(Reuters) -Messaging platform Discord Inc has ended deal talks with Microsoft Inc and plans to focus on growing the business as a standalone company, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Microsoft and Discord did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters had reported in March that Microsoft is in talks to buy Discord, for more than $10 billion.
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the prospects of gaming companies as people under lockdowns increasingly turn to video games as a form of entertainment.
Discord, which was valued at around $7 billion as of December, is a platform on which users coordinate group activities such as games, discussions and even virtual parties.
(Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)
