# Houseparty

> Houseparty was a free, drop-in group video network built by Life On Air after its first hit, Meerkat, revealed a fatal retention problem. It turned the awkward ceremony of a video call into something closer to walking into a friend's kitchen, reached roughly one million daily users in its first year, sold to Epic Games in 2019, and added 50 million sign-ups in one month during the 2020 lockdowns. Yet its independent app was closed in October 2021 as Epic reassigned the team to social experiences across its wider ecosystem.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Ben Rubin (Founder and former CEO), Itai Danino (Co-founder), Uri Haramati (Co-founder), Sima Sistani (Co-founder and CEO from 2019)
- **Products:** Houseparty mobile and desktop app, Houseparty Games, Fortnite Mode, Houseparty desktop app
- **Notable:** Reached approximately one million daily active users within a year of launch., Raised roughly $70 million in disclosed venture backing across Life On Air and Houseparty before acquisition., Acquired by Epic Games in June 2019.

## Products & services

- **Houseparty mobile and desktop app** — Free drop-in group video rooms for up to eight people, with presence notifications, room locking, messaging and lightweight games.
- **Houseparty Games** — In-call games including Heads Up!, Trivia, Quick Draw, Chips and Guac, Word Racers, Magic 8 Ball and UNO.
- **Fortnite Mode** — An Epic account integration that brought Houseparty video chat into supported Fortnite sessions on PC and PlayStation.
- **Houseparty desktop app** — A PC and Mac version distributed through the Epic Games Store, including screen sharing and Fortnite integration.

## Achievements

- Reached approximately one million daily active users within a year of launch.
- Raised roughly $70 million in disclosed venture backing across Life On Air and Houseparty before acquisition.
- Acquired by Epic Games in June 2019.
- Reported 50 million new sign-ups in a single month during early 2020 lockdowns.
- Ranked as the number-one social app in 82 countries during its 2020 surge, according to NFX's account.
- Demonstrated that lightweight games could turn video chat from a connection utility into a place to linger.

## Latest updates

- **2019-06** — Epic Games acquired Houseparty for an undisclosed sum.
- **2020-04** — Houseparty reported 50 million sign-ups in the preceding month as lockdowns moved social life online.
- **2020-07** — Houseparty and Mattel added UNO after introducing Magic 8 Ball.
- **2020-11** — Epic launched Houseparty video chat integration for Fortnite on supported PC and PlayStation platforms.
- **2021-09** — Epic announced that Houseparty would be removed from app stores immediately and discontinued in October.
- **2021-10** — The standalone Houseparty service closed; the team shifted to social experiences across Epic's product family.

## Links

- Website: http://www.houseparty.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/houseparty
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/houseparty/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseparty/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/houseparty/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/houseparty
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28