Stanislav Vishnevskiy, co-founder and CTO of Discord, revealed the story behind the creation of the popular messaging app during an interview at Tokyo Game Show 2024.
The concept of Discord originated from Vishnevskiy's desire to enhance communication in online gaming. He shared that while studying in college, he actively played Final Fantasy XI — the first MMORPG in the Final Fantasy series, released in 2002. Vishnevskiy and his gaming friends tried various communication methods, including Skype, Mumble, forums, and phones. However, these options proved too cumbersome to use during gameplay.
Dissatisfied with the existing alternatives, Vishnevskiy developed a prototype that eventually became Discord. Full-scale development commenced after he and Jason Citron founded the GREE company in California.
Over nearly a decade, Discord has evolved into a platform where colleagues, gamers, and enthusiasts of various hobbies gather. The company has successfully monetized its service through Nitro subscriptions, avatars, and other content. Vishnevskiy noted that this has provided a solid financial foundation for the business.
Discord has expanded its functionality to gaming consoles. Many features, such as voice calls and game tracking, are now available on Xbox and PlayStation platforms. The company has also entered the tabletop gaming market by introducing official support for the online service for dungeon masters, Roll20.
Vishnevskiy admitted that he still enjoys playing MMORPGs. He has been playing Final Fantasy XIV since its release in 2010, achieving level 100 in most classes, and even took a week off to play the expansion Golden Legacy.
Source: Techspot
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