Facebook is getting in on that creepy face-swapping trend that is all the rage on the Internet with its acquisition of Masquerade, the creators of the MSQRD selfie app that allows users to do face-swaps and record video animations of themselves and share them on social media.
The acquisition comes at a critical moment for Facebook, whose rival Snapchat purchased Looksery in September to power its new Lenses feature. Facebook, not one to be left behind, made an image filtering acquisition of its own to stay ahead of the curve.
Masquerade's acquisition was only rumored for a time, until it formally announced the news, declaring, "We're joining Facebook!"
"Video communication is exploding," Masquerade co-founder Eugene Nevgen explained. "At Masquerade, we've worked hard to make video more fun and engaging by creating filters that enhance and alter your appearance. Now, we're excited to join forces with Facebook and bring the technology to even more people. Within Facebook, we're going to be able to reach people at a scale like never before. For starters, we'll be able to bring our technology to Facebook's audience of nearly 1.6 billion people. This is a scale of audience we never imagined was possible."
Facebook later confirmed the acquisition with a statement of its own. "Masquerade has built a fantastic app, MSQRD, with world-class imaging technology for video," said a spokesperson for the social network. "We're excited to welcome Masquerade to our team and continue enhancing the Facebook video experience."
Available for Android and iOS, the Belarus-based company will continue to remain as a standalone offering, however Facebook noted it will eventually integrate the app's features into its platform. Meaning that it won't be long before you see your friends, family members, co-workers, etc., with various faces superimposed on top of their own.
The app's three founders: Eugene Nevgen, Sergey Gonchar and Eugene Zatepyakin, will work out of Facebook's London office while the remainder of the team stays in their original office space.
Facebook declined to say how much the deal was valued at, but if its even remotely close to how much other deals were, Facebook definitely payed a hefty sum.
