Epic Games announced that they will soon be acquiring Houseparty which is a social networking application popular for group video chats. The price of the acquisition was not announced by any of the parties. The popular video game maker will now be working with the chat application to improve their gaming along with a chat box option.
Houseparty and Epic Games are mostly stressing on the social interaction aspect of their respective products. Fortnite is a gaming phenomenon in the worldwide market. They allow 100 people from anywhere in the world to connect and play online with each other in the same round.
The company is still not vocal about their plans in integrating both the applications into one. According to statistics, a total of 35 million downloads has been done on Houseparty via Google Play and App Store. A total of 40 percent of the users are outside the United States. Users generally spend a total of one hour every day on this application.
The press release, which was called jointly by both the companies, mainly focused on the vision of both the companies. They plan to facilitate a meaningful human connection with the help of virtual means.
Houseparty Chief executive officer Simi Sistani said in the press release:
“Joining Epic is a great step forward in achieving our mission of bringing empathy to online communication.” “We have a common vision to make human interaction easier and more enjoyable, and always with respect for user privacy.”
According to a prediction made by the Chief Executing Officer of Houseparty Simi Sistani the next decade of social media will not be characterized with sharing but with participation.
Epic Games Chief Executing Officer Tim Sweeney said in the press conference:
“Houseparty brings people together, creating positive social interactions in real time.”
Houseparty now will not be collapsed along with Epic Games. The accounts of both companies will also not be combined at this point in time. Houseparty will now operate as a standalone entity.
The person who was there from Epic Games did not comment on any of this integration matter. Fortnite now has an in-game chat for making it convenient for players which are not very widely used. The company will try to make the chat better with the help of the technology that is used by Houseparty. Fortnite made a total of $2.5 billion in the year 2018.