Here's why Snapchat may soon let you play games in its application

Image: brittany herbert / mashable

Snapchat is starting to look more and more like old Facebook.

In a bizarre twist, it seems that Snap is now adopting a strategy that is reminiscent of Facebook in 2010.

The latest sign comes from a new report in The Information, which says Snap plans to launch a gaming platform inside its application. The details are scarce on how it would work, but the main idea is that Snap would allow developers to create games that users could play inside Snapchat. The platform could be launched by the fall, according to the report.

A Snap spokesman declined to comment, but a gaming platform would seem to match other updates that the company recently made. The company has introduced playable lenses, called Snappables, that allow you to play mini-games with your face. And just two weeks ago, Snapchat officially opened its application to third-party developers.

But the most striking is that it all looks a lot like Facebook's strategy almost a decade ago. The social network launched the Facebook platform in 2007, which allows developers to bring their applications directly to Facebook. Later, the game took off with developers like Zynga reaping the benefits that viral hits like Farmville has become synonymous with Facebook.

The company then moved away from this strategy because all of these game notifications began to turn into spam after a while. But the popularity of these games has undoubtedly fueled a lot of growth and commitment for Facebook at a critical time for the company.

Similarly, if Snap can get developers to create similar games for Snapchat, it could also give the company a much needed boost.

Of course, Snap went out of his way to argue that it's do not like Facebook. CEO Evan Spiegel has publicly dubbed Facebook for his privacy practices, and Snap has promised that his developer platform will not inadvertently disclose user data to third parties.

However, it is difficult not to make comparisons between the strategies of the two companies. Despite all its faults, the game was a boon for Facebook once upon a time, and it could be the same for Snap. Wall Street even seemed cautiously optimistic about the move, as Snap's stock rose slightly following the report from the News.

It's not just on Facebook, either. There are other reasons why leaning into the game can be a smart decision for Snap. In addition to stimulating engagement with current users, who would have an excuse to spend more time on Snapchat, this could be extremely profitable.

Casual mobile games bring a lot of money. And if Snap can encourage publishers to make exclusive games or fallout of popular titles ready to be published on Snapchat, this could be a big hit with Snapchat users.