Summary
- Discord, a major chat platform, is rumored to be preparing for an IPO worth $15 billion.
- The potential IPO has received negative feedback from the gaming community, fearing monetization changes.
- Users express concerns about Discord’s future and suggest avoiding centralizing communities on a single platform.
Discord, the globally popular chat and community platform, might be on the verge of launching an initial public offering (IPO). Compatible with mobile, PC, and even game console devices, Discord is a major channel for countless communities, particularly in gaming.
Discord has become a fixture in gaming culture and community over the near-decade since its launch in 2015. Initially seen as another competing entry in the field of rival voice chat-based apps aimed at players of MMORPGs and team games like League of Legends. Discord grew quickly among game-focused communities, displacing classical text chat solutions like IRC, gaining popularity among Twitch streamers and Reddit communities looking for places for their users to meet and interact online. Today, there’s barely a game or niche scene out there that doesn’t coordinate in some way via Discord.
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Discord’s leadership seems to have taken this as a sign to get bigger, if a report in the New York Times is accurate. According to the report, Discord’s leaders have been meeting with investment bankers on Wall Street and beyond as the company prepares to issue an IPO. As of 2021, private investors pegged Discord’s estimated value at nearly $15 billion USD, when Microsoft was reportedly in talks to acquire Discord.
Discord IPO Rumors Draw Negative Reaction From Gaming Communities
Unfortunately for Discord, reaction to the rumors has been largely negative, with the most vocal criticism coming from gaming-focused communities. On Reddit, commenters harshly criticized Discord, calling its leadership “sell outs” and expressing concern that the IPO would spell the end of adding new free features to Discord. They theorized that the launch of an IPO and subsequent focus on “endless growth” could cause currently free functionality to be “paywalled” behind a Discord Nitro subscription or some other form of “toxic” monetization.
Other commenters urged calm, saying that the story’s own sources cautioned that the talks are merely “exploratory.” They also said that such a change shouldn’t surprise, given that talk about a Discord IPO dates back even to concerns about a potential Microsoft acquisition. Still, others said that the recent rumors highlight the need for gaming and other communities not to centralize on a single platform. They lamented when communities moved off of publicly accessible internet forums and into Discord exclusively, making it harder to transition off the platform when something unpopular happened.
The latest talk about a potential Discord IPO underscores the volatile relationship the company has with its growing base of users. Just like when Discord changed how usernames worked to much anger and consternation, the company may have its work cut out for it if it hopes to convince its users that the IPO (if it is true) will be a good thing for all involved.
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