Viber Ventures Into Gaming, Launching in Five Countries with Global Expansion Set for 2015

With an eye on the remarkable success of Korea’s Kakao Talk and Japan’s Line, Viber is poised to take a giant leap into the lucrative world of social gaming. These two Asian market leaders have earned their stripes not least by leveraging their gaming platforms, enabling Kakao Talk to become profitable last year and catapulting Line’s revenue to the tune of $192 million in Q3 2014. Indeed, Line’s two-year run with its gaming platform has tallied over 300 million downloads, an indicator of the substantial potential this move holds for Viber.

A Curated Selection of Games
In his conversation with TechCrunch, Marco Bunag, a Viber executive, unveiled that the company is focused on featuring a compact array of carefully handpicked titles. They will prioritize quality over quantity, aiming for a tightly curated selection of games rather than an overwhelming cornucopia. To this end, the ‘Viber Connect’ API will stay private, reserved exclusively for select partners.
“Our plan includes teaming up with other game developers in the future. Still, our strategy revolves around a small, highly curated selection of games, not hundreds,” Bunag shared. He added that the inclination towards gaming isn’t a whim, but a decision long in making, even preceding Viber’s acquisition.

The trend of social gaming began with Kakao Talk, WeChat, and Line, primarily in the Asian market. However, 2014 has seen western services such as Kik, Tango and now, Viber — boasting substantial user bases — enter the gaming sphere hoping to replicate their success. Bunag eagerly anticipates the response of Viber’s 209 million monthly active users towards this exciting brand expansion. He was quick to reassure that Viber’s gaming platform has been designed to co-exist harmoniously with the core messaging experience for users.

In line with user-focused design, a dedicated section within the app will cater to game notifications and related messages, which users can choose to opt out from if desired. Bunag playfully added, “If you don’t want to play games, Viber will remain exactly how it is for you… but I must say, the games are quite the treat,” chuckling about his own addiction to Viber Pop.

For more in-depth coverage on this topic, you can visit TechCrunch’s article here.

This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.