Discord ditches focus on videogames, expanding to all topics - The UpStream

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Discord ditches focus on videogames, expanding to all topics

posted Saturday May 15, 2021 by Scott Ertz

Discord ditches focus on videogames, expanding to all topics

Discord has long been known as a platform for videogame communications. However, over the past year or so, people who used Discord for gaming have begun expanding its uses for other topics. A lot of podcast communities have Discord servers. Even some businesses have attempted to use the platform for their in-house communications (though many revert back to Slack or Teams). Rather than fighting this trend, the company has announced that it is expanding its own focus to include all communities.

This change goes along with the brand's 6th anniversary. As part of the focus change, a number of branding changes have been made as well. The most obvious change is the font for the logo. The company claims that they looked through hundreds of possible fonts before landing on an altered version of Ginto. In addition, Clyde, the company's icon, was altered - interestingly looking even more like an Xbox controller. In addition, the color palette has changed, darkening the primary "blurple" color, and adding in green, yellow, fuchsia, and red, and reducing the reliance on greys.

The real change is in the company's focus. This expansion is bringing them into the very crowded marketplace of general communications platforms. The space is owned by Microsoft Teams and Slack in the business market, but personal communication is all over the place. In fact, Discord has been the most consistent player in that space, but many felt like it was a closed space especially for gaming. Discord is acknowledging that reality, and assuring people that everyone is welcomed.

The question is, will Discord be able to step back from their public perception and get people to accept the broader community? They have been working on changing this perception a year ago, and it has worked to a point. This past year was a perfect time to begin this transition, as people needed to find ways to be together while staying apart. As the world returns to normal, though, will non-gamers continue to use the platform? We will see on Discord's 7th anniversary.

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