Houseparty and Epic Games have teamed up to bring a fantastic new feature to Fortnite.
If you like the popular title, you now have the ability to video chat with your friends on Fortnite by integrating the game with Houseparty.
You can chat Fortnite videos using Houseparty
In a press release , Epic Games announced that players can not only chat with their Fortnite mates, but they can also see their faces.
Thanks to Houseparty’s video chat feature, gamers can link the two apps and stream videos as they play. This allows you to control the reactions of your friends when playing together.
Related: What you need to know about Houseparty’s privacy and security
Your friends will appear on the same screen where Fortnite is displayed, in a sidebar, with each of their live video broadcasts. Now your team can feel more integrated than ever.
Will video chat bring more players to Fortnite?
The integration of Fortnite and Houseparty is a move that will no doubt further increase Fortnite’s popularity.
Statista reports that, as of May 2020, Fortnite had over 350 million players globally. Could the addition of video chat cause the title to become more popular than it has been since it launched in 2017?
Epic Games, which owns both Fortnite and Houseparty, has capitalized on the social aspects of the two platforms to offer players a feature with real value. Especially considering the isolation people around the world have experienced, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who can access the Fortnite video chat?
Currently, the Fortnite / Houseparty video chat feature is only available on PS4, PS5 and PC.
Additionally, you’ll need an iOS or Android device to run the Houseparty app and connect the two platforms together.
Which is bad news for owners of Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S and Switch, who currently can’t access the service. However, they can still claim the Rainbow Fog Wrap bonus item, which normally unlocks when linking the two accounts.
Related: How to secure your Fortnite account with 2FA
Was a Fortnite / Houseparty collaboration inevitable?
This move shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 2019, Epic Games acquired the popular video chat app, Houseparty, in what was seen as a surprise move.
What followed was speculation about how the two brands saw this relationship going through. But that wasn’t the only question on everyone’s lips. People also wanted to know if this meant the two platforms would integrate.
In a June 2019 Tweet, Houseparty co-founder Sima Sistani alluded to the potential for integration between the two apps, but nothing has actually been confirmed.
Fortnite video chat is a bold move for Epic Games
Now that the months’ speculation is over, all that’s left for you to do is fire up Fortnite and get ready to have the battle royale of a lifetime.
One wonders, however, if this Fortnite integration will land Houseparty in hot water with Apple. Epic doesn’t have the best relationship with Apple, thanks to the latter banning Fortnite from the iOS App Store.
Given that Epic owns Houseparty, perhaps Apple will see Houseparty as guilty by association and start waving the ban hammer in the direction of the video chat app as well.
