TikTok has been conducting tests so users in Vietnam can play games on the video-sharing app, the company’s first step in what Reuters calls in its exclusive report Thursday (May 19) “part of plans for a major push into gaming,” according to four people familiar with the matter.
The addition of games on TikTok’s platform “would boost advertising revenue as well as the amount of time users spend on the app,” the report says, noting TikTok has more than 1 billion active monthly users. About 70% of Vietnam citizens are under age 35 and most in the country are considered tech-savvy.
TikTok is also working on plans to offer gaming across southeast Asia, sources told Reuters in the report, with two of them saying the games could launch in the third quarter of this year.
The company has tested bringing HTML5 games, a common form of mini-game, to its app through partnerships with third-party game developers and studios, including Zynga, according to a TikTok representative cited in the Reuters report. The representative wouldn’t comment on TikTok’s plans in Vietnam or its desire to offer gaming in any particular geography.
“We’re always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community,” the representative said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
TikTok users can watch games being streamed in several markets, but aren’t able to play games within the app in most areas. U.S. users have access to a handful of games through the TikTok app, including Zynga’s music and dance challenge game “Disco Loco 3D” and “Garden of Good,” a game in which players grow virtual vegetables as part of a program in which TikTok donates to nonprofit Feeding America.
TikTok will need a license to add games on its platform in Vietnam, which restricts games that depict gambling, violence and sexual content.
Related: TikTok, Foursquare Partner to Garner In-Store Visit Data
Earlier this month, TikTok and Foursquare teamed up to help sellers and advertisers gather more data about in-store visits across the U.S. and Canada through the integration of Foursquare Attribution to quantify the effectiveness of advertising campaigns when it comes to driving people into stores. Foursquare Attribution is used by more than 1,000 brands and more than 550 publishers and platforms.
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