When Vine suddenly closed up shop in 2016, it upset a lot of creators and users alike who found the service a perfect bridge between GIFs and short-form comedy.
For those who aren't aware, Vine was a social media platform where people shared super short looping videos. On paper, that sounds fairly ridiculous. However, people ingeniously took such limits to their advantage and made countless videos that are not only funny but engaging, as well.
These videos are still incredibly popular to this day. In fact, compilation of Vine videos on YouTube continues to rack millions of views. It's clear there's still a thirst for this kind of short-form service, and fans of Vine hopefully don't have to wait long for it to come back.
Here Comes Byte, The Sequel To Vine
Well, it's not really coming back in a literal sense. However, its sequel, made by one of the creators of Vine, is launching next year. It's called Byte, and Dom Hofmann has officially provided initial details about the forthcoming service.
Hofmann just published the logo on his Twitter page, calling Byte a "looping video app" that's launching in spring 2019. He didn't share more details beyond that, although that description alone is probably sufficient enough to assume that Byte will be very similar to its predecessor. Not much else is known about the app at this time, although Hofmann confirms it's officially the project formerly known as "v2," which, most notably, had a publicized development process with fan forums for around six months starting last November.
Byte Development
Hofmann actually postponed v2 this past May, citing funding and logistic issues for the halt. Him running an immersive entertainment studio called Innerspace VR probably meant he didn't have much time to work on the Vine sequel project, either. That said, Hofmann still kept discussions on the forums going, and it seems he's now able to secure funding to get the project off the ground.
Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more about Byte. Details are very scarce at the moment, but it's at least reassuring that the short-form video platform that significantly contributed to internet culture is being resurrected in a brand-new form. Time will tell whether it becomes as significant and pervasive as Vine, though.
Thoughts about Byte? Do you think it'll be as popular as its predecessor? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
