Recently, many different platforms have been trying to get into the world of gaming. The most recent example comes from Netflix creating games library for those who have subscriptions to the company. According to an anonymous report to Reuters, TikTok has begun to test out the idea of adding mini-games into their app as well. These sources declined to be identified since the information is not yet public knowledge.
Including minigames in the app will increase engagement and advertising revenue. With other companies looking to jump into the gaming world, it should not be a surprise that TikTok is also hoping to join. In an email statement to Reuters, one of the anonymous sources said “We’re always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community,”
The company has already begun testing out this plan in Vietnam, where they have started a pilot period with minigames included in the application. TikTok likely chose Vietnam since they have a population that largely represents the community on their app. Roughly 70% of Vietnam’s population is under the age of 35 and will provide a lot of information about how effective TikTok’s plan is.
If the pilot period in Vietnam is successful, TikTok could soon move the minigames to Southeast Asia. This shift could come as early as the third quarter and will likely include even more minigames than the pilot period in Vietnam.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has previously worked in the world of gaming as they own two video game publishers, Pixmain and Nuverse. Additionally, ByteDance has an app called Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, that already features games for users. TikTok will surely utilize these resources as they look to join the gaming world and make a name for themselves in this new community.
As TikTok and other companies begin to create games for their fans, the communities should be excited about the overall direction and content that is going to come throughout 2022.