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Epic Games, the creator of "Fortnite," announced Wednesday the acquisition of Houseparty, a social networking application for group discussions.
The price of the acquisition was not announced, but the unexpected agreement immediately sparked speculation on what the most popular video game maker could do with the chat application for teenagers.
Representatives from Epic Games and Houseparty emphasized the social interaction aspects of each product. Fortnite has become a global gaming phenomenon, allowing more than 100 people worldwide to connect online and participate in the same round.
Nevertheless, company officials were not aware of plans to integrate the functionality of both products.
Houseparty has been installed by 35 million users via the App Store and Google Play, and 40% of these users are located outside the United States, according to the Sensor Tower mobile data analyst. Users spend an average of an hour on the app every day, according to Houseparty's measurements.
The joint press release focused on the common vision of Epic Games and Houseparty to facilitate meaningful human relations through virtual means.
"Joining Epic is a big step forward in fulfilling our mission of bringing empathy to online communication," Houseparty CEO Sima Sistani said in a press release. "We have a common vision to make human interactions easier and more enjoyable, and always with respect for the privacy of users."
In a tweet on the day of the announcement, Sistani predicted that the next decade of social media will not be characterized by sharing, but by participation.
"Houseparty brings people together and creates positive social interactions in real time," Epic Games general manager Tim Sweeney said in a press release.
Houseparty will not be reduced to Epic Games. Users with both Houseparty and Epic Games accounts will not be able to combine their accounts and Houseparty will remain available as a stand-alone platform.
A spokesperson for Epic Games did not wish to comment on the future integration of Houseparty and Epic Games. However, a Tweet from Sistani highlights how users have already used the platforms together:
Although Fortnite has a voice chat feature in the game, many players choose to use independent group discussion programs to communicate with other players. Group discussion networks, such as Houseparty and Discord, have the added benefit of being outside the game as social media platforms; players can talk, whether they play or not, unlike vocal discussions at play. Could the acquisition of Houseparty by Epic Games mean incorporating Houseparty's network video chat technology into video games? like Fortnite?
Houseparty is no stranger to online gambling internally. Houseparty s' installed in the game area in January, when it began to offer users games to play with friends via the application. Her first game was Ellen DeGeneres' mobile charades game, Heads Up! The Verge called the initiative "the first effort to generate revenue". In April, Houseparty launched a quiz and, in May, a word-matching game, Chips and Guac.
The acquisition of Houseparty could lead to a greater female demographics of Fortnite players, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"Fortnite" brought in nearly $ 2.5 billion to Epic Games in 2018, and in January, it acquired the video graphics company 3Lateral, specializing in hyper-realistic CGIs. He had amassed a total of 250 million registered players in March.
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