Discord celebrates 9 years by refocusing on gaming with a fresh redesign

Discord, the popular chat and community platform, has announced a major redesign with a renewed focus on gaming. The company, known for its group messages, voice chats, and video calls, is shifting its attention to help users deepen their friendships around games and shared interests.

CEO Jason Citron explained the decision in a blog post, stating that Discord has recognized the need to narrow its focus and cater more to its gaming audience. With over 200 million monthly active users, the majority of whom are gamers, Discord aims to improve the speed, reliability, and functionality of its app across all platforms.

In addition to technical enhancements, Discord is also introducing new features to keep gamers engaged. The platform has developed mini-games and activities, and plans to open up its platform to third-party developers through the Embedded App SDK. This move will allow developers to create and launch games on Discord, as well as introduce Quests to encourage players to try new games.

The company’s refocus on gaming comes at a time of uncertainty, with Discord having raised nearly $1 billion in funding since 2013 but facing profitability challenges. Despite regulatory scrutiny and recent layoffs to improve efficiency, Discord believes that the future of the platform lies in gaming.

By prioritizing gaming and engaging its dedicated user base, Discord is positioning itself for success in the competitive tech landscape. The platform’s commitment to enhancing the gaming experience for its users signals a strategic shift that could lead to long-term growth and profitability.