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Facebook’s pilot program signals intent to invest in gaming, attract creators
Facebook Inc. is actively courting the game developer community with the launch in January of its Gaming Creator Pilot Program and its more recent announcement of fb.gg, a destination portal for the social media giant’s top gamers.
“We’re making it easier for creators to make a living on Facebook,” said John Imah (pictured), global head of Gaming Creators at Facebook. “It’s basically our way of sending a signal to the industry that we’re going to invest in games.”
Imah spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the E3 event in Los Angeles. They discussed how Facebook’s apps can be useful to the gaming community and ways the social media firm hopes to support creators. (* Disclosure below.)
Game streaming on Oculus
Facebook’s interest in gaming is fueled by a synergy it envisions between its portfolio of popular apps and game players. Gaming content can be posted on Instagram or streamed using Facebook’s Oculus virtual reality-equipped headset. And gamers can use Messenger or WhatsApp to communicate.
“We’ve got a family of sweet apps,” Imah said. “From a creator perspective, they probably use one or maybe all.”
Facebook is also interested in making its platform a useful monetization and overall support experience for game creators. The company has introduced a tip function on Facebook Live for video game streamers. Fan support starts at $3.
“We’re very strategic with our approach,” Imah explained. “We want to make sure it’s right for the creators. What are the ways we can make them bigger on our platform?”
Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the E3 event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for E3 2018. Neither Western Digital Corp., the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)
Photo: SiliconANGLE
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