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PlayStation announces partnership with Discord

A new partnership between PlayStation and Discord will 'bring the experiences closer' next year.

May 3, 2021 10:18 AM

Discord has been hot in the news lately, as it’s been heavily rumored to be nearing an acquisition. Though we recently learned that Discord will indeed continue to fly solo, it doesn’t mean that the popular communication app won’t still collaborate with other big brands in the tech and gaming space. That’s exactly what’s happening now, as PlayStation has announced an official partnership with Discord.

The PlayStation and Discord partnership was announced by Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan to the SIE website on May 3, 2021. In the blog post, the PlayStation boss discusses what the partnership will mean for PlayStation.

It’s yet to be seen what the actual outcome will be of the PlayStation and Discord deal. A first-party, fully integrated Discord app for PlayStation consoles? Maybe. Interconnected user data and information between PlayStation and Discord platforms? Perhaps. Sony also states that it has invested a minority stake in Discord as of its latest round of funding.

In a bit of irony, this announcement comes just weeks after Sony’s prime competitor in the gaming space, Microsoft, was rumored to be in serious talks to acquire Discord altogether. However, more recent reports state that Discord has ceased those talks, deciding to remain independent. It will be interesting to see if a similar deal is made with Microsoft down the line.

For more on Discord, as well as its newly announced partnership with Sony and PlayStation, stick with us right here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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 reply
May 3, 2021 10:19 AM

Donovan Erskine posted a new article, PlayStation announces partnership with Discord
- Masem
  
   reply
  May 3, 2021 10:29 AM
  
  Sony investing into Discord and will integrate some of its features into PSN
  
  https://venturebeat.com/2021/05/03/playstation-invests-in-discord-and-plans-integrating-with-psn-in-2022/
  - VectorJKL
    
     reply
    May 3, 2021 10:41 AM
    
    I was really hoping MS would find a way to invest and support XBOX players in joining Discord voice channels on XBOX and that running in the background. With Crossplay growing, we need a capable comms platform to bridge the divide.
    
    Xbox Part Chat works, but I find most pc players would rather just chill in discord.
  - DeBurgo
    
     reply
    May 3, 2021 10:45 AM
    
    fucking nice. PSN is currently the odd one out, since I think even xbox has some amount of integration.
    
    also, the current xbox discord-compatible app is a piece of shit
    - Masem
      
       reply
      May 3, 2021 10:55 AM
      
      Sony is still "warming up" to cross-platform integration but I think its clear they no longer see a walled garden around PS.
      - DeBurgo
        
         reply
        May 3, 2021 10:58 AM
        
        Their big issue was always crossplay with the other consoles, I think they've been cool with crossplay/integration with PC/mobile for a long time.
        
        Masem
        
         reply
        May 3, 2021 11:04 AM
        
        Even when they did allow cross-play on PC, it was still rather controlled - they claimed it was maintaining a family-friendly environment. But yeah, then when it was like - either Fortnite or Rocket League, where there was "PC/Xbox/Switch/Mobile" or "PC/PS4" families of cross-play, it was clear they did not want to work with MS directly.
        
        Epic appeared to have solved one problem in that a third-party doing the cross-platform connections - so that PSN is not talking to Xbox directly or vice verse - keeps Sony happy. This deal with Discord would do the same.
        
        ErneX
        
         reply
        May 3, 2021 11:07 AM
        
        This just came out today
        
        https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1389280372362563589?s=19
        
        Masem
        
         reply
        May 3, 2021 11:11 AM
        
        hah, speaking of:
        
        https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/3/22417560/sony-ps4-cross-play-confidential-documents-epic-games-agreements
        
        Masem
        
         reply
        May 3, 2021 11:20 AM
        
        “As you know, many companies are exploring this idea and not a single one can explain how cross-console play improves the PlayStation business,” said Corsi.
        
        I wonder what has happened to this person
        
        ErneX
        
         reply
        May 3, 2021 12:14 PM
        
        He left PlayStation late 2019
    - VectorJKL
      
       reply
      May 3, 2021 11:30 AM
      
      I was able to get the Xbox Discord integration working, but it took some playing around with it. That said, all it does is state which game I am playing.
  - xsoulbrothax
    
     reply
    May 3, 2021 12:14 PM
    
    “...[Sony] has made a minority investment as part of Discord’s Series H round”
    
    whoa, H. that puts them in rarefied company!
    - Masem
      
       reply
      May 3, 2021 1:50 PM
      
      They get to sit at the kiddie table for Discord's thanksgiving meals.
- theWhite
  
   reply
  May 3, 2021 1:32 PM
  
  https://twitter.com/rogformer/status/1389275371120611338?s=19