Discord, which was released in May 2015, allows users to instant message each other and make voice and video calls, and the software also integrates with other gaming services.
However, just like Zoom, Discord has found more general uses during the COVID-19 pandemic, with people relying on the service for a much wider array of activities, something that Discord has been keen to encourage.
“People use Discord for all kinds of hanging out: from live karaoke nights, to screenshare group painting, to virtual wedding parties,” the Discord website reads.
“People create Discord servers for gaming, yoga classes, comedy fan clubs, and even run entire podcasting businesses. Discord is for anyone who could use a place to talk with their friends and communities.”
Microsoft, whose gaming efforts are spearheaded by the Xbox line of consoles, is believed to be keen to purchase a company with a large base of active users, and Discord would certainly fit that bill, having hit 140 million monthly active users in December.
However, any deal with Discord is not believed to be imminent. The Redmond-based company has also been heavily linked with TikTok and Pinterest in the past year.
Newsweek has asked Microsoft and Discord for comment.
Microsoft has acquired more than 200 companies over its 46-year history. Software firm Forethought was the company’s first purchase, amounting to $14 million in 1987 and laying down the foundations for Microsoft PowerPoint.
Its first billion dollar acquisition came at the turn of the millennium, when Visio Corporation was bought for $1.4 billion, and 10 more have since followed, LinkedIn being the biggest of these.
Microsoft spent $26.2 billion on the professional networking site in 2016, its biggest acquisition to date, vastly eclipsing the $8.5 billion it paid for Skype in 2011, which was arguably Microsoft’s most disastrous purchase.
The list below shows Microsoft’s entire history of acquisitions, in reverse chronological order.
The Marsden GroupZeniMax MediaOrions SystemsCyberXADRM SoftwareSoftomotiveMetaswitch NetworksnpmAffirmed NetworksMoverSemmleMoverejClarityPromoteIQBlueTalonPull PandaDouble Fine ProductionsDrawbridgeDependabotExpress LogicDataSenseCitus DataSpectrumFSLogixXOXCOObsidianInxileGlintLobeBonsaiFlipgridNinja TheoryPlayground GamesUndead LabsCompulsion GamesGitHubSemantic MachinesPlayFabAvere SystemsAltSpaceVRCycle ComputingCloudynHexaditeIntentional SoftwareDeisSimplygonMaluubaGeneeBeamCode ConnectWand LabsLinkedInSolairXamarinSwiftKeyMinecraftEduEvent ZeroTalkoMetanautixSecure IslandsMobile Data LabsHavokAdxstudio IncDouble LabsAdallomVoloMetrixIncent Games IncFieldOne Systems LLCBlueStripe6WunderkinderDatazen SoftwareSunriseRevolution AnalyticsEquivioHockeyAppAcompliAoratoMojangInMageSyntaxTreeCapptainGreenButtonParatureApiphanyInReleaseNetBreezeMetricsHubPando NetworksR2 StudiosStorSimple Inc. MarketingPilotPhoneFactor Inc. Perceptive Pixel Inc. Yammer Inc. VideoSurf Inc. ProdianceSkypeCanesta, Inc. AVIcodeSentillionOpalis SoftwareSentillionTeampriseLS Retail and To IncreaseInteractive Super ComputingBigPark Inc. Greenfield Online Inc. DATAllegro Inc. ZoomixPowersetMobiCompNavic NetworksFarecastKomokuRapt Inc. KidaroCredenticaYaDataDanger Inc. Caligari CorporationCalista TechnologiesFast Search & Transfer ASAMultimapGlobal Care SolutionsParlanoAdECN, Inc. aQuantive, Inc. ScreenTonicTellme Networks, Inc. Medstory Inc. ColloquisAzyxxiWinternalsSoftricityWhale CommunicationsMassive Inc. Lionhead StudiosProClarity CorpApptimum Inc. Onfolio Inc. Motion BridgeAlacris Inc. FolderSharemedia-streams. com AGTeleo Inc. FrontBridge TechnologiesGroove Networks Inc. Sybari Software Inc. GIANT Company SoftwareActiveViewsPlaceWareConnectixVicinityRareXDegreesNavisionEnsemble StudiosNCompass LabsDesign IntelligenceGreat Plains SoftwareDigital AnvilWebAppointPacific Microsonics Inc. MongoMusicNetGames USABungie SoftwareDriveoff. ComPeach NetworksEntropicSoftway SystemsVisioSTNCZOOMITSenditOmniBrowseShadowFactorJump NetworksAccess SoftwareCompareNetLinkExchangeValence ResearchThe MESA GroupFirefly NetworkFlash CommunicationsHotmailVXtremeLinkAge SoftwareCooper & PetersDimension XWebTV NetworksInterséNetCartaResNova SoftwareOLAP technology from Panorama SoftwareElectric Gravity Inc. eShop Inc. EXOS Inc. aha! softwareColusa and AspectVermeer Technologies Inc. Bruce Artwick Organization Ltd. Interoperability Technology, Expertise from Netwise Inc. The Blue Ribbon SoundWorks, Ltd. Dare to Dream EntertainmentSNMP Technology From Network ManagersRenderMorphics, Ltd. One Tree SoftwareNextBaseAltamiraSoftImageFox SoftwareConsumers SoftwareForethought
