Cookie Crush and Jumpy Jumpy – Helix Ball.
Per a Venture Beat report, more than 40 billion instant game sessions have been played across Facebook, Messenger and other platforms
Facebook’s efforts are seen as a way to attract the younger demographic to the platform. The company’s attempt to capitalize on growing demand for video games is expected to draw/retain users to the platform.
We believe that Facebook’s recent move can help it to strengthen its position in the gaming space and increase its revenues from video ads.
Facebook currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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