Is Microsoft About To Buy Discord?

The communications and messaging platform Discord has reportedly held talks with software giant Microsoft over a possible sale.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is mulling a $10 billion bid for the firm that is hugely popular with the gaming community. Discord is also said to have talked with Epic Games and Amazon previously.

Discord’s management however is reportedly not too keen on any sale, and would rather go public. Indeed, after its most recent funding round in December, the firm is now valued at $7bn, having being valued at $3.5 billion in early 2020.

Discord purchase?

Discord was launched back in May 2015 with a simple goal to create a communication and messaging service that combines both text and voice communications, and which could be easily integrated with online games.

And Discord has enjoyed strong growth in the subsequent years.

By 2017 it was used by nine million daily.

Discord has been compared to Slack, and in its first two years of operation Slack only managed to pull in 2.3 million users in comparison.

Six years after its launch Discord is now very popular indeed, and is thought to be used by more than 140 million monthly active users. That is a significant number.

The platform itself claims that people can spend up to four hours a day talking on its service.

Why Microsoft?

So why would Microsoft be interested in possibly acquiring a messaging and communications service that is widely used in the gaming community?

Discord is not a likely candidate to challenge Zoom in the business segment (and Microsoft already has Teams), but the fact that Discord integrates both voice and video communication services, and is also being used as a voice-based social media platform that also offers community building options, could potentially interest Redmond.

Microsoft could also integrate Discord into its Xbox ecosystem.

Indeed, that option could mean Discord could become a vital communicating platform that unites both the console and PC gaming communities.

Indeed, Discord is often used over alternative services provided by Sony, Microsoft, Steam and Epic Games for example.