One month after we learned that Microsoft was in advanced talk to acquire chat startup Discord for $10 billion, the chat startup has halted talks to sell itself to potential suitors including Microsoft, the WSJ reported citing people familiar with the matter, as it resumes interest in a potential initial public offering down the line.
The Journal reports that Discord - which operates a free online platform for chatting by text, audio and video, and is especially beloved by gamers - fielded interest from at least three companies about a deal. In the end, Discord opted to stay independent at this time as it is doing well on its own.
A deal for Discord would have helped Microsoft expand its presence in social media beyond LinkedIn and what it has developed through its Xbox videogame business. Discord users say the platform offers more attractive features such as higher-quality audio than competing chat services, including even that of Xbox and Skype, which Microsoft also owns.
In addition to the unsuccessful TikTok talks last year, Microsoft gave up on Mixer, its videogame live-streaming service that struggled to compete with the likes of Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch, Alphabet Inc.’sYouTube and Facebook Gaming.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/discord-ends-talks-microsoft-will-focus-ipo
The Journal reports that Discord - which operates a free online platform for chatting by text, audio and video, and is especially beloved by gamers - fielded interest from at least three companies about a deal. In the end, Discord opted to stay independent at this time as it is doing well on its own.
A deal for Discord would have helped Microsoft expand its presence in social media beyond LinkedIn and what it has developed through its Xbox videogame business. Discord users say the platform offers more attractive features such as higher-quality audio than competing chat services, including even that of Xbox and Skype, which Microsoft also owns.
In addition to the unsuccessful TikTok talks last year, Microsoft gave up on Mixer, its videogame live-streaming service that struggled to compete with the likes of Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch, Alphabet Inc.’sYouTube and Facebook Gaming.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/discord-ends-talks-microsoft-will-focus-ipo
