Facebook has outlined plans to target the core gamer market this year through the release of a number of high quality multiplayer focused titles.
While the social network traditionally plays host to family-friendly games, Facebook has been working with a number of third party studios in a bid to bring more console-style action titles to the platform.
"You'll see a whole set of games hitting in the next two quarters in particular and throughout the year that really start to redefine what people think of Facebook games," Sean Ryan, head of game partnerships at Facebook, told Reuters.
"It doesn't mean we're walking away from other games, but there's no question our focus for 2013 much of it will be about becoming a better platform for core gamers and developers who make those games.”
Facebook’s drive to attract core gamers is reportedly focused around the release of ten titles in 2013, including u4iA's first-person shooter Offensive Combat (pictured) and nWay's action RPG ChronoBlade.
According to nWay’s chief creative officer Dave Jones, who’s best known as the creator of Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings: "Like Super Mario did for Nintendo or Halo on Microsoft, I think it just takes one [defining] title to come along, sort of as a benchmark to legitimize the whole thing.”
Over a quarter of Facebook's 1.06 billion monthly active users play games. The company said last week that fourth quarter revenue generated from games was flat year-over-year.
