Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Fan Groups, an enhanced Facebook Groups experience for creators and their communities on Facebook Gaming.
Gaming Fan Groups help Facebook’s streamers, the so-called Facebook Gaming creators, and their fans to build deeper relationships during and outside of live streams.
Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, said in a statement that the company recognizes that there is so much involved in building a community and audience for gamers. Until now, creators have had a fragmented experience growing communities beyond their live streams. He said creators nurture deep relationships, build brands, sell merchandise, and more. With the launch of Gaming Fan Groups, the aim is to be a place where creators and their communities can come together in one destination to connect in meaningful ways during and outside of live streams, he said.
There’s a new type of post called Looking for Players. The idea is to help users find people to play games with from within a streamer’s community, so it’s a looking for group feature. You can state how many people you’re looking to team up with and you’ll see a waitlist when all the spots are full.
Elsewhere, Facebook says it has improved Fan Group discovery, with the idea of helping streamers build their communities and fans to stay connected. When a streamer stops broadcasting, viewers will see a suggestion to join their Fan Group. People who engage with the creator’s page will also be informed about the Fan Group.
This is another move from Facebook to make Gaming a more attractive option for streamers than the likes of Twitch or YouTube. Facebook has billions of users that streamers can tap into in order to build their communities. Fan Groups should help streamers and fans stay connected outside of livestreams meaning they can keep the conversation on Facebook, instead of moving to a separate platform such as Discord. Additionally, the company recently said it won’t take a cut of creators’ earnings until 2023.
Fan Groups are now available to partnered Facebook Gaming creators. Level Up creators will gain access in the coming weeks.
