You may not think of TikTok as a gaming platform, but the short-form hub is pressing play on an initiative that will bring together several prominent publishers and creators in the games industry. TikTok Made Me Play It, described as TikTok’s “first global gaming event,” will go live on November 2.
The event will be streamed live across two separate sessions: The first one will go live at 11 AM ET, and the second will follow at 10 PM ET. Speakers will include representatives from Electronic Arts and 2K, who will be joined by creators who have attracted millions of followers by sharing snippets of the gameplay. Confirmed attendees include multiplatform star VBunny Go, gamer-turned-developer Stephen Ddungu, and the Call of Duty streamer known as the Tactical Gramma.
The event will have an educational angle. By sharing success stories from its community, TikTok will teach creators and gaming brands how to produce short-form videos together. “The future of gaming is here—and it’s happening on TikTok,” reads a description of the event. “Leading publishers are launching games on our platform as culturally relevant entertainment properties, building communities, and inspiring broader entertainment audiences to discover and play their games.”
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TikTok’s push into gaming began in Asia, where it has reportedly rolled out exclusive titles in countries like Vietnam. Stateside efforts to develop games within TikTok have been a bit slower, but the buzzy app is giving its community more ways to play. In tandem with mobile developers like Voodoo and Nitro Games, TikTok introduced a slate of in-app minigames.
TikTok Made Me Play It will marry the Bytedance-owned brand’s interest in games with its increased focus on live video. TikTok has announced a number of new ecommerce features for its streaming product as it prepares to introduce live shopping in the U.S.
YouTube delivered its own mix of gaming and live programming two months ago, when it hosted an event called Game On. If you’d like to check out a different platform’s combination of those two categories, you can RSVP for TikTok Made Me Play It here.
