So Vine’s virtual corpse isn’t even cold yet, but app co-founders have already moved on. The duo, Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, wasted no time in launching HYPE, a new live-streaming video app which lets users include music and animations in with their content.
The app – which is currently only in beta form – works in a similar way to Facebook Live; viewers receive a notification when someone they follow begins a live-stream. You can then interact with the broadcast through comments and things called ‘sparkles’ which just sound way too cute really. ‘Sparkles’ let you show big appreciation for someone’s stream by adding a border of stars to it!
It all sounds suspiciously similar to the Twitter-owned app, Periscope. So could HYPE be Yusupov and Kroll’s counteract attack? The pair – who sold Vine to Twitter in 2012 – were said to be surprised by the news of Vine’s demise last Thursday. Yusupov told Techcrunch that he wasn’t even aware Twitter was binning the app. Awkward!
It’s certainly one extensive revenge plot. But the app looks like it won’t disappoint, especially in the LOLS stakes, adopting the playful approach of snapchat with filters and additional animations. There’s themed backgrounds and users can choose from photos from your camera roll and include them in a live stream. As well as all this, videos can be broadcast live through your social feeds on Facebook and Twitter. So, basically, it’s real-time video streaming with just way more ridiculous fun.
But with the recent news of another broadcasting app fatality, Meerkat – which closed on 4th October this year – HYPE will have to work hard to differentiate itself. Even if sparkles are involved!
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.