TikTok Is Adding Gaming Functionality in Vietnam
Coinspeaker
TikTok Is Adding Gaming Functionality in Vietnam
Popular social video platform TikTok is reportedly making its foray into the gaming space and has started conducting tests in Vietnam. Reuters cited four sources who claimed that TikTok is pushing into gaming, and trials have started by allowing users in Vietnam to play games on the social media app. Eventually, TikTok plans to roll out its gaming feature to a broader audience in South Asia as soon as the third quarter.
In Vietnam, TikTok would need to obtain the license to add the gaming programmability to its app. The company believes the licensing should be successful with no hitch as the games are not against the country’s law, which forbids games with sexual content, violence, or depicts gambling.
According to a spokesperson from the company, TikTok has conducted trials with HTML5 games on its app. The representative revealed that the company did that by collaborating with a third-party game developer and studios like Zynga Inc (NASDAQ: ZNGA).
TikTok Positioned for Massive Ads Revenue with New Gaming Feature
As a widely popular platform with over 1 billion active users on a monthly basis, TikTok is positioned to see a boost in advertising revenue with the coming gaming feature. A source stated that the game developers and ByteDance would split the revenue. Although the gaming will push TikTok’s advertising revenue, the company was already expecting a massive turnaround for the year. The video-sharing platform was bound to see over $11 billion in ad revenue, surpassing the combined sales of Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) and Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR).
Also, an exciting feature like gaming targets mainly young users under 35 years of age. This demography represents a large percentage of the app users. As a result, people would spend more time on the video-sharing platform when the new feature fully arrives.
The TikTok representative referred to the gaming functionality as another way to augment the app.
“We’re always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community.”
Currently, there is no information on TikTok’s plans to roll out the feature in other markets. In some jurisdictions, users can only watch streaming games but not play them. A few ones have launched in the US, such as “Garden of Good,” which allows its players to grow vegetables. Farming makes TikTok donate to the non-profit Feeding America. Another game available for US users on TikTok is the “Disco Loco 3D,” a Zynga music and dance challenge game.
Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that TikTok would primarily deploy its parent company’s games. One of the sources added that the company’s gaming ambitions are broader than minigames which it plans to start with. Gradually, TikTok will extend its functionality as desired.