After a whirlwind month for Discord that saw speculation that the gaming-centric chat platform would be gobbled up by Microsoft, it appears that the company has gone a different route. While the rumors on Microsoft’s purchase were squashed a while back, it looks like there were multiple suitors, specifically Sony.  The electronics giant has taken a stake in Discord via a Series H funding round. That investment will allow a partnership between Sony and Discord in that the popular chat app will be available on PlayStation consoles as early as 2022.
The news was announced on the Sony Interactive Entertainment Blog, where Jim Ryan made the announcement:
“We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Discord, the communication service popularized by gamers and used by more than 140 million people every month around the world,” writes Ryan. “Together, our teams are already hard at work connecting Discord with your social and gaming experience on PlayStation Network. Our goal is to bring the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile starting early next year, allowing friends, groups, and communities to hang out, have fun, and communicate more easily while playing games together.”
PlayStation and Discord does seem like a good fit, but we’ll need to see the integration as it unfolds. Discord has quickly become one of the most popular places for gaming-centric chat rooms, but it hasn’t been limited to only that. A partnership with Sony will likely keep the focus on gaming though. It was not announced how much money Sony invested into Discord, but it was rumored that the company walked away from billions with Microsoft.
