Facebook enhances Level Up program for emerging game streamers

Facebook unveiled its Level Up program for emerging game creators, or livestreamers, last year for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Facebook will make it easier to find videos from streamers on Facebook, and it will boost new creators making E3 content. And today, the company is adding custom stickers and emojis for the creator partners in gaming.

Custom stickers are available to share in chat through monthly Fan Subscriptions, a way for fans to support creators by pledging $5 per month in exchange for perks like exclusive content. Gaming creators design and customize their sticker packs to include as part of the exclusive content in their subscription. Fan Subscriptions are in beta, but they’re available for partnered gaming creators.

Facebook is also announcing that the Fan Subscriptions beta product is rolling out to gaming creators in the Level Up program as another way for gaming creators to earn money and grow their community.

Facebook is expanding in stages based on active Level Up creators with engaged audiences, and it continue to add more creators from the program soon.

The Level Up program was designed for up and coming gaming creators to get started streaming on Facebook, earn money and build a community. It’s currently available in more than 40 countries. Creators in Level Up can also graduate and become partnered gaming creators. Gaming creators like DiMez and Kingslayer are good examples of streamers who started in Level Up and are now in the partnered program.

Level Up Program for emerging gaming creators

To help gaming creators get started, the program gives creators information and tools to jumpstart their communities and earn money for their work.

Key elements of the program include earning money with Facebook Stars. Level Up members will be able to earn money through the fan support feature that announced in January. Now called Facebook Stars, that feature lets fans support their favorite gaming creators by purchasing and sending virtual goods during livestreams.

Facebook will also create early access to new features for livestreaming. Level Up members will receive early access to new features, best practices from established gaming creators and customized access to Facebook support for troubleshooting and bug reporting.

Facebook said it wants to give emerging gaming creators the information and support they need so they can livestream more easily, grow their communities more quickly and focus on making great content.

Earlier this week, Facebook said that 77% of 18- to 34-year-old console gaming buyers identify themselves as gamers. Gaming has become an intensely social activity with 64% of 18- to 34-year-olds surveyed saying that playing with friends or meeting new people is what makes gaming great.

And please check out the Facebook talks I’ve embedded in the post from our recent GamesBeat Summit 2019 event. One is a discussion between What’s Good Games’ Andrea Rene and Facebook VR leader Jason Rubin and Facebook gaming partnerships leader Leo Olebe. The other is Olebe’s fireside chat with Lual Mayen, a game developer who grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda. He was named Global Gaming Citizen by The Game Awards and Facebook last fall. Lastly, we have a video from Bre Miller of Facebook on design principles for Facebook gaming. All of these talks are good illustrations of how Facebook is trying to build communities in gaming.

[Updated 6/6/19 1:51 p.m.: Added relevant information for this year].