How’s this for snappy? Snap announced Snap Games, a new kind of instant game, at the Snap Partner Summit today.
Eight years after Snapchat debuted, the company is encouraging people to play games with their friends on mobile devices. It’s another example of how games find their way to any platform, even if it wasn’t built for games.
Instant games like this are a huge hit in Asia, with platforms like Kakao and Line. In the West, it will compete with platforms like Facebook’s Instant Games and Apple’s iMessage games. These games are usually monetized through advertising, and they are getting huge audiences. Snap has no doubt noticed this.
You can launch Snap Games right from the Snap Chat bar, allowing you and friends to instantly play together with no install required. You can see which friends you’re playing with, send them a chat, or talk live with voice chat. It feels like you’re sitting shoulder to shoulder, playing on the same screen.
Snap Games is launching with six titles:
- In Bitmoji Party, you can play as yourself in a series of quick, wacky mini-games.
- Tiny Royale from Zynga lets you and your friends shoot to the top in bite-sized Battle Royale action.
- Snake Squad from Game Closure lets you and your squad work together to be the last ones standing.
- C.A.T.S. Drift Race from ZeptoLab lets you drift around the track and speed past friends for the win.
- In Zombie Rescue Squad from PikPok, your squad will rescue survivors in a zombie-infested city.
- And in Alphabear Hustle from Spry Fox, you’ll collaborate to form words — fast! — to build your village.