Facebook Cloud Games Launch, But Not on iOS

Like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, Facebook cloud games have launched but the service is not available on iOS (via CNBC).

Facebook Cloud Games

App Review Guidelines don’t allow third-party app stores on iOS, but Apple altered the rules to allow cloud streaming games that are individually submitted to the App Store instead of being packaged in an App Store-like app.

Facebook could work around the rules by launching the service as a web app like Microsoft has done, but Facebook’s vice president of special gaming initiatives Jason Rubin says the company would prefer an app:

We don’t want people going to web Facebook 20 times a day. We have a great app. We would have to use Apple’s technology and browser on iOS, and that isn’t optimized to the benefit of cloud games.

CNBC points out that the games that Facebook offers aren’t console-quality games found on Google Stadia or Microsoft xCloud. They’re just cloud versions of games you can already find on the App Store.

But Facebook stands to make money from these games like Apple does. 30% of in-game purchases will go to Facebook, and 70% will go to the developers. And the more time that people spend on Facebook, the more advertising revenue the company can potentially receive.

Mr. Rubin does say, “We would be willing to give the 30% to Apple, that is not what’s holding us up. What’s holding us up is we’re not allowed to do the things that we’re doing on Android.”