If you thought Amazon getting into the games industry was a weird one, try and wrap your head around this one. Endless list generator and clickbait farmer Buzzfeed, has announced that it's going to be investing part of its recent $50 million funding to enter the gaming industry. But not just any part of the gaming industry, no, Buzfeed wants to go up against the likes of King and Zynga and carve a niche out in the casual market.
BuzzFeed VP of product Chris Johanesen made the announcement yesterday, that Buzzfeed was actively recruiting developers to make casual games for the main Buzzfeed site. While many have laughed it off or suggested that the last thing gaming needs is a company like Buzzfeed, it does at least represent a slight change in the company's focus, as it will be creating its own content with this new game focus.
In-fact, despite much of its 130 million unique monthly users looking over attention grabbing lists with little substance, a lot of the site's content over the past few years has revolved around content it makes itself, like quizzes and other interactive elements.
What kind of games Buzzfeed actually plans on making however remain to be seen, but chances are there will be some tie ins with product placement, as Johanesen also suggested in the announcement that advertising could play a part in it.
