Discord was originally created as a simple and easy way to capture and enable the emotions and feelings we experienced as kids, but do so digitally so that friends and family could experience them together while playing online. However, as the gaming industry shifts, and with the “new normal” put in place thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that Discord’s focus is shifting away from gaming, and more towards general day-to-day communication.
In an official Discord blog post written by CEO and Founder Jason Citron, it was explained what the state of Discord currently is, and where the company intends for it to go - which will ultimately be a communication platform for all to use.
The move comes as a result of community feedback, much of which indicated that Discord is used for far more than just playing games.
Given Discord’s success - the platform has over 100 million monthly active users who participate in 4 billion minutes in daily conversations - it just makes too much sense for the communication platform to make the move away from gaming specifically.
Based on user feedback saying that the amount of Discord’s features have made the platform a bit too intimidating for casual users, Discord will be implementing a more streamlined onboarding process in an attempt to make it more accessible to new users. This first hurdle is possibly the most important one to jump over, given any initial struggles could easily turn off new users.
Discord’s dedication to being a safe place for all to talk is also a major part of its focus moving forward, which is more important than ever these days for everyone from gamers to parents, and even teachers and students who are already using the platform as an educational tool.
Not a lot of other concrete details have been revealed yet, but Citron stated that more news will be released in the coming months. Stay tuned to the Discord Blog to stay up-to-date on all of the changes and updates that will no doubt be coming to the platform.
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