TikTok lovers will soon be able to play games while watching videos

TikTok has reportedly launched a variety of “mini-games” that can be played inside the social video app, which, according to TechCrunch, can be discovered through creators’ videos.

We reported in May this year that the Social Media giant was hosting HTML5 games on its platform. Today’s report confirms, per TechCrunch, that TikTok now has a small collection of mini-games within its app.

There are nine games available as part of this test, which can be added to a video before it’s uploaded by using the “Add link” option and selecting “MiniGame.” Viewers can play a linked game by tapping the link that appears underneath the account’s username while a video is playing. When playing a game, there’s the option to record gameplay and subsequently post it as a TikTok.

“We’re always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community. Currently, we’re exploring bringing HTML5 games to TikTok through integrations with third-party game developers and studios,” a spokesperson for TikTok stated.

Report maintained that the test is designed to explore how TikTok’s users interact with and create content around, the games, which are now available in United States. The Verge’s report, however, claims there is also a version of the app in United Kingdom.

The nine games are developed by several third-party gaming studios, which includes Vodoo, Nitro Games, FRVR, Aim Lab, and Lotum. 

This confirms Reuters’ report that TikTok’s Parent company ByteDance, purchased a gaming studio of its own in 2021 it named Shanghai-based Moonton Technology.

As TikTok begins this testing, it confirms an earlier report that the Social Media giant wants to enter into the gaming industry. The company wants to attract a different set of audience to the platform while looking for new ways to make existing users spend more time on the app in order to boost advertising income. Ads and in-app purchases, two popular ways to monetise mobile games, don’t seem to be present in any of the available games.

TikTok is not just wanting to be the go-to social media platform for fun and entertaining videos. The company wants to amass a lot of audience and continue to be the most dominant app after it dethroned Google last year.