The ink recently dried on a partnership between Sony (NYSE: SONY) and social gaming app Discord, a deal that has the potential to connect 140 million Discord users to the budding PlayStation Network.
For Sony, the deal could attract even more players to the PS5. The company recently posted record-breaking revenues thanks in large part to the sale of 7.8 million PS5 units since November.
Details from both companies are scant. All that is known at this point is that the two are working on bringing "the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile starting early next year," according to a blog post penned by Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The exact level of integration between Discord and the PS Network remains unclear. In a limited integration scenario, users would alert their friends and followers that they're using their PlayStation, but little else. However, the 2022 timeline hints that both Sony and Discord are gearing up for a significant overhaul. The implication being that real-time chat features are in the works, features that would allow players to chat across platforms, something that could be a vital selling point for the PlayStation going forward.
For Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), the deal could represent a major blow. The Redwood-based Xbox maker had hoped to buy Discord for $12 billion earlier this year, likely in an effort to bridge the gap between its Xbox and Windows ecosystems.
At the same time Discord was negotiating with Microsoft, it was also fielding talks with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR). According to Bloomberg, the two companies pegged Discord's valuation at anywhere between $15-18 billion, far more than what Microsoft was offering.
Ultimately Discord rejected these and other offers and instead chose to opt for a long-term IPO rather than an immediate buy-out. Perhaps the level of interest expressed by Amazon, Microsoft, and Twitter during the negotiations swayed Discord to go this route. Ultimately Sony will become a minority stakeholder in Discord and invest an undisclosed sum as part of the company's Series H funding round.
"Empowering players to create communities and enjoy shared gaming experiences is at the heart of what we do, so we are beyond excited to start this journey with one of the world's most popular communication services," concludes Jim Ryan's blog post.
In the meantime, anxious players, stakeholders, and the gaming industry will have to wait until 2022 for further details.