What is Houseparty?
Houseparty is a social video chat application developed originally by Life On Air, Inc and later acquired by Epic Games in 2019. It allows up to 8 people to video chat at the same time in a virtual "house party".
Some key features of Houseparty include:
- Drop-in video chatting - Friends get notifications when you're online and can pop in to join the video chat at any time
- Games - Built-in games like Heads Up, Quick Draw, and Chips & Guac add interaction and fun
- Lock rooms - Rooms can be locked to keep the current group private
- Integration with other apps - Connects with apps like Spotify to allow shared music listening
The app first launched in 2016 and quickly became popular for casual, face-to-face conversations among friends. It created the category of "social video" apps. In 2019, Epic Games acquired Life On Air and Houseparty to integrate the video technology into Fortnite and other gaming applications.
Overall, Houseparty aims to bring the spontaneous fun of real-world house parties online through unplanned video chats and playful interaction with built-in games and media sharing capabilities.