New Discord users will be finding the chat platform a bit more accessible for non-gaming activities. Its effort to rebrand the app includes moving away from its original roots as an online space for gamers and companies, stating “it wasn’t just about video games anymore.”
In an earlier post late June 2020, the company announced a slew of changes to extend their service to others. These include server-based video chats which increase activity within the app (and away from multitasking for games). Its gaming-oriented inside jokes are also being reduced for new users, in favour of a new tagline: “Your place to talk.”
To prep for a variety of users, they added it would include a Safety Center for easier “decisive action against white supremacists, racists and others who seek to use Discord for evil.”
“This is just the beginning of Discord’s journey to be a place for all of your communities to talk and build relationships. We’re around for the long haul,” its creators wrote, adding it’s currently responding to a misconception that the platform was only for gamers.
“As you’ve used Discord for more and more than playing games, our branding didn’t keep up, and the way we talked about ourselves sent the wrong signal to the world, making it harder for you to bring your broader community on Discord.”
But gamers who’ve adopted the platform can still use it in the same ways, while their status will continue to show the games they play. They can also stream their gameplay for friends while using it in the background as a gamer-centric comms line for intense raids and pretend-door-breaches.
The changes started with its Safety Center, which launched earlier in June 2020. Other changes to expand Discord to general users will continue to roll out across the remainder of the year.