SIE partners with Discord, making Discord available on PlayStation in the first half of 2022

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Sony Corporation, announced a partnership and Series H round of investment in Discord, a gaming-specific chat communication tool. Discord and PlayStation Network.

Discord and PlayStation Network

In the announcement, SEA and Discord are working together to make Discord available on the PlayStation Network.
The goal is to connect Discord to the PlayStation experience on consoles (PlayStation consoles) and mobile (smartphone apps), which will allow users to communicate more easily in the first half of 2022.

SEE also made the investment as part of Discord's Series H round, although it did not disclose the specific amount.

Comments by Jim Ryan, President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has been seeking new ways for PlayStation® fans around the world to connect with each other, form new friendships and communities, and share fun experiences and memories. With this in mind, SIE is pleased to announce a new partnership with Discord, a communication service that boasts more than 140 million monthly users worldwide and is a favorite among gamers.

We are currently working with both SEA and Discord to make Discord available on PlayStation®. Our goal is to increase the affinity between Discord and the PlayStation experience on consoles and mobile by the first half of 2022, giving users the opportunity to interact with friends, groups and communities more easily and enjoyably during game play.

SEE has participated in Discord's Series H round and made a minority investment in order to bring this new experience to our users. From my first contact with Discord co-founders Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy, I was impressed by their deep love for the game and their shared desire to see friends and communities connect in new ways. I was impressed by their deep love for the game and their shared desire to see friends and communities connect in new ways. Enabling our users to build communities and share their gaming experiences is what we care about most, and we are thrilled to be on this journey together, aligned with the world's most popular communication service.

We always feel privileged to work with great partners and deliver fresh experiences to our users. We will be sharing more details in the coming months, so please stay tuned to the official SIE and Discord channels for the latest information.

SIE.Blog

There were rumors that Microsoft was going to acquire...

Saiga NAK

Prior to this announcement, it was reported by various media that Microsoft, the company behind the Xbox, was in negotiations to acquire Discord for 10 billion USD (approximately 1.09 trillion yen), but that the negotiations had been terminated.
Behind the termination of negotiations, there was a view that Discord had chosen to develop independently rather than sell.
It can be assumed that this choice resulted in a partnership with SIE rather than a "sale.

If Discord were to IPO, SIE could expect a large return on its investment, and it will be interesting to see what SIE and Discord do in the future.

As a side note, Microsoft and Sony are partnering in 2019, with Azure and Azure AI being used for PlayStation, and both companies are jointly developing Azure-based cloud solutions using Sony's specialty, image sensors. Sony and Azure are also jointly developing Azure-based cloud solutions using Sony's strength in image sensors.