Facebook launches gaming app to take on YouTube and Twitch
Release rumoured to have been hurried up for players in lockdown
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Facebook has launched a special app for watching and streaming games.
The new platform called Facebook Gaming is available now and is intended to take on rivals such as Twitch, YouTube and Microsoft's Mixer.
It offers similar features to those competitors – such live streams of players and their games – alongside special Facebook ones, including app-based games that have previously been available within the main app and Messenger.
It also allows players to share their videos with their friends and family on Facebook.
The Facebook Gaming app is available now for Android, and it is working on an iPhone version.
The release is thought to have been hurried up to ensure that players could get online during lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Our global streamer community has demanded a standalone Facebook Gaming app for a while, so we're excited to finally launch it on Google Play," Vivek Sharma, vice president of Facebook Gaming, said.
"We are building homes for the many types of gaming communities on and off Facebook.
"The Facebook Gaming app is a prime example of gaming's resurgence at Facebook over the last few years, and we're just getting started."
The app has been in testing since at least 2018, and a full release has been rumoured for some time.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments