Facebook Fantasy Games with Social Aspects

Facebook rolled out its Fantasy Games in September 2021 in the US and Canada. The Facebook Fantasy Games are accessible via the app on both Android and iOS platforms.

These games are free and simple—they would help the players make predictions about their favourite sports. They even threw some games related to TV shows and popular culture.

The aim of the new program is to give people entertainment to play prediction games. They are simple and yet still engaging for seasoned players in the industry of fantasy games.

What Are the Games?

The first game Facebook released was Pick&Play. It was released in partnership with Team Whistle. What it does is enable fans to predict the winners of a game. It can also predict stats like points scored by a specific player.

In the coming months, Facebook is all set to release other games like The Bachelorette, which is based on a TV show. In it, the fans can select their favourite man who is likely to win the heart of the bachelorette in the show.

The fans will also receive answers to some questions and receive points according to their choices and how events unfold on the show.

Another game in the pipeline is Survivor. The fans can choose castaways to be on their fantasy teams. They can also answer inquiries about the upcoming episodes. They will also receive points based on how the show unfolds.

There are other games that Facebook is working on, such as LaLiga Santander for soccer and MLB Home Run Picks. Fans can make predictions and get points if they make the right ones. Based on their scores, the fans will see their names and profiles at the top of the leaderboards.

Is It Like a Casino?

No, not really. In casinos like Vulkan casino online, players can choose fantasy teams and then the software would produce a winner. The winner has nothing to do with how the real game turned out to be.

Facebook is also not offering any kind of gambling, as it is free to use the app. The company is not charging money for tokens or anything.

In casinos and programs where you create a fantasy team, you have to bet real cash and also win real cash.

What Is in It for Facebook?

Facebook is consistently looking for new avenues to engage its users. It is not a new approach. As early as 2008, Facebook had many games on the platform where one could invite friends and play with them.

In June, Apple did not accept Facebook’s gaming app. Apple stated that it violates the platform rules of iOS. Facebook acted on this and decided to work around the issue. What they did was to allow users to access the gaming app via a browser, not an app.

Now, Facebook’s Fantasy Game is up and running despite this hiccup. The aim is to bring social fun at a different level, using traditional fantasy sports but with simpler formats.

What makes the Facebook Fantasy Games different is that they are going beyond traditional games. In Fantasy Games, it is not unusual to see bets for racing games. However, there is no social element to it. Facebook saw this opportunity and is capitalizing on it.

The Facebook Fantasy Games have leaderboards and social elements. The users can interact with friends and play with them too. Players even have the option to play publicly or privately.

Those who join leagues will have an option to share their picks or fantasy with others. People can react and comment on these picks, and then others can join the fray.

The comments and reactions will be embedded in the app, which means it will be driving users back to the web app for more engagement.

Facebook is also adding new features that will compete against what a competitor can do. Facebook is aware of the users of TikTok and is doing something about it.

The company is also experimenting with other fantasy sports leagues that will help them compete against existing ones like FanDuel and DraftKings.

Apparently, Facebook is going full blast on its investments in gaming, as they have major investments in companies like Oculus. Oculus is a developer and manufacturer of VR devices and games.

Facebook is re-inventing itself, but it is not gearing away from its main purpose—socialization. It is merely taking advantage of the market for gamers.

The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, once said that Facebook would become an intersection between digital and physical spaces. It is not unusual if, one day, Facebook re-introduces slots and gambling games to the public, but with social aspects to it.

Summary

Is Facebook slowly transitioning to the game industry? It is possible that it is the trajectory. For many years, Facebook earned revenues from ads, but there may come a time when Facebook would have to seek other revenue streams.

Perhaps gambling is going to be one of them, but this is nearly impossible. What makes sense is for Facebook to launch games that are social in nature and then charge players later on before they can even begin to participate.