Microsoft’s Xbox Live will be partnering up with Discord to bring linked accounts between the two platforms. Xbox Live remains Microsoft’s go-to online service for the Xbox One, while Discord has become a must-have for PC users everywhere. Microsoft announced the new partnership today, which will go live on both Xbox One and PC platforms in the near future.

Microsoft’s Xbox One has had trouble keeping pace with Sony’s PS4 in sales and popularity, a fact that has driven the former to seek out more cross-platform opportunities. The inception of Microsoft’s Cross-Play feature, which brings Xbox One and PC users together, is one such successful example. Now, it appears Microsoft will be pushing that concept even further with the help of Discord.

The announcement today from Microsoft stated that the goal of the partnership is to allow players to have an easier time connecting with each other online, even if they are playing on different devices. Xbox One and PC players will now have the ability to use Discord to see what games friends are playing and on what platform. Players will then have the ability to choose whether or not to continue playing on different platforms or to join one of their friends from a Discord server instead.


Microsoft’s announcement has also covered how players can enable this Discord partnership on their devices. For Xbox One users, it’s as simple as opening the “linked social accounts” menu, choosing to link a Discord account, and then following the instructions. PC users will see a similar option on their own Discord account through the “user settings” tab, which is accessible through the Discord app on either PC or mobile devices.

The new partnership is an intelligent move from Microsoft, as the company has just begun to generate a bit of renewed momentum off the back of unannounced but major Xbox One games. Discord has become ingrained within the gaming community in a way few apps have managed. Creating a link between the app and the Xbox One is a low-risk, high-reward scenario that could see some users swayed toward owning a Microsoft console in the future.

Of course, the app hasn’t been tested yet by others. If its only functionality at launch is the ability to observe what others are playing without actually communicating with them, it might not be that exciting. Still, Microsoft is clearly demonstrating that the Xbox One’s online services aren’t done evolving just yet, even with the Xbox One’s successor becoming increasingly clearer on the horizon.