Microsoft's billions will need to keep burning a hole through its collective pockets as the rumored potential purchase of Discord is off, according to a report, at least for now.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Discord has shut down talks with potential buyers after a March report that Microsoft was offering $10 billion to acquire the company. The newspaper says Discord will instead look to continue independently, at least for now, adding that the talks between the two companies could resume down the line.
The Discord brass are also mulling the option to go public, according to WSJ. Discord has seen a dramatic increase in use since the pandemic drove so many home for work and socializing, and the company's efforts to appeal to more than just gaming communities seems to be working.
We don't know for sure what Microsoft planned to use Discord for, though there was some speculation that it would be integrated into Xbox's social systems where Discord profiles can already be linked to Xbox profiles. Microsoft is no stranger to spending billions. Just last year, it acquired Bethesda for $7.5 billion and an AI company for $20 billion.
It's those deep pockets that make it a wild card in the gaming space, where Nintendo and Sony don't have that sort of money to compete, while Google and Amazon don't have the fan support just yet. It gives Microsoft a unique position, but for now and in this case, the company must sit on its proverbial hands unless or until Discord has a change of heart.
