Fortnite Introduces In-Game Video Chat Via Houseparty

Fortnite is introducing the ability to video chat with friends in-game via the Epic Games-owned social app Houseparty. The feature will begin to roll out to Houseparty app users on iOS and android, and will be compatible at launch when playing Fortnite on PC, PS5, and PS4 (Epic and Houseparty have said should any more platforms be supported, they will announce so in the future). Houseparty, which already lets friends video chat within the app, just needs to be connected to your Epic Games account - and doing so will earn players the Rainbow Fog Wrap. Once linked, players can follow the following steps, to easily enable video chat to pop up alongside their Fortnite gameplay:

• Open Houseparty on iOS or Android and connect to Fortnite through Settings or the TV icon
• Join your friends like you normally would or invite them to join you
• Fire up Fortnite on a PC or PlayStation
• Continue talking to your friends while you play

You'll just need to find a comfortable position to prop your phone up to frame your face, but Houseparty uses facial recognition software available on iOS and Android to keep track of and recognize when a face is being captured via the camera. Once you've connected and enabled the Houseparty chat, your friends in your Houseparty party will be able to appear on screen to the left of your Fortnite gameplay in a new overlay. (The gameplay will adjust to properly accommodate the new look.) While Houseparty supports larger groups, only four friends at a time will appear on screen next to your Fortnite gameplay, with those who recently spoke being prioritized. Players will have a Fornite-themed virtual background behind their face, with some options to choose from at the start. Only your friends on Houseparty, or the friends of anyone in your Houseparty room, will be able to join the video chat. Houseparty users can also lock a room to prevent more people from joining. Other players in a Fortnite game will not see any of your Houseparty video chat. IGN was walked through a demonstration of Houseparty's Fortnite integration over Zoom, and even with the video conferencing lag, the process was near-instantaneous at each step. Members who joined the Houseparty chat after it was enabled and integrated into a Fortnite game appeared on the game screen in just a few moments, properly tracked the faces of those speaking and prevented any real-life backgrounds from appearing, and demonstrated no noticeable vocal lag. Parties will be both present on your phone and in-game, but for those who use any similar functionality with Houseparty or other apps, the new feature is clearly meant to eliminate the need for those playing to keep looking away from their screen. Players can begin checking out the Fortnite/Houseparty integration as the feature becomes available later today. Fortnite is currently in the midst of a Marvel-themed season, with Marvel characters and locations being introduced into the battle royale. And next-gen players have been able to play upgraded versions of the game, as PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Fortnite were available at launch of these new systems.