Facebook will move Instant Games to main app, further simplifying Messenger

By Aaron Mamiit July 27, 2019

Facebook will be moving Instant Games into the social network’s main app, a change that will further simplify Messenger.

Facebook launched Instant Games on Messenger in 2016, with titles such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Words With Friends Frenzy. The platform is popular with casual gamers due to its social nature, as they can play with their friends or with other people.

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The Facebook Gaming tab, which was launched in March, will be the new home of Instant Games, according to an official blog post by Facebook’s Global Director of Games Partnerships, Leo Olebe.

The migration of Instant Games play sessions from Messenger to the Facebook Gaming tab will occur in several stages, according to Olebe. This summer, the platform will no longer be accessible in the new version of Messenger for iOS devices. Players will be able to access games through thread updates and chatbots in Messenger, but the gameplay will launch on the main Facebook app.

“For both players and developers, the Facebook Gaming tab will become the primary home for Instant Games within the Facebook family of apps,” Olebe wrote, with the promise that Facebook will look to limit disruptions while the migration is ongoing.

Olebe also said that Facebook will implement a new application process for developers, as well as resume reviews for new games on the platform, to further invest in the growth of Instant Games. It also maintained its commitment to keeping the platform fun and safe for players, and valuable for developers.

The migration of the Instant Games platform to the main Facebook app helps push forward the goal of making Messenger “faster, lighter and simpler,” as Olebe said.

Facebook unveiled Messenger 4 late last year, which was a redesign that simplified the user interface and introduced new customization options. The five shortcut buttons at the bottom of the app were reduced to three, namely Chat, People, and Discover. Instant Games is under the Discover button, but it will now be moving out.

“We’re looking forward to the future of playing games instantly on Facebook, and hope you are too,” Olebe wrote to end the blog post.

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