Taking note of the fact that some game publishers on Facebook do not have the monetary resources required to promote their titles using the site’s usual tools, the SNS has initiated a new program called Mobile Games Publishing. Ten different developers from across Europe, Asia and the US have already been roped in by Facebook for global promotion of their games. And those interested in grabbing its benefits have been directed to apply for it on the social network’s official developer site.
In exchange of this however, Facebook will be demanding a revenue share from the creators. Describing the quest of developers to get discovered in a crowded marketplace as the ‘biggest challenge’ for mobile games, the social network has expressed that it wishes to help out all those who can’t garner enough resources for a paid strategy. The Facebook Mobile Games Publishing pilot program will enable small and medium-sized developers to reach out to frequent gamers using the Facebook mobile apps. This user-base includes 800 million people on a monthly basis.
On the other hand, 260 million people play games on the SNS. And it is at these folks that the Mobile Games Publishing will be targeted at. Those who already play games on Facebook will be presented with promotions of other titles. These will moreover, depend on the kind of games they indulge in otherwise. For instance, someone who’s more inclined towards strategy games will be directed towards other titles from the said genre which have their developers registered under the Mobile Games Publishing program.
It remains to be seen now how this new initiative from Facebook fares, and how enthusiastically it is received by developers who have a small amount of capital in their hands.