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While BlackBerry is rolling out their own games for BBM, Facebook is also getting in on the games action with their own Messenger app. For years now the company has had games but have now taken it to a whole new level by announcing Instant Games.
We are launching Instant Games, a new HTML5 cross-platform gaming experience, on Messenger and Facebook News Feed for both mobile and web. This new games experience allows people to easily discover, share, and play games without having to install new apps.
Instant Games on Messenger, which can be accessed through the new game controller icon just below where people type a message, offers a fun and social experience featuring score-based games, leaderboards, and group thread conversations to challenge and compete against anyone on Messenger. Instant Games can also be played on Facebook News Feed, enabling a seamless cross-platform experience where people can discover new games through recommendations, posts, challenges, and the Facebook Pages of individual games. A dedicated Instant Games bookmark is also available on Facebook where people can view and instantly replay all their favorite titles they previously enjoyed across both platforms. Players have complete control of their gameplay experience — sharing scores only with the people they're playing within Messenger. Instant Games is currently available in 30 countries for iOS v8 or later and Android v5 or later.
There are 17 Instant Games now available to play, with many more to come, across both Messenger and News Feed in the latest version of the apps, including popular titles from arcade classics to action to other modern favorites.
In order to take advantage of Instant Games, you will need an updated version of Messenger which is slowly rolling out through Google Play, here's a look at some of the games available once you have the update:
- Pac-Man
- Galaga
- Arkanoid
- Space Invaders
- Track & Field 100M
- Shuffle Cats
- Words With Friends: Frenzy
- Hex
- Everwing
- Endless Lake
- Templar 2048
- The Tribez: Puzzle Rush
- 2020 Connect
- Puzzle Bobble
- Zookeeper
- Brick Pop
- Wordalot Express
No doubt games will be huge on Messenger, they already are on Facebook itself, so taking them to Messenger makes perfect sense especially when you consider the success the easter egg's Facebook added for March Madness had. Will you be playing games in Messenger once you get the update? Let us know in the comments.
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