Discord Went Down and Gamers Werent Happy About It

The gaming world is more connected than ever, with the internet allowing for not only multiplayer gaming, but community building, as well. When a game like Call of Duty: Warzone can boast over 100 million users, it shows just how many people jump online to play a game, hang out, and chat. Which is why when a key communication tool for gamers fails, it generates big reactions on Twitter. This is just what happened today, when Discord went down.

Discord has had a busy day, with news breaking earlier that the voice chat and messaging app used by over 140 million monthly users is in talks with Sony to provide Discord support for PlayStation starting in 2022. The partnership will likely integrate a number of Discord's features into the PlayStation ecosystem, connecting online gaming communities, and could bolster chat features during multiplayer game sessions. At this time, specifics are hard to find, but gamers are excited.

All this excitement appears to have overloaded Discord servers, as the lifeline for many gamers went down for a period on Monday afternoon, leading a number of folks to take to Twitter wondering just what happened. Takes on Twitter ranged from confusion to snarky, with many folks pretending to pull out their Nintendo DS and booting up PictoChat to connect with one another.

When servers go down, it can be disastrous if the timing is during a major event, or when issues persist or go unresolved. It leaves a lot of folks in the dark. Outriders experienced server issues just as the game was catching on with streamers, and sputtering out of the gate as a new title makes would-be gamers wary. For a video game company promoting something that requires an online connection, if the server infrastructure is inadequate, fans can quickly turn on it, so ensuring that downtime is minimal is key.

Discord's outage did not last long, with many folks able to reconnect after about an hour after reports started flooding in. Damage was minimal, but the hot takes online had already reached social media. It doesn't take long before people jump online to express an opinion. Server crashes during a recent Call of Duty: Warzone event led to a number of reactions, though a juggernaut like Warzone is less affected by a little bad press from social media outlets.

Discord's outage could be a concern for new partner, PlayStation, as server issues Discord faces in the future could affect the integration planned for PlayStation consoles. But with Sony winning out over Microsoft in courting Discord, the company has signaled its confidence in Discord to deliver stable communication (most of the time) between gamers.

Ubisoft has officially confirmed that it will be shutting down servers for several classic titles such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown and Ghost Recon Future Soldier. Some Ubisoft titles will no longer have online connectivity as of June 1st, while fans of other Ubisoft properties have until later this year to enjoy the online experiences.

Assassin's Creed 2, Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, Far Cry 2, Anno 1404, Might & Magic – Clash of Heroes, Might & Magic X – Legacy, Splinter Cell Conviction, and The Settlers 7 all for PC are on the chopping block for June 1st, leaving only a few weeks for fans of these titles to appreciate the online connectivity.