Messenger app Plato has launched the public beta of its gaming-first messaging platform on both Android and iOS.

The company was founded by the creators of Yahoo! Games and backed by angel investors from WhatsApp. It raised $3 million in seed funding to develop its platform.

The platform allows users to play games against each other directly within the app. It aims to differentiate itself from other messaging apps by offering real-time multiplayer, instead of high-score based games.

Higher thinking

It has launched with 11 games, including Pool, Hold 'em, Chess, Backgammon, Spades and Hearts. Games can be played at the same time as others, or asynchronously by sending moves to other players.

Plato is currently only developing titles for the platform first hand, but is planning on opening the app up to third-party developers.

It faces stiff competition from Facebook, which recently launched its own Instant Games platform on its Messenger app.