Why Microsoft wants to acquire Discord?

Microsoft is having discussions with Discord to buy the communications app, according to the Wall Street Journal reports, the American tech company is in “exclusive talks” to acquire Discord, and a deal could close next month. It’s the latest acquisition target for Microsoft after the company’s failure to get hold of TikTok and Pinterest recently. All three are very different services but they share one common element: community.

Microsoft doesn’t have a huge consumer-facing community like its rivals Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple do outside of Xbox. Google acquires YouTube and turns it into the world’s biggest video platform, Facebook acquires both Instagram and WhatsApp to control the way millions communicate and socialize online, Amazon buys Twitch and dominates streaming, and Apple rules mobile with its App Store.

Microsoft is looking for its own community by acquiring Discord and gaining access to a growing list of more than 140 million monthly active users that includes thousands of top YouTubers, creators, and gamers.

489dc2b446be5c305571ad96b845c776 Why Microsoft wants to acquire Discord?
Discord runs across PC, Mac, mobile, and the web. Image: Discord

A CREATOR COMMUNITY

“Creation, creation, creation — the next 10 years is going to be as much about creation as it is about consumption and about the community around it, so it’s not creating alone,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in an interview with Bloomberg last month. “If the last 10 years has been about consumption — we’re shopping more, we’re browsing more, we’re binge-watching more — there is creation behind every one of those.”

One of Nadella’s first big acquisitions was Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft with its millions of devoted fans and he also went on to spend big with LinkedIn costing $26.2 billion, and GitHub for $7.5 billion. He was quick to focus on creators and communities in the first year of being CEO at Microsoft.

Microsoft has clearly been on the hunt for a consumer-side creator-led community but TikTok and Pinterest didn’t work out and its acquisition of Beam, eventually rebranded into Mixer streaming service, failed to compete with Twitch, and had to shut down last year.

According to The Verge, Discord offers Microsoft, “6.7 million active servers every single day. It’s a huge community, 75 percent of which are Discord users outside of North America.”

It’s also become an essential tool for many over the past pandemic-inflicted year to keep in touch with friends or participating in remote movie nights, among other socializing things. Millions use the famous Battle Royale game Fortnite to hang out and play together, and Discord is the primary way these communities of friends talk and chat while they’re gaming. 

Discord is a great mix of Zoom video and Slack messaging, combined together with a unique ability to just drop into audio calls freely. 

882599fca31a23ad38bd47db302b2a00 Why Microsoft wants to acquire Discord?
Discord’s easy drop-in chat has made it popular among gamers. Image: Discord

AZURE AND XBOX

The community and creator aspects for Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Discord are clear, but the company is also driven by its desire to have big public services running on its cloud platform Azure that has fallen behind rival Amazon Web Services (AWS) and it’s particularly relevant when you consider Google Cloud powers Discord. 

Microsoft, years ago, quickly moved Outlook for iOS (part of its Acompli acquisition) away from AWS and has recently also transitioned Minecraft from AWS over to Azure. “Having a big platform like Discord, TikTok, or Pinterest running on Azure allows Microsoft’s huge sales force to sell more businesses on making the switch.”

Discord does not provide growth potential for Microsoft just within the cloud. The instant messaging and digital distribution platform raised $100 million last year to try to move beyond just gaming and attract sports networks, art communities, school clubs, and lots more. This all seems similar to what Microsoft is trying to do with Microsoft Teams for personal use after they struggled to have their own Zoom moment with Skype.

If Microsoft is successful in its acquisition attempt, the crossovers between Discord and Xbox are obvious with Phil Spencer, Xbox chief, previously discussing the importance of Discord as a place “where people come together to talk about games, watch games, watch others play games.” 

Spencer has been open to “cross-talk” between Xbox Party Chat and Discord for years, and this type of integration would only make Xbox more appealing than its rival console, Sony’s PlayStation, just as Microsoft’s $7.5 billion Bethesda acquisition is designed to boost Xbox Game Pass with exclusive games.

SOURCE

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More like this

Apple Watch SE Refresh: A Plastic Chassis Sparks Controversy Among Apple’s Design Team

Apple Watch SE Refresh: A Plastic Chassis Sparks Controversy...

Apple is known for its premium materials, but a major shift could be on the horizon. Reports...
M5 MacBook Air: Apple’s Next-Gen Laptop Already in Development

M5 MacBook Air: Apple’s Next-Gen Laptop Already in Development

Apple’s M5 MacBook Air is already in development despite recent M4 launch. Discover release timeline, expected specs,...
Apple Watch With a Camera? Here’s What to Expect by 2027

Apple Watch With a Camera? Here’s What to Expect...

Apple is set to revolutionize the wearable tech industry once again. Reports suggest that by 2027, we...
Apple's Next-Gen AirPods May Feature Tiny Infrared Cameras

Apple’s Next-Gen AirPods May Feature Tiny Infrared Cameras

Apple is reportedly working on a groundbreaking upgrade for future AirPods—integrating tiny infrared cameras to enhance spatial...
iPhone 18 to Feature Breakthrough 2nm A20 Chip: What This Means for Performance

iPhone 18 to Feature Breakthrough 2nm A20 Chip: What...

Apple is gearing up to make history with the iPhone 18, as renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo confirms...

LATEST NEWS

Final Fantasy 9 Remake Speculation Grows After Anniversary Site Launch

Square Enix has reignited excitement for a potential Final Fantasy 9 remake by launching an official website celebrating the game's 25th anniversary. The new...

IPL 2025: LSG Edge MI in Thriller as Marsh, Markram Shine and Avesh Holds Nerve at Death

Tilak Varma retired out while Hardik Pandya took charge of strike rotation, but their late push wasn’t enough as Mumbai Indians (MI) fell short...

Motorola Razr 60 & 60 Ultra Leak Reveals Design, Specs & Colors

Motorola's upcoming foldable phones, the Razr 60 and Razr 60 Ultra, have surfaced online ahead of their official launch. Although the company has not...

IPL 2025: PBKS vs RR – Preview, Prediction, Starting XI and Where To Watch The Match LIVE

IPL 2025 promises more excitement as Punjab Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in Match 18, scheduled for Saturday, April 5, at the Maharaja Yadavindra...

Featured