Cloud gaming seems to be what developers and tech companies are going for so of corse it comes as no surprise that Facebook is joining in on the fun. But the new service isn’t going to compete with the likes of Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google’s respective services since it will be focusing on mobile gameplay, not computers and consoles. And for now, everything is free (except for some in-game purchases) although they did not promise it will forever be free.
The good news also is that you don’t have to install anything to be able to play. All of the games in the service are instantly playable and has no need for any controllers or other accessories since the games are designed to be played on a touchscreen. All the games are free (for now) but most of them have in-app purchases available. They will then be synced to the native version if you have them installed on your phone and you use Facebook Login for gaming.
The cloud gaming service also supports cross-play so you will be able to challenge those who are playing the native game if they do use Facebook Login for Gaming. They will also have cloud playable ads where instead of just showing you an ad to download the game, you can actually play interactive demos. This is a new way for developers and distributors to advertise their games and it is customizable and can have multiple pieces of creatives for a single APK.
Facebook will also let you set up a player name and an avatar in case you’re not totally comfortable with using your real-world, Facebook-linked identity when you play the games. They won’t replace your real name on your Facebook profile but it will appear beside your real name when you choose to connect with friends or fellow players on a game. The Facebook Gaming Play destination is also seeing some improvements like updated discovery and re-engagement features plus new games to try.
The cloud gaming service includes the following games at launch: Asphalt 9: Legends by Gameloft; Mobile Legends: Adventure by Moonton; PGA TOUR Golf Shootout by Concrete Software, Inc.; Solitaire: Arthur’s Tale by Qublix Games; and WWE SuperCard by 2K. They’ll also be adding Dirt Bike Unchained by Red Bull Gaming soon.