The multi-platform chat app space is crowded with big names like Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Viber, and WhatsApp. To succeed in this space, an app needs to be innovative and offer something that competitors don’t. Tango is doing just this by partnering with mobile game developer, Gameloft, to create a mobile gaming social network.
By allowing developers like Gameloft to integrate Tango’s chat service into apps, the company is putting its product in front of many more users. Mobile games will be able to use Tango as a social layer, allowing players to chat with one another, post on leaderboards, and invite friends to games. This will work similarly to Apple’s Game Center, but its strength will come from its cross-platform abilities.
“The launch of our platform is a significant moment for Tango,” said Uri Raz, Tango co-founder and CEO. “We have married messaging with entertainment, moving us closer to our goal of becoming a destination for family and friends. Using the platform, our members can move beyond messaging to discover and share entertaining content we now offer. We’re not only enabling all forms of communication, but promoting rich and meaningful interactions that enhance and drive engagement.”
The games will be stand-alone apps that can be downloaded from their respective app stores. While the games are designed to work with Tango, users don’t have to have Tango installed to play them. But for the best experience, users will want to install the Tango app to enjoy all of the new features of the Tango platform. Logging in with Tango is as simple as tapping, “Connect with Tango.” If you have Tango installed, it will share your credentials with the game.
At the moment, only two games will support’s Tango’s new platform. Gameloft’s “Candy Block Breaker for Tango” and Bubble Gum Interactive’s “JetPack Jinx for Tango” are both coming to Android and iOS soon, as there’s no solid release date yet.
This is big news for Tango, as it’s transforming its multi-platform chat app into a full blown mobile social network. The Tango app already has robust social features, allowing friends to text chat, call, video chat, and play several basic games together. By allowing app developers to integrate Tango into their apps, Tango could potentially become the de facto multi-platform mobile social network since Google Play Games and Apple’s Game Center only work within their own operating systems.
Interested developers who want to integrate their apps with Tango can sign up for the Tango SDK here.
