Epic Games' Hypersense tech could mirror Fortnite players’ facial expressions in real time

Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite recently bought the real-time facial animation technology company called Hypersense. As per a report in The Verge, the app can put a gamer's facial expression directly onto a videogame character using a simple webcam. The report adds that Hypersense’s app Hypermeet was released in open beta in September and is not available anymore, but it could add a lot to Fortnite's slower-paced, non-violent Party Royale with its ability to incorporate facial expressions. However, despite the potentials it offers, the acquisition comes with no plans for implementing the new tech in the game.According to Epic CTO Kim Librery, the purchase may actually be about creators first. Libreri has stated that bringing on the Hypersense team to Epic enables them to approach the goal of giving creat0ors full control over expressing their vision to the smallest nuances.The official product description of Hypermeet states that the app is an avatar video chat app for Zoom & OBS. Users can easily create their own avatars and animate them in real-time on their video calls. They can do this by using a 2D webcam and Hypersense’s facial mocap technology, Hyprmeet that enables users to be themselves in the form of their favourite character.Meanwhile, Epic Games announced that players of Fortnite who are new Disney+ subscribers and make real money purchases in the game will stand the chance to win a free Disney+ subscription for two months.