2 March 2022 - Gojek’s interactive livestreaming service GoPlay and Singapore-based gaming studio Storms today announced their partnership to launch an innovative feature that will allow fans to influence the real-time game outcome of celebrity livestreamers on the GoPlay platform. Storms is a subsidiary of iCandy Interactive, Australia and Southeast Asia’s largest game developer.

The AZ Run game, a hit ball runner game developed by Storms, will first be presented on GoPlay through the Indonesia popular idol group JKT48 live show, namely GoPlay Live Original Mabar, which is the JKT48 program for gamers hosted by the JKT48 esports team.

Different from usual live shows, now the audience can directly interact with the game being played by the host and can even directly help or prank the host by influencing the game in real time and live. The ball runner game also will come with a leaderboard, where participating livestreamers can access their scores and see how they fare against the others.

Edy Sulistyo, CEO of GoPlay, said:

“Based on our observations as a leading content delivery platform, viewers prefer content that makes it easier for them to interact with content creators than passive content. This interactive game feature marks a new era of entertainment where everyone wins - our app users get the chance to participate in gameplay with content creators intimately, and at the same time, this feature becomes ammunition for content creators to be creative with their live show programs that provide a different experience for their audience and community.

The presence of the Live Games feature on GoPlay is in line with research which shows 62% of viewers stated the need to socialize and interact as their main reason for watching games played by livestreamers.

David Yin, CEO of Storms, commented:

“The Storms team is thrilled to provide both the interactive game technology and games library to enrich GoPlay’s livestreaming community. This collaboration is meaningful for Storms, given our commitment to establishing a vibrant gaming ecosystem and reaching 2 billion social gamers, starting with Indonesia’s top entertainment app.”

To be able to participate in games brought by GoPlay content creators, each viewer needs to send a virtual gift while watching a live show hosted by their favorite content creators. A single delivery of a virtual gift can contribute to a single button or step that affects the results in the AZ Run game and other live game features on GoPlay. Coming up next month, more games will be rolled out with direct player-versus-player (PvP) features.

As part of the JKT48 esports team, Marsha JK48 and Kathrina JKT48 also gave their comments regarding the presence of the live game feature on GoPlay:

"We used to play casual games during our spare time, but usually we play it alone. Now because it's online on GoPlay, we can play together with our fans. Playing live games together on GoPlay is exciting and challenging at the same time, because the audiences can also influence our game's outcome. But It's really fun, so don't miss it!"

Sulistyo added:

“The GoPlay Live Original Mabar program with JKT48 was chosen for the launch of this feature considering the popularity of this live show program in the eyes of the GoPlay audience, who is not limited to just gamers audiences, but also those who seek entertainment with their idol creators. With the Live Games feature which we developed with Storms, GoPlay is expected to continue to be a home for content creators to innovate and expand their market while encouraging the growth of the creator economy in Indonesia.”