TikTok wants to make inroads into the gaming industry. In the future, users will not only be able to create and watch short videos, but also play games within the app. Initial tests of the new service have already started in Vietnam.
TikTok is currently testing a new gaming service. This is reported by the Reuters news agency. According to the report, users will not only be able to create and share short videos, but also play games within the app. A person familiar with TikTok also confirmed that the new offering is a first foray into the gaming sector.
TikTok games initially only available in Vietnam
A TikTok representative told Reuters that the company had initially tested HTML5 games. To integrate the games into the app, the platform also wants to work with third-party game developers and studios.
TikTok parent company Bytedance offers its app counterpart “Douyin” on the Chinese market. Users of the platform have already been able to play games there since 2019. According to insider information, TikTok initially plans to draw on ByteDance’s existing games.
“We are always looking for ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that add value to our community,” TikTok told Reuters.
Initially, the gaming feature will be tested in the Vietnamese market. About 70 percent of the citizens there are under 35 years old and therefore particularly tech-savvy. This makes Vietnam an ideal place for testing the new games.
Does TikTok want to become the gaming app?
According to Reuters, the expansion of the short video offering to include games has a clear economic background. Games on the platform would increase both advertising revenue and the time users spend on the app.
It can be assumed that the games will contain advertising from the start. According to an insider source, the revenues will be split between ByteDance and the external game developers.
Concrete gaming plans secret so far
TikTok is not alone in its ambitions to conquer the gaming business. Other tech companies such as Facebook and Netflix have also integrated games into their offerings in the past.
So far, TikTok has not commented on its concrete plans in terms of gaming options. However, the short video platform is planning to further expand the games section of the app, initially in Southeast Asia. TikTok also did not want to reveal when the games will be available in the rest of the world.
