Fortnite maker Epic Games laying off 16% of its workforce
Fortnite game developer Epic Games on Thursday announced to lay off 16 per cent percent of its employees, impacting nearly 870 people.
‘Epic Games’ popular social video chat app Houseparty is reportedly shutting down in October.
The company said Houseparty will be discontinued in October when the app will stop functioning for its existing users; it will be pulled from the app stores on Thursday.
Related to this move, Epic Games’ “Fortnite Mode” feature, which leveraged Houseparty to bring video chat to Fortnite gamers, will also be discontinued, reports TechCrunch.
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Founded in 2015, Houseparty offered a way for users to participate in group video chats with friends and even play games, like Uno, trivia, Heads Up and others.
Last year, Epic Games integrated Houseparty with Fortnite, initially to allow gamers to see live feeds from friends while gaming, then later adding support to Livestream gameplay directly into Houseparty.
At the time, these integrations appeared to be the end goal that explained why Epic Games had bought the social startup in the first place.
The company didn’t offer any solid insight into what, at first glance, feels like an admission of failure to capitalise on its acquisition.
Epic Games acquired Houseparty for a reported $35 million back in 2019.
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