houseparty adds ‘fortnite mode,’ bringing video chat to the popular game
Brian Heater
Epic Games completed the acquisition of Houseparty in June of the previous year, shortly after securing a substantial funding round of $1.25 billion. The interest of the company behind Fortnite in the social video application was readily apparent, considering Fortnite’s inherently social gameplay.
Following a period of widespread global restrictions, the benefits of this acquisition are now becoming evident. Epic Games has announced that the game will now include video chat functionality through integration with Houseparty. This feature is currently accessible on several platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
To utilize the video chat feature, players must download the Houseparty application on either an Android or iOS device and link it to their Epic Games account. The video chat will then be incorporated directly into the game experience. The player’s video feed is framed closely on their face, and a virtual backdrop is applied, similar to the functionality found in Zoom. Recognizing the game’s broad audience, several safety measures have been implemented, including an option for parents to disable the feature within Fortnite’s settings.Brian Heater
Brian Heater held the position of Hardware Editor for TechCrunch up until the beginning of 2025. Throughout his career, he has contributed to several prominent technology news sources, such as Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, with the latter seeing him act as Managing Editor. His journalistic work extends to a diverse range of outlets, including Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, and The Daily Beast, among others. He is also the host of RiYL, the weekly interview podcast produced by Boing Boing, and has frequently contributed segments to NPR broadcasts. He currently resides in a Queens apartment alongside his pet rabbit, Juniper.