Meta announced the launch of Pac-Man Community on December 6th, which aims to offer a suite of options for players, viewers, streamers, and creators. Developed by Genvid in partnership with Bandai Namco, the service is still currently in beta mode. The move is the first major step for Facebook Gaming’s Play with Streamer initiative, which allows viewers to jump into games alongside their favorite Facebook creators while the stream goes picture-in-picture.
“We believe games bring people together in powerful ways, whether that’s playing games together, watching gaming videos, or connecting around games in Facebook Groups,” Meta wrote in a blog post. “Individually, these three pillars–Play Watch Connect–offer a world of possibility, and they’re even more powerful together. With new products like Facebook Interactives and Play with Streamer we’re exploring experiences that bridge these pillars to build community and social connection around games on Facebook, including with Pac-Man Community.”
Pac-Man Community will allow Facebook Gaming users to engage with it in the following ways:
- Gamers can play solo or through real-time co-op multiplayer in groups of up to four, where players complete mazes together while facing off against one another;
- Alongside built-in mazes, a Maze Creator tool lets players make their own stages;
- A “Watch” tab, supported by Facebook Interactives, shows people streaming the game live, like “a perpetual interactive Pac-Man watch party;”
- Watch mode also transforms mazes into 3D streams powered by the Unreal Engine, and viewers can interact with the video player to choose sides and power up AI Pac-Man or Ghosts to compete with one another;
- In the coming weeks and months, collective community interactions with streaming sessions will collectively unlock new options for the Maze Creator tool;
- While Pac-Man Community is a new take on the title, the entire classic Pac-Man game will be playable as an Easter egg.
Player-created mazes will be featured heavily in the service, while community-led challenges and mazes will be made available soon.
(All information was provided by Forbes)