Did anyone else kind of think that Bitstrips had quietly faded into obscurity?
If so, there are several reasons why you’re wrong about that – 100 million to be precise.
Because that’s approximately how much Snapchat just paid for the web and mobile app that allows users to turn themselves into cartoons. According to Forbes, Snapchat has acquired Toronto-based makers of Bitmoji in a deal that is “in the ballpark” of $100 million, through a combination of cash and stock.
While Snapchat is yet to officially release the details of their plans for the acquisition, some believe that the instant message sharing app is looking to get a foothold in the emoji market.
Andy Walker, a Senior Strategist at Cyberwalker, told CTV News he believes the move could entice advertisers who would pay for the avatars to promote their products, movies, or companies.
Last year Bitmoji teamed up with Disney for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, dressing up users avatars as characters from the hit movie for free with the app – so it wouldn’t be out of the question to suggest that the app has pulling power when it comes to big name brands.
But if it didn’t die a horrible death, how come Bitstrips seems to have vanished from my Facebook in the last year or more?
CEO and creative director of Bitstrips Jacob Blackstock confessed, “A ridiculous amount of people have been loving Bitstrips so much that many of them are sharing their comics to the point that it can be overwhelming to those that aren’t into it.”
Which is certainly the way it felt back in 2013-2014 when the DIY cartoon app first began to blow up and every other friend of yours was posting pictures with titles like, “Sarah is cooking her favourite meal” across your feed.
So, wary of being annoying and creating a backlash against Bitstrips overkill, the app changed its settings and allowed users the option of sharing their pictures with less people, instead of broadcasting it to all their contacts on Facebook and other social media.
But now that they’ve teamed up with Snapchat, we’re pretty sure we’re about to see a whole lot more of the personalized cartoons once again.
“Katie is not really sure what to think about even more emoji’s on her social media.”
[ad_bb1]