TikTok considers gaming with Vietnam test

TikTok is reportedly eyeing a push into videogames.

According to a report from Reuters, the short-form video app has been testing a feature that allows users to play games within the app in Vietnam. It notes that this is a part of a ‘major push’ into gaming.

The sources cited by the report said that TikTok is planning to roll out games more widely in Southeast Asia, potentially as early as Q3 2022.

A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed to Reuters that the company has been testing bringing HTML5 games to the platform via partnerships with third-party game developers and studios including Zynga, but did not comment on this latest Vietnam story. They said that TikTok is “always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community”.

The Reuters report however goes into significantly more detail, and says that while TikTok initially was considering smaller minigames, its ambitions have expanded far beyond that. TikTok’s sister app in China, Douyin, has offered games on its platform since 2019.

This is the latest news of a video platform expanding into video games, with Netflix making serious moves into the mobile gaming space over the past 12 months.