Snapchat is launching a Bitmoji for Games SDK that it says will allow developers to use its customizable Bitmoji avatars within their own games on PC, console, or mobile.
The move is just Snapchat's latest video game-focused announcement, following news from earlier this month that the company is launching a game platform within its social app Snapchat.
But, in the case of the Bitmoji for Games SDK, this latest development isn't limited to mobile developers or just those creating games for Snap Games.
According to a TechCrunch writeup on the launch, the Bitmoji for Games SDK lets select developers on any platform build compatibility for Snapchat's customizable avatars into their own games. The system would let players edit the look of their avatar on their mobile device, then scan a QR code displayed by a compatible game to import that character into whatever they're playing.
“We’re adding an identity layer to gaming that has the potential to have a transformational effect on the industry,” Bitmoji co-founder Ba Blackstock tells TechCrunch.
It’s explained as a sort of personalized avatar that players can take from game to game, but Snapchat notes there are some caveats to its full rollout.
For one, the SDK is only coming to “top developers chosen for the program from PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and other platforms.” On top of that, Snapchat is being selective with the kinds of games its Bitmoji avatars appear in and will have guidelines on how they can be used, but it's not something the company has explicitly detailed quite yet.