Discord is an online communication application designed for gamers specifically. The app provides users with the ability to use voice, video, and text chat features to communicate with others.
Due to its focus on gamers and communities related to gaming, the platform also provides users with the ability to stream their videos to other users.
Most of the Discord’s features resemble those of any other online messaging application. That makes the app a competitor to other apps, such as Skype, Mumble, Ventrilo, and the age-old IRC.
Some users even consider it an indirect competitor to well-known social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Viber, Line, etc.
While most of the features of the platform concentrate on gamers, they are also an alternative for many other communities.
Discord is available on all major operating systems including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web. It is different from other applications that restrict usage to specific platforms. For example, WhatsApp is online available on mobile operating systems and not on PC.
Similarly, Discord is free and does not charge its users for the features it provides. The app also does not display any ads for users through which it can earn money.
The company behind the Discord app is Discord, Inc., originally known as Hammer & Chisel. It is a private company based in San Francisco, CA.
Like most other companies, Discord, Inc. also has a vision, mission, objective, and business model. Below is a detailed analysis of what they are for Discord, Inc.
Discord’s Vision
It is crucial to understand a little bit of Discord’s history to understand the vision behind it. Discord was an idea created when Jason Citron, its founder, felt the need for an application that allowed gamers to communicate with each other.
While there were some apps, such as TeamSpeak, which satisfied the requirement, it wasn’t up to the standard of other apps. Therefore, Jason created Discord to meet that requirement.
Therefore, the vision behind Discord, back then, was to bring gaming communities together. To do that, Discord introduced the concept of servers to keep communities organized.
The platform further introduced channels, which those communities could use to divide their topics into different rooms or sections. These features of the app were similar to that of Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
Today, however, some believe the vision behind Discord has changed. As mentioned above, Discord is no longer used by gaming communities only. Therefore, some experts believe that the vision currently followed by Discord is to bring communities of all sectors together.
However, the application still focuses on its original userbase, which includes gamers and makes up a large portion of its total users. Most of its new updates consist of features directed at gaming communities.
Discord’s Mission
Discord’s mission is closely related to its vision. Its mission consists of bringing people together around games. That is why most of the app’s features concentrate on meeting the needs of gamers.
For Discord, diversity and inclusiveness are critical parts of how it intends to reach its mission. It also believes by diversifying will get a better product, better decisions, and a better work environment.
Currently, the app has more than 100 million active users, which shows that it has been able to meet its vision and mission in a positive way.
Discord’s Objective
The objectives of a company represent specific and measurable results that it wants to achieve or maintain its growth. For Discord, its objective consists of increasing its users throughout the world.
It is one of the reasons why the app has shifted from focusing on gamers alone to also concentrating on the needs of users from other fields.
While most of the Discord’s features are free, some features earn the platform money. An increased user count means more sources of revenue as well. Since the company is private, there are no specific details on how it wants to achieve its objectives.
Discord’s Business Model 2022
Discord’s business model defines the way it makes money. The app currently has over 100 million monthly active users and 13.5 million weekly active servers.
While most of the app’s features are free, there are some paid subscriptions that it uses to generate revenue. These include features such as Discord Nitro, Discord Nitro Classic and Game Inventory for users to pay for but are optional.
Similarly, users can also pay for Server Boost, which can give their servers some additional perks.
Most of the Discord’s business model revolves around these features. The company is still looking for new ways to monetize the platform considering its userbase isn’t the same as when it first came into being. The online voice chat industry is worth above $1 billion.
Discord, for now, holds a small percentage of that market. In the future, the company will look to expand its services and features to increase its market shares.
Conclusion
Discord is an online communication platform for gamers. Despite its focus on gamers, though, the app also wants to bring in users from other fields and sectors.
The company’s vision has also changed to compensate for the change in its userbase. Given above is a detailed analysis of the vision, mission, objective, and business model of Discord.