Discord Cancels Plans To Launch NFTs

Discord CEO Jason Citron created quite a stir earlier this week with a tweet hinting at future integration with cryptocurrency apps and NFTs on the Discord app. Well, Citron has now posted a clarification tweet saying that the company has “no current plans to ship this internal concept.”

It’s clear that the backlash emerging out of the CEO’s initial announcement has led to a change of heart. According to gaming news curator Ryan Brown, Citron’s initial tweet also caused an uproar among the company’s staff.

Moreover, some studios reportedly threatened to move their communities out of the platform. Citron’s original tweet was in response to investor Packy McCormick. It contained a screenshot with the caption “Probably nothing.”

Discord said it wants to protect users from spam, scam, and fraud

In NFT and crypto parlance, ‘probably nothing’ implies it’s actually something big. So it’s clear that Discord was keen on bringing cryptocurrency integration to the popular communications app. Citron’s screenshot mentions crypto apps like MetaMask and WalletConnect.

Discord issued further clarification in a statement to Engadget:

“We appreciate all the perspectives we’ve been hearing in response to the internal concept you may have seen in a tweet earlier this week and want to clarify we have no plans to ship it at this time.”

“We’re excited about the potential for web3 technology and the positive ways these communities are coming together on Discord, especially those organized around environmentally friendly, creator-focused projects. However, we also recognize there are some problems we need to work through. For now we’re focused on protecting users from spams, scams and fraud.”

This episode highlights the power of Discord users and their loyalty to the platform. Although Microsoft was interested in acquiring the platform until earlier this year, the app’s continued success has put those plans on hold. This also put a damper on the hopes of getting native Discord support on Xbox consoles.

Last month, Discord and EA announced a partnership that allows users to link their Discord account with the EA app. This is possible thanks to the Rich Presence API, which lets developers link their clients and games with Discord.

Originally meant to be a communications app for gamers, Discord has grown into a much bigger platform now. People today use it to discuss sports, cuisines, movies, TV shows, and various other topics.