Snapchat may roll out a gaming platform as early as next month

Earlier also Snapchat has tried its hands in games. Last year the company launched "Snappables," a set of AR lens games. But the new platform codenamed as "Project Cognac" would be a larger venture into the gaming world, and it would permit outside developers to create games that would actually present in the Snapchat app.

As per a report from CNET, in January Snap also bought out Australian game studio Pretty great, which could add hint at a new gaming push. Moreover, in Summer 2018 the Information reported that Snap was working on a gaming platform for the fall of that year, which would gel with Cheddar's report assuming the program The Information reported on was delayed a few months.

The Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent that possesses Riot Games, League of Legends and popular messaging app WeChat as well. Last year it also bought a 12 per cent stake in Snap. Tencent said at the time that it could "explore cooperation opportunities with the company on mobile games publishing and newsfeed," which also again hint towards a push gaming for Snap.

When thought why Snap would want games in Snapchat, the answer is quite simple: more money and more user engagement. Similar to Facebook Messenger before it, which has featured games directly in the app for years, adding games to Snapchat could offer a new source of revenue for Snap from developers looking to place games in the app, from advertisers looking to place ads in games, and maybe even from iPhone and Android-style in-game purchases as well. In addition, there's the simple matter of monopolizing people's attention: users who play games in the Snapchat app aren't browsing Instagram.