Dev teams used to the ease of development when working with engines like Unity will need to invest heavily in an engine to create quality games. However, many of these are extremely lightweight and don't come with many tools out of the box. Engines like Pixi.JS, Phaser, Construct are great places to look. Thus far, there have been a few great engines built for the platform. What's more important is a fast start-up time, even in slower connections. This means that while HTML5 technically can run top tier tech, but as an Instant Game that doesn't necessarily mean you should. Messenger is the chat app of choice in many countries, and not all of them utilise the top end devices. The other aspect is ensuring you can load quickly on as many device types as possible. However, being able to run 3D and display fancy transitions is just the first step for the technology. Playing games like Mystery Manor and Golden Boot on the platform show that HTML5 is closing in quick on mobile performance. The second challenge is in the technology. Otherwise players will mute the app and retention will no longer be possible. Players can be prompted by messages from their friends, or messages from a Facebook bot (a dedicated channel within Messenger for your game).ĭevelopers have to find ways to be constantly high on the player's list of recently used channels on messenger, without feeling spammy. Instead, developers have to rely on other channels to remind players to come back to the game, and give quick access to playing. Retention on the platform doesn't come from having quick access to the game on a player's home screen. Players don't have push notifications or home screen icons that remind players to come back. While this sounds low, it does reflect the nature of the platform.įacebook Instant Games are an 'app within an app' and aren't the same as mobile. Retention on the platform is more akin to Facebook Canvas games than mobile. The first is to note that retention on Instant is lower than mobile. So today I'd like to talk about the three major challenges that messenger games face, and the three opportunities for developers to take advantage of. Because of the viral nature of the platform and the access to billions of players - 1.3 billion MAU according to Facebook - these games can grow fast.īut it's not all sunshine and rainbows for messenger game developers, and approaching the platform as 'just another mobile platform' has proven detrimental to numerous developers. Games like Everwing by Game Closure is currently sitting at ten million monthly active users. Since Facebook Instant Games has launched, many games have seen exceptional growth. As mobile has matured, with many developers finding it tougher and tougher to stand out on app stores, messenger games have become a new platform to drive growth. The platform has quickly become a hotbed for new development, with many developers jumping onto the opportunity. It's only been a little over a year since Facebook first launched its Instant Games platform, but things have been changing rapidly.
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