Snapchat reportedly launching a gaming platform
Photo messaging app may already have one game publisher on board
Facebook browser gaming may be losing steam, but it sounds like Snapchat has a different idea for gaming integration with social platforms. Snap Inc. will reportedly launch a gaming platform as a part of Snapchat this fall, and apparently already has one publisher on board.
This report comes from The Information, whose source says that Snapchat's upcoming gaming platform will go beyond the app's past efforts to gamify certain elements of its existing photo features. An in-app store will allow users to download games created by outside developers, though it is unclear if those will be playable within Snapchat or externally. The gaming platform has reportedly been in development for at least a year.
Though Snap Inc. hasn't made any overt overtures toward gaming officially just yet, some of Snap Inc's recent moves may offer hints as to what this platform might entail. Earlier this year, the company acquired British VR and gaming startup PlayCanvas, which brought with it an engine capable of bringing VR experiences to browsers. And two weeks ago, it released a developer kit that lets people use Snapchat logins to access other apps and use Snapchat features (such as Bitmoji) within them.