Microsoft is showing no signs of slowing its acquisition of massive names to shore up proposed weaknesses with its gaming offerings. Now, Microsoft is looking to further gain ground in a move that could fundamentally impact both console and PC gamers.
While readily struggling against Sony in the console wars of the PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation, Microsoft has picked up RPG-juggernaut Bethesda in a move to strengthen the corporations' offerings in the incoming consumer war. This came with Bethesda titles being offered in the Xbox Game Pass, where gamers on both console and PCs could play all titles (mostly sans DLC) for a monthly subscription. Microsoft has stated that it is continuing to seek acquisitions to help bolster its strength for the modern generation of gaming, and is maneuvering immediately for the next reported acquisition.
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Outlets have stated that Discord is actively seeking purchase, and Microsoft has offered a $10 billion buyout bid. While many companies have entered the bidding-war for Discord, Microsoft has offered both a gargantuan offer and more than has the back-end strength necessary to support the platform. In 2021, Discord was valued at $7 billion dollars with well over 300 million registered accounts and over 140 million active monthly users. Microsoft gaining the platform could be a monumental move that shakes up both PC and console gamers for the better.
Discord is the most popular means of gaming chat on PC. Offering easy drop-in/drop-out voice chat, fully customizable servers for communities to grow within, and a wealth of options for security and privacy, Discord has taken the mantle from its forbearers into the modern era. Business Insider notes that Discord hosts over 250 million gamers alone, not taking into account the number of users in the service to keep discussions among friends and family easily accessible. Yet what Discord hasn't figured out is how to bring this massive userbase into clear monetization.
Instead, the company has been focused more on how to bring even better voice chat to the millions that use its service daily. From the integration of Discord's noise suppression to offering users the opportunity to stream titles directly into a Discord server, Discord has prominently focused on bringing users together in the easiest way possible. A Herculean task that was brought to the forefront at the beginning of a global pandemic, and seemed to be handled with ease. Now, a tech company well-versed in the means of monetization along with supporting the necessary back-end could shake-up both how Xbox and PC gamers communicate in the foreseeable future.
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Source: Business Insider, GameInformer