Hike Launches Hikeland, A Virtual World To Hangout The company claims that Hikeland is a safe place for people to hang out online where great relationships can blossom around shared experiences.
By Debarghya Sil •
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Delhi-based Unicorn startup Hike on Wednesday introduced a new social product called Hikeland, a mobile-first virtual world.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hike—which uses artificial intelligence—seems to jump in the bandwagon of creating social experiences after Houseparty and Squad tasted success during the early stages of lockdown.
The company claims that Hikeland is a safe place for people to hang out online where great relationships can blossom around shared experiences.
Hikeland has introduced two unique shared experiences for users—Home and Big Screen.
Home is the user's very own private space on HikeLand where users can hang out with their closest friends and watch videos together while interacting over a voice-led experience just like they would in real life. Users will also have eight themes to choose from so they can customize their home with decor that reflects their personality.
Whereas, Big Screen is a place that brings people together around the content they love, paving the way for new friendships.
Launched in 2012, Hike was once seen as a potential competitor to the Facebook-owned WhatsApp messenger. However, failing to secure a broader customer base, the company is now hinged on sticker chat, which has crossed 2 million weekly active users in eight months after its launch in April last year.
Speaking on the unveiling of the early preview, Kavin Bharti Mittal, founder and CEO of Hike, said, "With advancements in technology, so much is possible today that wasn't even just a few years ago. The world has evolved, it's time for social products as well. With HikeLand, we're launching the world's first mobile-first virtual world. A brand new take on how people can hangout online, transcending beyond the limitations of the offline world."
In a statement, the company assured that while HikeLand's early preview initially brings users two unique experiences, it is working on enhancing this with multiple experiences planned in the near future.
