Sony announces partnership with Discord; will bring chat app to the PlayStation Network in 2022 cover image

Sony announces partnership with Discord; will bring chat app to the PlayStation Network in 2022

After its talks with Microsoft fell through, Discord has now entered into a partnership with Sony. Playstation Network users can expect deeper Discord integration by 2022 as part of this agreement.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a partnership with Discord that will see the two companies working closely together to bring the communications app to the PlayStation Network (PSN). Sony made a minority investment in Discord’s Series H round as part of this partnership.

When is Discord coming to PlaySftation?

<em>Playstation users should be able to use the chat application on PSN starting 2022. Image Credit: Sony.&nbsp;</em>
Playstation users should be able to use the chat application on PSN starting 2022. Image Credit: Sony. 

Together, our teams are already hard at work connecting Discord with your social and gaming experience on PlayStation Network. Our goal is to bring the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile starting early next year, allowing friends, groups, and communities to hang out, have fun, and communicate more easily while playing games together.

Sony has also made a minority investment in Discord’s Series H funding round as part of this partnership. The communications app will soon have deeper integration into the PlayStation Network as early as 2022. This would also mean a deeper integration on mobile and consoles allowing players to enhance their playing experience. 

From our very first conversation with co-founders Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy, I was inspired by their lifelong love for gaming and our teams’ shared passion to help bring friends and communities together in new ways. Empowering players to create communities and enjoy shared gaming experiences is at the heart of what we do, so we are beyond excited to start this journey with one of the world’s most popular communication services.

The announcement does specify details of what PlayStation users can expect in 2022. It could mean a full-fledged app on the PlayStation or it might just allow players to connect their PSN and Discord accounts. Regardless of the extent of this partnership, Discord’s availability on the PlayStation could entice more users to choose Sony over rivals. 

Discord: The next big thing?

<em>The partnership between the two companies will see Discord coming to the PlayStation Network. Image Credit: Discord.&nbsp;</em>
The partnership between the two companies will see Discord coming to the PlayStation Network. Image Credit: Discord. 

Earlier this year, reports of Microsoft’s interest in Discord surfaced. The tech giant was reportedly valuing Discord at $10 billion. However, talks have since fallen through.

Discord is a voice-over-internet-protocol instant messaging app. The app allows users to communicate with voice, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private and community servers. The chat app generated $130 million in revenue in 2020, according to the WallStreetJournal. The app also doubled its user base last year as more people stayed indoors and increased their screen time. While Discord is not a gaming company, the majority of its user base are gamers. Players use the app to communicate with teammates and friends. However, over time, server communities have also become extremely commonplace.

After unsuccessful discussions with Microsoft, Discord’s deal with Sony is a win for the PlayStation maker. Integrating Discord into PSN will be a major boost for the PlayStation’s popularity amongst gamers. Sony is also focusing heavily on exclusives that might give the PlayStation a slight edge over Microsoft’s Xbox in the console wars.

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