TikTok's Game-Changing Influence: Platform's Mighty Role In Game Discovery And Esports

TikTok, the video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has emerged as a powerful platform for the gaming industry, with its short-form videos and discovery algorithm transforming the way consumers find new games.

In an interview with Venture Beat, Harish Sarma, TikTok's global head of sports and gaming content, defined the service as "a way for people to discover things quickly. It’s an entertainment platform, not a social network. Think of it as a place where the stuff you expect to see will exist, but also the stuff you don’t expect to see will also exist."

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TikTok is investing heavily in gaming content, providing developers and creators with new tools to reach over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. A study showed that, in 2022, half of TikTok's daily active users engaged with gaming content on the platform, while a significant 82% of all TikTok users reported playing games at least once a week.

Moreover, a 2021 survey proved that the platform also drives discovery, downloads, and sales of new games: 75% of gamers discovered new gaming content on TikTok, 41% downloaded the game after seeing it on the platform, and 36% purchased to play after coming across gaming content.

Rema Vasan, head of global gaming business marketing for TikTok, said the company "is helping put gaming at the forefront of entertainment through the participatory and inclusive nature of both the gamers and the communities that are on the platform."

"On TikTok, you’re reaching audiences that you would expect and a lot that you wouldn’t. That’s what’s making gaming part of this larger cultural zeitgeist," she added.

TikTok Sets Sights On Mobile Esports

With its massive user base, the company is setting its sights on esports, with a particular focus on mobile titles. In January, TikTok sponsored and streamed Mobile Legends' M4 World Championship, which generated four billion views in one month alone.

The platform has also signed a multi-year agreement with the eMLS Cup, a domestic esports league featuring Major League Soccer (MLS) stars and TikTok creators. The partnership is aimed at promoting the league to a new generation of fans.

While console and PC gaming content is growing on TikTok, mobile content has obvious synergy with the mobile-first platform. The addition of native live-streaming has helped TikTok compete more directly with other platforms, such as Amazon's Twitch, which is not as optimized for mobile game streaming.

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