As the company continues its growth and aims to expand its user base, TikTok is planning to enter the world of mobile gaming. A company executive confirmed to Mashable that the company is currently conducting tests on HTML5 mini-games in Vietnam. The company is working with developer ByteDance to develop games for its app, and plans to eventually roll them out across Southeast Asia.
TikTok testing games for its app in Vietnam
The popular social app TikTok is planning a big push into the gaming industry by conducting tests for its app in Vietnam. The social network already has over 1 billion monthly active users, but the company plans to expand its offering by introducing HTML5 games. This move could boost the ad revenues of the app and increase the amount of time spent within the app. Vietnam has a young and tech-savvy population and is a potential market for a social media platform like TikTok.
The video-sharing app will likely start with minigames that have simple gameplay mechanics. The company says it plans to expand to more elaborate games in the future. But it will first need a license from the Vietnamese government to include these games. Vietnam has strict laws preventing games that depict violence, gambling, or sexual content.
While it is unclear when the new gaming features will launch, a representative of the company said it plans to launch gaming in Southeast Asia sometime in the third quarter. He did not elaborate on its plans for Vietnam, but said it is working with game developer Zynga Inc. to develop HTML5 games that will increase the time users spend on the platform.
According to Reuters, TikTok is also planning to introduce games to the app. The company is testing out a music-themed game, Disco Loco 3D, and a charity game, Garden of Good. While it is still unclear when these games will be available globally, they are likely to arrive sooner rather than later.
The app’s games will include advertisements from the start, and the company will split revenue with the developers. This strategy is similar to initiatives by other big tech companies. Facebook launched Instant Games in 2016 and Netflix recently added games to its service. ByteDance is positioning itself as a dominant player in the gaming industry by acquiring Shanghai-based Moonton Technology last year.
Company planning to roll out games across Southeast Asia
China’s ByteDance, which owns the video-sharing app TikTok, has plans to expand its gaming offerings in Southeast Asia. The company has been testing video games within its app and hopes to roll them out across the region by the third quarter.
TikTok, which began as a lip-synching video service, has grown into an all-encompassing social app. In a recent update, the company revealed that it plans to introduce games in Southeast Asia. Currently, it’s testing games in Vietnam and hopes to expand the platform to other countries in the region later this year. The company plans to expand its gaming options globally by partnering with developers.
TikTok is testing HTML5 minigames for its users. It also recently unveiled a live version of its TikTok app, which lets users play multiplayer games with other players. It’s hard to say exactly when it will roll out games throughout the Southeast Asian region, but the company says it expects to start rolling out games in Vietnam by 2022.
The gaming venture will initially consist of minigames with easy-to-learn game mechanics and short play times. In order to avoid violating Vietnam’s strict rules on games, TikTok will focus on content that’s less violent or sexual in nature. It will also implement ads within its games to rake in ad revenue. As a result, ByteDance will receive a share of the profit.
With the launch of video games, TikTok hopes to keep its users interested and active. The social media platform already has a huge user base, making it an attractive market for video game development. The company is currently testing the games in Vietnam, which has a young population that’s more tech-savvy than its older users.
The new games will be available to users in larger parts of Southeast Asia in the third quarter of 2022. However, the company has not yet stated whether the games will also be made available to users in other parts of the world. If so, it will be possible to expand this feature to users in Western countries.