Social gaming is the current going trend in the online gambling market, and we are seeing all types of companies jumping on the bandwagon. This week, Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba.com announced the launch of its own social gaming platform, KTPlay. This social gaming network has been around for several weeks in beta testing mode, and AliBaba has come forward this week to announce that that it is behind the new platform.

At the moment, the site is only available to players and developers in China, but there are plans for a worldwide launch in the near future. AliBaba’s entry into the social gaming market is a very interesting development. Usually, social gaming platforms are launched by companies that are already involved in gaming or some other form of web development.

So, AliBaba’s new KTPlay could set an example for other e-commerce operators. It also opens up many opportunities for the e-commerce market, overall. On social gaming platforms, users must pay for purchases with an external payment system. With e-commerce sites now in the mix, there is certainly an opportunity for change.

“In the future, [KTplay can] merge the worlds of ecommerce and marketplaces and gaming,” says Spencer Liu, Chief Product Officer of KTPlay. AliBaba’s social gaming announcement will certainly boost its profile as a leading web presence in China. Currently, the company competes with Tencent – operator of WeChat, which has launched its own social gaming platform this year.

The growing feud could see bigger and better social gaming apps coming from Chinese developers, and we are eager to see what’s next from AliBaba. There is no word yet on when KTPlay will expand into international markets.

However, we will keep you posted.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.