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Facebook has announced the next phase of its Instant Games Platform. The changes will be made available via two updates that include more monetisation options and scaling tools for developers to allow them to submit and launch more games.
Launched last year, Instant Games for Messenger started with just 20 games. Since then, the platform has evolved with more games and features designed for rich, flexible gameplay, including leaderboards, tournament support, game messages and CTA buttons. Now, Facebook is introducing tests of interstitial and rewarded video ads with select developers, as well as in-app purchases.
During this testing phase, Instant Games will use demand from Audience Network to deliver ads in-game in titles such as Blackstorm’s Everwing and FRVR’s Basketball FRVR (see image above), with more games to be added over the coming weeks based on the test’s success. Facebook will also introduce more developer tools for measurement and optimisation, allowing developers to generate more revenue from their games and invest more deeply in future development.
As for the in-app purchases, Facebook will test this by making it easier for closed beta developers to submit and launch games directly onto the platform with a more robust set of tools at their disposal. Once these extra monetisation features and submission tools are in place, Facebook hopes to open up the Instant Games Platform more widely.
Right now, Instant Games is in closed beta for developer partners on Messenger for iOS, Android and News Feed, and developers interested in learning more can sign up on Facebook’s website.
