According to the deal, Blizzard game fans will be able to live stream and log in to their favorite games directly from their Facebook accounts.
The popular live streaming service for gamers Twitch.tv may soon have to put up with fierce competition coming from a surprise partnership. Blizzard entertainment and Facebook decided to join forces to shake Twitch’s dominance in the game live streaming business.
Video games enthusiasts will soon be able to share their gaming experiences directly on Facebook, the two companies announced. Furthermore, under the recent partnership, Blizzard subscribers will be able to log in to their favorite online games through Facebook.
The games that are supported are World of Warcraft series, Diablo III, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and Starcraft II.
The new deal is designed to benefit both tech companies. Facebook will thus expand its reach into the gaming community by allowing gamers to share, watch and comment on their favorite titles directly on the social networking platform, while Blizzard will expand its social networking side and glue communities of gamers across Facebook.
There are rumors that the game producer will soon insert a “Go Live” feature in its games which will allow users stream gaming content on Facebook. Additionally, subscribers will be notified via their Facebook accounts whenever their favorite streamer posts new content.
Gio Hunt, a representative for Blizzard Entertainment, explained that the company’s online games are best played with friends. So, the new deal will allow friends to stay connected while sharing experiences with each other.
The company is working to integrate into Facebook the recently published Overwatch and pledged to keep the public informed as soon as new updates are available. Blizzard has already tested the service on Facebook. The initial tests focused on Heroes of the Storm, while a last week’s test was centered on Overwatch.
Facebook’s Leo Olebe praised Blizzard for its dedicated community and high-quality computer games. Olebe hopes that the new feature will keep friends connected while interacting via their favorite games across the world.
Blizzard also hopes that the new deal will make its games more popular among Facebook users. The two companies have used powerful marketing tools on Facebook and Instagram to present Overwatch to larger audiences on the social media platform.
Facebook currently has 1.65 billion monthly users, while Facebook-owned Instagram has 400 million. According to the company, about 650 million users play video games while logged in their Facebook accounts on a monthly basis.
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