Negotiations between Discord and all parties interested in their acquisition have apparently ceased, so you can all calm down.
About a month ago, rumours that Microsoft was potentially interested in acquiring mega-popular chat service Discord started doing the rounds, since there were only so many companies with over $10 billion to throw at it. Given the rising popularity of crossplay functionality, this purchase would have been super handy for Xbox players, having one unified voice-chat app that could let you talk to all of your friends, regardless of platform. Currently, you can link your Xbox Live account to Discord from your console, but all it does is let you see what your friends are playing, no voice-chat or messaging – cool.
And that’s how it will probably remain, since Discord has apparently ceased all acquisition discussions and is instead considering an initial public offering some time in the future. This means that Discord will be offering shares for purchase by the public instead of being acquired by another company. Discord clearly believes this is the more lucrative option.
The majority of Discord’s functionality is currently free for all users, but you can subscribe through the premium Nitro package for bonus features most people don’t need, which makes it difficult to remain profitable, something shareholders tend to like. So, it will be interesting to see how the app changes once it goes public.
Via CNET.