Thanks to high-speed internet and other cultural shifts, in-person LAN parties are largely a thing of the past beyond special occasions. However, there’s a LAN Party app heading to Steam that’s combining a virtual experience with modern streaming technology.
LAN Party Technologies, Inc. has announced that its LAN Party app will be coming soon to Steam Early Access. The app includes the ability to create personalized avatars and gaming spaces in a virtual 3D environment. In some ways, it seems like The Sims or the metaverse that Facebook–sorry, Meta–has been trying to create for years. One of the gaming-room options demonstrated on LAN Party’s Steam page included Mortal Kombat arcade cabinets, not unlike the ones produced by Arcade1Up. But it’s unclear if those are playable games or simply decorative.
It doesn’t appear that LAN Party is meant to replace traditional gaming streams. Instead, it allows users to include streams from outside sources in the virtual room where they appear on their avatars’ computer screens. Players aren’t limited to a single game, and they can all pick their own titles to enjoy while sharing the experience through the app.
In a statement, LAN Party Technologies, Inc. COO Evan Hesse said “LAN Party is more than just a communication app–it’s a new way to bring friends together in a shared space, no matter where they are. Our mission is to recreate the magic of LAN parties for the modern gaming community, offering customization and an intimate group experience.”
LAN Party will be a free download on Steam, but there will also be a premium subscription that will let players have bigger virtual rooms with exclusive assets and more customization options. According to the Steam page, LAN Party is still in its alpha stage, but the beta release is expected to arrive in the second quarter of this year. Beyond that, LAN Party doesn’t currently have a date for its early-access launch.