Snapchat could be about to get into gaming in a big way

Could a big selection of mini-games tempt you to spend more time inside Snapchat? According to an anonymous source "familiar with the matter", Snapchat is planning to announce a new gaming platform as early as next month.

Cheddar reports that developers will be able to build games that live inside the Snapchat app, though what exactly they might look like and how they might work isn't yet clear.

It's a rumor we've heard before, with a Snapchat gaming platform launch initially tipped for the end of 2018. That didn't happen, but it sounds as though the new features are ready to go in 2019.

Snapchat recently rolled out a redesign
Twitter introduces Snapchat-style camera features
Snapchat Lenses are on the desktop

An announcement will be made at the start of April at a Snapchat content and developer summit, according to Cheddar, with games made available at some point after that.

Playing the game

The signs are there: last year Snapchat parent company Snap acquired a small Australian gaming studio, and it's also been rumored to have made other similar acquisitions lately.

The Snapchat also has previous form for this, with little augmented reality games called Snappables appearing inside the app in early 2018. It sounds like the new titles would be much broader in scope.

Snapchat could certainly use something to keep attracting users in its battle with Instagram, having seen its popular Stories format stolen by other apps. Games could be accompanied by advertising or in-app purchases, boosting revenue for Snap.

If and when Snapchat launches a new gaming platform, we'll let you know. It's possible there might even be games for the Snapchat Spectacles.