Meta has begun notifying users of its standalone Facebook Gaming app that it will soon be discontinued. The company announced in an in-app notification (shared by social media consultant Matt Navarra and other publications) that both the iOS and Android versions of the app will cease to function on October 28th.
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Meta is also allowing users to download their search data and reminding them that Facebook Gaming is not going away. To watch their favorite creators’ livestreams, users will simply navigate to the Gaming tab in the main Facebook app.
Facebook is killing its Facebook Gaming app on 28 October 2022 pic.twitter.com/AeQjnSBkWV
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) August 30, 2022
To compete with Twitch and YouTube, the company released a dedicated Gaming app in 2020. Meta (which was still known as Facebook at the time) created the app to highlight content from streamers while also offering users a group chat and other community features.
It didn’t say why it decided to shut down the standalone app, but it could be part of its cost-cutting efforts to help it weather “one of the worst downturns [the company] has seen in recent history,” according to Mark Zuckerberg.
Streaming tool providers such as StreamElements have reported that when it comes to hours watched on a game streaming platform, Facebook Gaming is only second to Twitch.
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However, we examined CrowdTangle data from Meta’s analytics service and discovered that the platform is flooded with spam and pirated content masquerading as gaming livestreams.
A spokesperson for Meta revealed that the company was “working to improve [its] tools to identify violating content” so that users could have the “best experience.”
