Result of integration of mini games in Messenger.
After successfully rolling out the Instant News feature, Facebook is reportedly testing a new feature called “Instant Games” that let people play light weight games against friends.
According to Tech Crunch, the makers of Candy Crush, King.com is already testing a light weight game called Shuffle Cats Mini in New Zealand and it also reported that many big players are also discussing launching Instant Games.
The over penetration of Android and iOS has kept Facebook away from the world of native mobile gaming. If Facebook is able to create a new platform to engage its users to play games, it could open a new revenue source for Facebook through in-app purchase.
The new games are the result of the successful integration of chess, basketball and soccer mini-games in Messenger. According to Tech Crunch, this gave third party developers of build Instant Games.
There are also reports that Facebook is planning to release a developer’s kit for app developers, which Facebook is yet to confirm.
Moreover, Facebook is making a big push into gaming. Earlier this week they officially announced Facebook Gameroom, a desktop PC gaming platform.