Meta announces closure of Facebook Gaming mobile app, launching in 2020

Unlike Google, Facebook doesn’t start as many experiments and then shut them down when they’re not successful. Still, the social network has had its share of failures, and Facebook Gaming, launched in 2020, appears to be one of them. The Meta company has announced that in the very near future, the Facebook Gaming app will be permanently shut down and will no longer be available for download from the App Store and Google Play Store.

Facebook Gaming hasn’t been the success the company wanted

The Facebook Gaming mobile app will cease operating on October 28, but the service will continue to operate within the social network. You’ll still be able to access the Gaming tab on your desktop, for example, where you’ll still find links to live streams of video games on the social network.

Users will have the opportunity to download their Facebook Gaming data before the app closes, which is mostly related to searches they’ve done on the platform. Of course, Meta didn’t even need any other data to enable this service to work, as it already had all the other user information, since access was done based on a Facebook account.

Apparently it wasn’t the popularity of the service that led to the shutdown of the Facebook Gaming app. According to CrowdTangle, only Twitch attracts more audience in the area of video game livestreaming. However, the platform is rife with spam and fake or stolen content (something true of all Facebook video services), which means it probably doesn’t attract an audience willing to spend money to support content creators.

Another reason would be cost cuts following the company’s declining stock market value after Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021 and announced its focus on building a metaverse.