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In brief: Since Discord's 2015 debut, the chat service has grown to serve various communities for work, hobbies, and other purposes. Still, its developers primarily focus on gaming functionality, and the app's origins as a tool to facilitate in-game voice chat are widely known. Discord's co-founder provided more details on that history at the recent Tokyo Game Show.
In an interview with Famitsu at a Tokyo Game Show 2024 exhibit, Stanislav Vishnevsky explained the initial inspirations behind the ubiquitous Discord chat app. Unsurprisingly, it started with his desire to improve communication in an online game.
Discord's co-founder and CTO revealed that he religiously played Final Fantasy XI in college. The 2002 game was Final Fantasy's first MMORPG and is still in service. He and his in-game friends tried various methods of communication available at the time, like Skype, Mumble, bulletin boards, and telephones. However, they were too complex and unwieldy to use while playing. So, Vishevsky built a prototype of what would later become Discord.
Proper development began after he and Jason Citron founded GREE in California. Vishevsky's primary goal with Discord was to create something that felt like a virtual living room where friends could enjoy games together. Over nearly a decade, Discord has grown into a service where colleagues, gamers, and hobbyists converge for numerous purposes. Nitro subscriptions, avatars, and other content have helped monetize the service. Vishevsky said this has put the business on sound financial footing as Discord continues to balance free and paid features.
Although Discord is most commonly associated with PC and mobile platforms, the service has also expanded its functionality to game consoles. Many of its functions, like voice calling and game tracking, have recently become available on Xbox and PlayStation platforms. Discord has also expanded into tabletop gaming, introducing official support for the online DM service Roll20.
The service has recently provided updates that boosted account and chat security. Discord now supports password-free logins through biometrics like Face ID and Touch ID. The app has also begun protecting audio and video calls with end-to-end encryption, though the feature remains unavailable for text communication.
Meanwhile, Vishevsky admits to putting serious hours into MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft. He has played the former since its initial 2010 launch, reached level 100 on most jobs, and took a weeklong vacation to play the Golden Legacy expansion. Although Discord hasn't announced any planned collaborations with Final Fantasy XVI, the possibility remains open.