Social media giant Facebook today launched a Windows desktop gaming platform called Gameroom. The beta build is now available for developers to download and test.
The beta build was previously known as Facebook Games Arcade when it was announced in May. Later in August Facebook announced a partnership with Unity to create a dedicated PC gaming platform.
The Gameroom can be downloaded for Windows 7 or above. The games hosted on the platform may not exceed 200 MB. Players can access the games they previously played from their web browser or search for new games by category or through those highlighted on the Gameroom storefront.
For developers, Facebook takes a 30 percent cut of revenue, just like Steam. Facebook said developing in Gameroom natively takes less time. The platform also provides better performance in terms of app launch timings and memory consumption.
“Our mission is to give people the power to discover, play and share the games they love with the people they care about,” said Facebook director of global games partnerships Leo Olebe, adding “Unity is the world’s leading game development platform. It’s great to be working with them to help developers find new audiences for the games they pour their hearts into.”