With the ninth generation of consoles only just beginning, Microsoft has shown great interest in building up their portfolio of services and studios. The most recent rumblings seeing the tech giant pursuing Discord, the leading platform in online communities and communication geared primarily towards PC game enthusiasts.
First reported by Bloomberg via their official Twitter, Microsoft is said to currently be in talks with Discord, the world’s leading online gaming chatting platform, for more than $10 billion USD. Microsoft isn’t alone in showing interest towards the community-based service, with Bloomberg mentioning other companies who have also shown interest in purchasing the Discord platform and brand. Unfortunately, the names of the other companies have not been released as of the writing of this story.
Discord, still a relatively new platform, first saw release in 2015, under the domain name discordapp.com, leveraging the power of Reddit, in which it replaced the then waning IRC platform links with Discord links. Additionally, thanks to the popularity of the platform among professional eSport players, Twitch streamers and other affiliates, Discord quickly became widely adopted by PC players.
In 2018, Microsoft themselves announced that they would be integrating Discord support with their Xbox Network platform, allowing users to connect to their Xbox Network (formerly Xbox Live) friends through the Discord app.
Microsoft is no stranger in instant messaging and online video conferencing tech, with the company purchasing Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion USD, integrating and replacing their Windows Live Messenger (MSN) services. Currently, it is unclear where Discord will ultimately end up; however, CGmagazine will update this article when more information regarding the potential acquisition becomes available.
