Every gamer that we know uses Discord to some degree. Whether it’s coordinating offensive plays in Madden, trash-talking in NBA 2K26, or just hanging out with your online friends, the platform is the go-to hub for many gaming communities. However, recent reports from Bloomberg suggest significant changes are on the horizon. Discord has confidentially filed for an Initial Public Offering (IPO), a move that could take the company public and reshape its operations.
What Does Going Public Mean For Discord?
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For the average gamer who might not follow business news, let’s look at this simply. An IPO is essentially a private company deciding to sell shares of itself to the public for the first time. It’s opening up ownership to the public, and of course, big investors. However, a public company has to report its financial results every quarter, answer to shareholders, and prioritize growth and profitability. It’s like the exact opposite of EA going private.
This allows investors to cash out, and the company raises more money. But why make this move now? Well, Discord has raised boatloads of cash, over $500 million in one round back in 2022 alone, and it was valued at $15 billion in 2021. That number is likely much higher now. Despite that, it hasn’t turned a consistent profit in the last few years. Going public gives it the capital to expand, and with investors wanting returns, an IPO is the next logical step other than selling the whole company.
Eurogamer spoke to George Osborn, creator of the Video Games Industry Memo, and here’s what he had to say about it:
“I think the most obvious impact is that the company is going to have to find ways to monetize more aggressively. The question will be how can it achieve that without aggravating its user base too much. Discord is completely reliant on those hundreds of thousands of users, and it’s going to have to strike a different balance than other social networks and media platforms that have gone public before.”
Things Are Going To Change For Gamers
Osborn further raises a great point that Discord’s value does not correlate to what people are paying for. Discord Nitro is a decent cash cow, but it doesn’t exactly translate to incredible year-on-year growth, the type that investors expect. He suspects that Discord might feature more advertising, Discord-exclusive cosmetics for specific games, or maybe even more games (Discord already has quite a few built into the app).
Again, Discord is something that almost every gamer uses, and that’s quite the compelling target demographic for shareholders and advertisers. On a positive note, user safety might improve as those types of issues become more serious when concerning public companies. Discord isn’t exactly a safe haven for children, and I don’t think I need to elaborate on that too much. At the end of the day, time will tell what this means for Discord, but there will likely be massive changes in the coming year.
