CARY – Epic Games is adding another piece to its growing empire, acquiring synchronous social platform Houseparty which touts itself as the “face to face social network” with a goal of providing “empathy to online communication.”
The addition of the video chat app further broadens Epic’s growing reach into interactive media.
Just a month ago, Epic acquired esports firm Rocket League. The privately held firm is putting on a big show at E3 this week, hyping its globally popular Fortnite franchise. The deals follow Epic’s raising more than $1 billion in private equity last year, the hiring of new executives, and disclosing plans for an office in Detroit.
Financial terms of the Houseparty deal weren’t disclosed.
“Houseparty brings people together, creating positive social interactions in real time,” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games, in a statement. “By teaming up, we can build even more fun, shared experiences than what could be achieved alone.”
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At Medium, Houseparty declared its joy about the deal.
“Today is a big day for us at Houseparty because we’re joining the Epic Games family!”
Houseparty describes itself as “the synchronous social platform that lets you connect face-to-face with the people you care about most.”
The deal means Epic and Houseparty will “be able to help even more people connect with their friends, family, and peers.,” the company noted.
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In a statement, Houseparty cofounder and CEO Sima Sistani describes the deal as one that will help the firm carry out its mission.
“Joining Epic is a great step forward in achieving our mission of bringing empathy to online communication,” he said.
“We have a common vision to make human interaction easier and more enjoyable, and always with respect for user privacy.”
