Discord are reportedly considering either going publicly traded, or being acquired for over $10 billion USD by companies such as Microsoft.
Bloomberg reports that “according to people familiar with the matter,” Discord have been reaching out to potential buyers. While no deal will occur in the near future, Microsoft are (in Bloomberg’s words) “in the running.” However, one person said Discord is more likely to go public than sell.
Venture Beat also reported according to two of their sources earlier that day that Discord were considering selling for $10 billion USD, after interest from multiple parties. One source told them a final negotiation with one company was already underway.
“I know they are in active discussions with a select few parties,” one source told Venture Beat. “The market is in a state where they could command strong double-digit billions of dollars.” This has no doubt been fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, and subsequent quarantine orders.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Discord hired a new Chief Financial Officer on March 14th. They also report “according to a person familiar with the company’s plans” that it is the first step in going public.
Discord reportedly doubled its monthly userbase since the aforementioned quarantine, increasing to 140 million. The Wall Street Journal’s source also claims Discord generated $130 million USD in revenue, up $45 million from 2019.
Discord and Microsoft have declined to comment to the above outlets, with Discord telling Venture Beat they declined to comment on rumors or speculation.
We will keep you informed as we learn more.
Discord launched in 2015, and originally acted as an alternative to in-game voice chats for games that require multiplayer co-ordination. Since then the app has grown to accommodate official and fan servers for various video games and other hobbies, as well as acting as a telecommunications app on par with Skype, Zoom, and more.
Image: Discord