Sony has taken a minority stake in Discord; Microsoft and Epic Games were interested in a potential acquisition before Discord reportedly suspended the process to consider an IPO.

According to an announcement by Sony president Jim Ryan, the minority stake would integrate Discord into the PlayStation Network. Our goal is to bring the Discord and PlayStation experience closer together on consoles and mobile starting early next year, making it easier for friends, groups and communities to hang out, have fun and communicate while playing games together. It's about making it easier for friends, groups, and communities to hang out, have fun, and communicate while playing games together," Ryan writes.

Sony is a minority shareholder, and although the amount has not been disclosed, it suggests that Discord may launch an initial public offering sooner rather than later; Microsoft's offer to acquire Discord is said to exceed $10 billion, more than the $7.5 billion it paid Bethesda. Even higher than the $7.5 billion paid for Bethesda. Discord is not profitable, but it is a communication service used by gamers on their PCs.

It is also worth noting that the integration with the PlayStation Network will not affect the current PC version of the Discord experience: there has been a small integration on Xbox for some time, and users can link their Xbox and Discord accounts It is unclear if the integration with PSN will go further than that, and Ryan did not provide any further details.

As of December, Discord had 140 million monthly active users and was valued at $7 billion in November.