Facebook is investing in fantasy sports and other fantasy games. Today, the company announced the launch in the U.S. of Facebook Fantasy Games. The games can be found on both the iOS and Android apps. Some games can be described as simplified versions of traditional fantasy sports games, while others let users make predictions based on popular TV shows like Survivor and The Bachelorette.
Pick & Play Sports is the first game to launch. It's a partnership with Whistle Sports. Players get points for correctly predicting who will win a big game or how a top player will score. There are also points for other events that occur during the match. Bonus points can be earned by players who have a long streak of correctly predicting the outcome over many days. This game is available today.
It will be followed by games in TV and sports culture over the coming months, such as Fantasy Survivor, which allows players to choose a cast of Castaways from CBS TV shows to join their fantasy team, and Fantasy The Bachelorette where fans can pick a group from the suitors vying with the Bachelorettes heart. They will earn points based upon their actions and other events that took place on the show. The MLB Home Run Picks game will feature players picking the team they believe will hit the most home runs. LaLiga Winning Streak will allow fans to predict who will win the day.
Games have a social component that allows players to play together.
You can make your own fantasy league with friends and compete against other fans publicly or privately. League members will be able to compare scores and can also share their picks, reactions, and comments. The league area is similar to a Facebook private group. It has its own compose box and dedicated feed. The page was created to support groups by providing buttons that allow them to view or play the leaderboard.
Facebook could add fantasy games to its app, which could increase time spent. This is at a time when it faces significant competition in social media, specifically from TikTok. App Annie reports that the average user's monthly time on TikTok rose faster than any other social app in 2020, with 70% of users in the U.S. surpassing Facebook.
Facebook had previously tried to be a second screen companion during live events, but it was not in the same way as fantasy sports or games. Instead, the R&D division of Facebook tested Venue. This allowed users to comment on live events hosted by well-known celebrities.
Other gaming investments include its cloud gaming service for Android and desktop web, its Games tab to streamers and its VR company Oculus.
You can access the new league games via the mobile app's bookmark menu or through notifications in News Feed.
