Facebook to debut gaming creator revenue model

Facebook to debut gaming creator revenue model

GENERAL
Facebook to debut gaming creator revenue model
Facebook Gaming debuted at Thailand Game Show 2018, which was held last week.

Facebook is drawing gaming creators in Thailand by launching a new revenue model to compete with YouTube for the younger demographic.

Facebook has 51 million users in Thailand, but youngsters are migrating to other platforms like Twitter and Instagram, according to Wisesight, a social media analytics firm.

"We predict demand for game streaming will grow, so we decided to introduce a gaming creator programme earlier this year, which will last for six months in Thailand," said Stephen Chun, director of Facebook's APAC Games Partnership.

"Facebook has invested in the gaming industry in Thailand, and we want to help Thai gaming creators develop meaningful content and have engaged communities around the games."

Thailand is the first country in Asia-Pacific where Facebook introduced the programme. Facebook has gaming activities in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Mr Chun said under the creator programme, the company provides streaming tools for game creators to engage with their fans and viewers.

The company provides tools that enable game creators to earn a living. The Facebook Stars feature allows viewers to support their favourite gaming creators by sending "stars" while watching live gaming streams.

Each star can be converted to a donation to game creators by charging credit cards or mobile bills, starting at 99 cents.

In addition, Wisesight plans to introduce a subscription model in Thailand for viewers to subscribe to their favourite creators under pay models to get exclusive content. Advertising is the next step for game creators to earn money.

Torboon Puangmaha, director of True Media Solutions, which oversees game artist management firm Onlinestation, said game streaming is growing independently of game casting and video clips uploaded on YouTube's platform.

Game creators can become new entrepreneurs. This can be a real business, where game planners choose the right game and target game viewers, he said.

There are an estimated 1,000 game casters in Thailand, where there are some 18 million gamers, almost one-third of the total population. Thailand's game industry is valued at nearly 20 billion baht, making it the second-largest market in Southeast Asia.

PJY Gamer, a game creator on Facebook with 473,000 followers, said for this career a developer needs to build games that suit target groups and have a unique style.

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