Snapchat will allow you to play as your Bitmoji in video games – TechCrunch

Do you want your video game character to look like you? Soon, you will be able to scan a code in the game with Snapchat to use your custom Bitmoji avatar on PC, console and mobile games. Today, Snapchat has announced the launch of the new Bitmoji SDK for games, which will allow handpicked partners to integrate 3D Bitmoji in replacement of their skins. With the support of Unity, Unreal and the Play Canvas engine behind Snap's new Bitmoji Party game in Snapchat, the SDK should allow developers to easily create realistic avatars that provide users with a stronger emotional connection to the game.

"It's a bit obvious to bring Bitmoji into games. The games can be much more interesting for you … in the game, "says Ba Blackstock, co-founder of Bitmoji. "We are adding a layer of identity to the game that could potentially transform the sector."

Snapchat has a huge opportunity to colonize the Web – and the ecosystem of games – with Bitmoji instead of waiting for developers to create half-seated clones. Bitmoji is perhaps the most popular and durable feature of Snapchat, now that stories and ephemera have been widely copied, with 330 million downloads estimated from Sensor Tower. As I wrote in my article on Snapchat's new platform strategy, "To stop copiers, Snapchat shares itself alone," each distributed instance of the company returns attention to its applications of origin and every partnership that she establishes is one more ally in the fight against Facebook.

The new OCM of Snap

As Snapchat enters this new era of marketing via Bitmoji, it has also announced today that it has hired a new CMO, Kenny Mitchell. He was previously vice president of marketing at McDonald's and responsible for consumer relations at Gatorade. Mitchell supervised the tennis match of Serena Wlliams, a sports drink, who lived in an advertisement for Snapchat and averaged more than 200 seconds of play. His Super Bowl viral augmented reality goal allowed you to cast a Gatorade cooler.

"Kenny's expertise in consumer marketing and deep knowledge of our products will be a great combination for Snap," says Snap CEO Evan Spiegel.

The company has seen many senior executives leave over the years due to clashes with Spiegel for leadership reasons. We'll see if Mitchel stays around. He will lead Snap's new marketing campaign to reactivate frustrated Android users with his buggy app and bring them back to his recently redesigned version. "I'm looking forward to helping Evan and Snap continue to tell their story to people around the world and work with my new colleagues to define the future of the camera and self-expression." Says Mitchell.

Bitmoji, the layer of visual identity

In 2016, Snap acquired Bitstrips, the parent company of Bitmoji, for only $ 64 million, making it one of the top 10 applications. Snap launched its Snap Kit platform in June 2018, allowing developers to integrate Bitmoji into keyboards for their applications, such as Tinder, to use them as chat stickers or to display 2D profile images. And this month, at the first Snap Partner Summit, the group launched partnerships to integrate Bitmoji with the Venmo data feed, Fitbit watch dials, and more. But now, 3D Bitmoji will replace your character in the game, head-to-head.

At the moment, the SDK will be free for major developers chosen for the program from PC, Mac, Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and other platforms. Surprisingly, most game developers simply develop their own avatar personalization feature, but they usually focus on crazy clothes and hairstyles rather than tweaking a face that looks like yours. And although custom avatars are common in shooting games, Bitmoji could also bring them onto platforms, races, dances, puzzles, fights and role plays.

Bitmoji for games will not be an open platform to ensure that the brand is not misused. Blackstock explains, "You can see what we do with Bitmoji Kit where we have best practice guidelines for using Bitmoji and not using Bitmoji. We will apply the same type of rules to the game. "This could mean that there would be no more graphic games, or anything in which players could be pleased to inflict pain on the game. a personal avatar, but Fortnite, with its cartoony violence, could be an ideal partner for Bitmoji.

John Imah, Global Head of Video Game Partnerships at Snap, could imagine using his Bitmoji in Star Wars, Lego, Mario Kart or Warcraft titles. Depending on how their character, landscape, and object models work, developers may have to strive to make BItmoji work gracefully. But Imah says when she can "There will be some changes to make sure it works in their engine so we can make this process as transparent as possible for those developers."

Users will design their avatar in the Bitmoji or Snapchat application, although there may be customization options in the game down the line. If users ask to import their Bitmoji, the game will display a QR instruction code on the screen, which they will be able to scan with the Snapchat camera. This authentication unlocks their Bitmoji to use as an avatar skin in the game. Suddenly, every quest, every battle and every cinematic become their subject, not a generic character.

Given that Fortnite is making hundreds of millions of dollars selling cosmetic enhancements, the inevitable question is whether Snap will start selling outfits, items, or bonus options for Bitmoji. "It's really a start for Bitmoji for games. It's something we'll explore later, "Imah tells me. Imagine if kids could buy Supreme sweats or cool nikes for their Bitmoji? This could be a lucrative new business for Snap, reinforced by each Bitmoji partnership, and at a time when it is keen to increase revenue and reduce losses in the quest for profitability.

Bitmoji for games could make Snapchat the best way to represent you visually online without a photo. While the darker aspects of the Internet and human nature focus on the technology sector, we need additional ways to both be able to maintain privacy. Bitmoji could provide the emotional connection of seeing himself as the hero without the risks of exposing his true face.