Along with messaging, voice and video calls, Viber is adding games to its mobile app, with social features that allow users to connect with their contacts over adventures and puzzles.
Three titles will be available at launch for Android and iOS devices via Viber Games: Viber Candy Mania, Viber Pop and Wild Luck Casino. The first two feature characters that Viber sticker users will recognize as Violet and Legcat.
Viber Games use a new private API called Viber Connect, which lets players sign in with their Viber ID to invite contacts to games, track scores on leaderboards, brag about unlocked achievements, see what others are playing and send gifts.
The games will be promoted via the Games section within Viber’s app, and will be free to download via Google Play and the App Store – but some features will have to be unlocked through in-app purchases.
Gamers can look forward to more titles featuring characters from Viber’s Sticker Market, as the company is partnering with developers to allow them to include content in their games that Viber users are already familiar with. The company is on a roll with its efforts to round out its mobile offering, having added video calls in September and public chats last month.
Viber Games is now available in Belarus, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore and Ukraine, and will be rolled out to the rest of the world in a staggered release by January.
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