Facebook Unity SDK: What Exactly Is It?

Handling SDKs can feel frustrating, and you can bet something will mess up before you scour StackOverflow forums for that lifesaving solution. So if you’re starting out in gamedev and aren’t sure how the Facebook SDK works, this is a good place to start.

Why do I need Facebook SDK in order to launch a test?

You probably already know that Facebook still hosts a variety of fun games on the platform – Ludo Star, 8 Ball Pool, and UNO amongst others. Making these games would take an engine like Unity, but running them on Facebook or adding Facebook-related features will need a separate component. That’s when the Facebook SDK steps in.

SDK stands for software development kit. Facebook’s SDKs are specifically used for integrating Facebook features into your software, or making them usable on Facebook itself. Generally, there are eight types of Facebook SDKs. However, you only need one to make games with: the Facebook Unity SDK.

What can the Facebook Unity SDK do for me?

The Facebook Unity SDK is freely available online, and offers features that:

• lets players auto-login to your game with their Facebook profiles,
• enables your player to share their scores with their Facebook friends,
• tracks which ads are working on your game and which ones aren’t,
• and tracks the player’s consumption behaviour on Facebook so you can tweak your gameplay.

Meta’s official documentation for the SDK is clear and crisp enough for any game developer to follow and implement.

What does Facebook Unity SDK collect?

Analysing player behaviour would need data, and that’s what the SDK collects. At a closer glance, that list includes:

• explicit and implicit events,
• Facebook app ID,
• mobile advertiser ID,
• automatically logged events such as basic interactions with the app
• and metadata from the device itself, such as time zones, screen sizes, device models, and so on.

New versions may or may not collect additional data. And since new versions of the SDK are released regularly, find out what the latest SDK is before using it in your project. If you’re working with a game publisher like Kwalee, it’s best to reach out to their publishing managers to see what version they recommend you pick.

If you’re wondering where to find the latest versions of the Facebook Unity SDK, you can bookmark the official downloads page.

How to use and implement Facebook SDK into your Unity Project

You should know that if your game was published long before you integrated the SDK into it, the data you analyse might not be reliable. Users may continue installing or using the older versions of your game if they still have access to the installation link.

But generally, implementing Facebook Unity SDK takes three phases.

• Phase 1: The first phase is all about importing the SDK into your Unity project. You will need to refer to the SDK’s latest version first before importing it and moving to the next phase.
• Phase 2: You’ll need to set up your game on the Meta Developer App Dashboard, without which the SDK will not work properly. You will need a Facebook account to do this.
• Phase 3: You’ll need to write a bit of code that communicates with the SDK. Since it’s exclusively for Unity, you’ll need C# knowledge to complete this phase fully.

The processes for these phases are available in the official documentation for the SDK. If you need a quicker, easier version of the setup, we have a step-by-step guide for each phase on our Publishing Portal. You can follow the guide so you don’t miss anything when you’re implementing it into your game projects.

Now you know about the Facebook Unity SDK!

As Publisher of the Year (TIGA 2022), we’ve coached many game developers to make games that are successful and profitable, and keep players coming back for more. If you’re making mobile games with Facebook features in them, pitch them to us on our Publishing Portal. You only need a few gameplay videos or a simple playable prototype of your mobile game to get started. Follow us on social media (TikTok | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn) to get the latest deets on our gamedev efforts.