Last October, we announced the closed beta of our cloud gaming platform to expand the library of mobile games on Facebook, playable instantly, with no installs, wherever and whenever players want.
We started with launching a handful of cloud-streamed games on Android and web in select U.S. regions.* We’ve now scaled our infrastructure significantly, and today we’re announcing coverage to over 98% of people in the mainland United States. We’re on track to hit 100% by fall of this year. We’re also beginning our roll out in Canada and Mexico, and will reach Western and Central Europe by early 2022. Over 1.5 million people are playing cloud-streamed games on Facebook Gaming every month. For cloud gaming, that’s significant. The format still has a way to go, but this growth is an early signal that people are having fun and we’re on the path to delivering developer value.
Our approach to cloud gaming is different from others. We’re still not doing the things we said we wouldn’t do in October — we’re not spinning off a separate service, charging subscription fees, or trying to replace consoles, PCs, or mobile phones. We’re building up our free-to-play mobile catalogue of games in a measured way and deepening the games people can enjoy with their friends on Facebook. For us, cloud-streaming is a way to deliver cross-device, instant access to games, wherever people want to play. People play our cloud-streamed games right alongside games in HTML5. And they shouldn’t have to think too hard about how the games are delivered so long as we do our jobs right.
Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed Rebellion
As we grow our games library, we’re proud to welcome Ubisoft as a partner.
Assassin’s Creed is one of the best-selling, most popular game series on the planet. Now as an extension of our mobile-first approach, Assassin’s Creed Rebellion by Ubisoft has launched as a cloud-streamed game on Facebook Gaming. It’s a mobile entry in the long-running series that blends together elements of RPG, strategy, and action games. You’ll take command of an entire Brotherhood as you recruit deadly agents from throughout the entire timeline including Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Edward Kenway, and Eivor. Strike down Templars using your hero roster’s arsenal of skills, assassinate your enemies, face them head-on, or choose a stealthier approach.
Assassin’s Creed Rebellion is a unique take on the series that has garnered a loyal fanbase and millions of downloads since its initial release. You can play Assassin’s Creed Rebellion on the Facebook app on Android and the web at fb.gg/play. In addition to Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, other Ubisoft mobile titles have launched including Hungry Shark Evolution and Hungry Dragon. And in the coming months, they’ll add: Mighty Quest and Trials Frontier.
We now have over 25 cloud-streamed games on the platform, with recent additions including: Roller Coaster Tycoon Touch by Atari, Lego Legacy Heroes Unboxed and Dragon Mania Legends by Gameloft, and State of Survival by FunPlus.
We’re continuing to reduce latency for cloud games on both Android and desktop too. Lowering latency caps further will unlock even more game genres. Our sweet spot right now is in mobile sports, card, simulation, strategy, action/adventure, and puzzle genres with more genres coming in the future. Focusing on latency-tolerant games and categories means we can deliver the best experience across a variety of devices.
Powering Up How You Play
Finally, we’re continuing to update our Play destination on Facebook Gaming. The most recent redesign is all about making it easier for people to discover and play the best and most popular games, whether they’re cloud-streamed or HTML5. The redesign will introduce ranked categories like “Top in the US” to find the best games easily, handpicked lists with recommendations from the team at Facebook Gaming, and better filtering and category sorting options.
This makes it more convenient than ever to find and play the best games. Check it out at fb.gg/play. All games are free to play, and available to play instantly with no installs required — including all of the games we’ve discussed here in this blog.
*As of October 2020, cloud games were only available in California, Texas and Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states including Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia and West Virginia.