Russia Set to Ban Discord, Breaking Up Global Gaming Communities

Russia is reportedly preparing to block access to Discord, the widely used messaging and community platform, in the near future. Since its launch in 2015, Discord has grown into one of the most popular platforms for online communication, attracting over 200 million monthly users globally.

Known for fostering vibrant communities, especially within the gaming world, Discord is a hub where users can connect with others who share their interests. It also hosts official servers for numerous games. However, Russian users of the platform may soon find themselves disconnected from this digital space.

Growing Restrictions Amid the Russia-Ukraine Conflict  

In light of the ongoing war with Ukraine, which began in 2022, Russia has imposed increasing restrictions on Western services. Shortly after the conflict erupted, the country banned access to Instagram, and earlier this year, YouTube was also restricted. Now, Russia seems poised to target Discord.

In addition to social media platforms, Russia has also taken action against popular video games, limiting access to titles like Apex Legends and The Last of Us. The potential ban on Discord marks another step in this pattern of restrictions.

Discord Ban Set to Roll Out Soon  

According to reports from PCGamer, Russia is expected to implement the Discord ban in the coming days. This move follows recent decisions by the country's state media regulator, which criticized Discord for not preventing access to information that Russia has deemed illegal.

Some users in Russia have already reported outages on Discord and have turned to VPNs to continue using the platform. The Russian news outlet Kommersant has indicated that the full ban could be enforced imminently.

The proposed ban is expected to have a significant impact on Russia’s gaming community. Vasily Ovchinnikov, the head of Russia’s Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry, has noted that many of the country’s game developers rely heavily on Discord for communication and customer support. Despite the impending ban, no domestic alternative to Discord has been introduced by the Russian government.

Discord Ban FollowsPattern of Anti-Western Moves  

The looming ban on Discord reflects Russia’s ongoing effort to isolate itself from Western platforms amid the continuing conflict. Russia has reportedly been working on creating domestic alternatives to major tech tools, including a possible competitor to Unreal Engine 5. Following the start of the war in 2022, several Western companies and services withdrew from Russia, including Sony, Crunchyroll, and Pokémon GO. Losing access to Discord would be another blow to the Russian gaming community, further cutting off key communication and collaboration tools.