Houseparty is over: video chat app that boomed in lockdown meets its end

Epic Games withdraws software from app stores and will fully shut it down in October

Houseparty, a video chat app that surged in popularity when lockdowns were first imposed last year, is to close down.

The platform allows people to virtually drop in to video chatrooms with friends and experienced a spike in demand during the first wave of Covid restrictions, reporting 50m sign-ups in one month. Houseparty is owned by the same company that makes Fortnite and it was integrated into the smash-hit game last year, allowing users to hold video chats while playing.