Facebook introduces AR games to group chats
"Don't Smile" and "Asteroids Attack" are the first games to emerge on Messenger via company's AR Studio
In an update today, Facebook has added the first of a set of augmented reality games to its Messenger Chat app. These games can be played with up to six players via video chat over Messenger.
The first two games are entitled "Don't Smile" in which players compete to see who can avoid smiling for the longest period of time, and "Asteroids Attack" which involves navigating a spaceship attached to the player's nose through falling asteroids.
Two more games, called "Beach Bump" and "Kitten Kraze" will be released in the coming weeks and months along with other, unannounced titles.
Facebook Messenger's AR games were created via the company's AR Studio, a tool that allows developers to create exactly these kinds of experiences. AR Studio's website also details plans to expand its offerings to Instagram and Facebook Lite. Already, Instagram includes AR chat filters. Its competitor, Snapchat, already has similar AR games available through Snappables, and as of June was reportedly working on its own gaming platform projected for launch this fall.