Why Microsoft wants to buy video game chat app Discord – a ‘place to talk’ amid pandemic with thriving user communities
- Discord was founded in 2015 as a platform for people to have broader conversations about their lives and interests while playing video games together
- For users it’s a place to hang out with friends and join discussions in community forums, while gaming companies connect with fans via the app
Microsoft and Discord hold a great deal of sway with video game fans. As they now hold talks for a potential US$10 billion acquisition, a deal would join two companies in pursuit of audiences far beyond gamers.
Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy, programmers and entrepreneurs, founded San Francisco-based Discord in 2015 as a platform for people to chat while playing video games together. The free service offers voice, video and text as well as gamer-friendly features including the ability for users to broadcast the name of the game they are playing.
The app became popular a few years ago, rising alongside smash multiplayer hits like Epic Games’ Fortnite. It also has a more sinister side to its history, having being used as a gathering ground for white nationalists in America to organise the deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Since then, the company has made efforts to clean up its site and make it more inclusive. Last year was a “pivotal” year for Discord, new chief financial officer Tomasz Marcinkowski said in a blog post this month.
During the pandemic, with people stuck at home and playing more video games than ever and also looking for ways to safely socialise, Discord became a hub for communities interested in the Black Lives Matter movement, homework help, book clubs and more, pitching itself as a “place to talk”.
