Face-swapping app : MSQRD enters Facebook grounds

Facebook addiction is no secret to the world. And the social networking giant is always on its toes to keep you glued. With its recent deal to acquire Masquerade Technologies Inc, creator of the popular face-swapping app MSQRD, Facebook is adding another fun tool to its kitty.

Masquerade CEO, Eugene Nevgen announcing the deal on their website said, "We've worked hard to make the 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."
Facebook has been trying to innovate into video segment for quite some time and interestingly this deal comes three years after the WSJ reported that photo and video messaging app Snapchat had rejected an offer from Facebook.

MSQRD is a Snapchat-like silly selfie-altering tool that lets users put filters on their videos so they look like Leonardo DiCaprio, Barack Obama, various animals or a zombie.One of Masquerade’s most popular features is “face swap,” which lets people trade faces with one another in photos.

Video customization tools are a new fad; several face and voice-swapping apps, including Dubsmash and Face Swap, are among the most downloaded apps worldwide.

Masquerade's three co-founders are expected to join Facebook soon. They created the app during a 48-hour hackathon in November and raised $1 million in seed funding from European investors.

The company didn’t disclose how much it paid for Masquerade but said it would keep the application running as a standalone, free app as well as incorporate the technology for Facebook users.