If you're an avid fan of Discord, you'll likely know that the service has been in talks of being bought out. Microsoft has a $10 billion bid to purchase the platform, and the talks are getting closer to completing.
Microsoft's "Exclusive Talks" for a Discord Buyout
News of this development broke on the Wall Street Journal. It seems the talks have advanced a little further than first expected, with a purchase penciled in for next month, assuming the deal doesn't fall through.
Microsoft has confirmed that the Discord talks are currently "exclusive" and "advanced," which hints that it has managed to push the competition away. As such, it now seems a genuine possibility that Microsoft will walk away with the social platform under one arm.
What a Discord Purchase Means for Everyone
Microsoft has been on a company purchase spree as of late. Not too long ago, the Redmond tech giant rocked the gaming world after it purchased Bethesda, the developers of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series, for a cool $7.5 billion.
Microsoft's focus on the Discord purchase is likely a move to increase its presence in the gaming market. Moreover, tying Discord to the Xbox network will help Microsoft get an edge over its competition in the console market.
Gamers on Discord can use the service to check in on how their friends are doing while they're mid-game. When you click on a user who's playing a Discord-supported game, you can see what that person is doing alongside relevant actions you can take.
For instance, the game Hades shows everyone what level the Discord user is on. Meanwhile, Deep Rock Galactic adds the ability to check what mission your friend is doing and hop right in via the click of a button in Discord.
However, there's a problem. Because Discord is only on PC and mobile right now, players can only benefit from this feature if they're playing a PC game. That means that console gamers can't share activity and join games via Discord... at least, not unless Microsoft buys it and implements it into the Xbox network.
Discord users aren't so keen on their potential new owners. Discord has so far kept an independent stance in the gaming world, which may change if a big player takes it over.
Despite their pleas against the buyout, it seems that Microsoft is very close to sealing the deal. If that occurs, we'll have to watch and wait to see what the software giant does with Discord.
Will Discord Become Microsoft's Next Big Purchase?
Microsoft has made it known that it's serious about purchasing Discord. The move will be amazing for Xbox users if the company implements Discord onto the console, but will the userbase be just as receiving?
If Discord does get bought up by Microsoft, it'll be a good idea for every Xbox gamer to get to grips with the program. There's an excellent chance that Microsoft will end up bringing Discord to its console, and you won't want to be left out.
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