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Facebook Messenger Might Soon Feature Games

Facebook Messenger Might Soon Feature Games

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 19 May 2015 16:22 IST

If a new report is to be believed, Facebook's standalone Messenger app might soon let you play games in the app itself.

Facebook is speaking to developers on this front, though there is no word on specific release timeline for the games in the Messenger app store, according to The Information's report that cites three people briefed on the firm's plans. It adds that Facebook's Ilya Sukhar has been tasked to take care of product side for Messenger's platform. Sukhar confirmed the plans though declined to comment on any dates for the rollout of the new product.

(Also see: Facebook Opens Messenger to Developers, Targets E-Commerce; Introduces Embeddable Video Player)

The plan to introduce games in Messenger app still looks to be in early stages, though considering that the app is a part of the social platform (Facebook); it could be easy to engage people with games. Additionally, the report points out that it can also be an easy way to get more revenue. Details about Facebook's plans for its Messenger app are still limited; though we can expect more details to surface as the company nears the rollout.

Confirming the move to Mashable, a Facebook spokesperson said, "Currently, we think Messenger Platform is best suited for apps that focus on content creation and curated content. But, one of the reasons we were excited to announce that Messenger Platform is open to all developers is to see what people build. From there, we'll think about what else might make sense."

The firm had unveiled the Messenger Platform back in March, allowing third-party developers to create apps. The Information report adds that the Facebook has been working to increase user engagement on the apps already available on the Facebook Messenger platform, and the move to broaden the apps available to include games is part of this effort.

Messenger, Facebook's standalone mobile app, has been getting some serious competition from the likes of WhatsApp, Line, WeChat and other popular messaging services. Last month, the company rolled out the new video calling feature to the service, taking on Skype, Facetime, and Hangouts. Around the same time, alongside Facebook's Q1 earning report, the company revealed it has 600 million users on the Messenger platform.

The social giant had been lately testing few features such as sending money to friends using its Messenger mobile app. Another feature reported to be in testing is voice transcription feature for the Messenger app, which will enable users to send voice clips with automatically typed-out text. Facebook last month unveiled a standalone Web version of its Messenger, with the launch of the Messenger.com website.

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