Gaming chat app Discord is acquiring the buzzy teen social networking site Gas as it seeks to appeal to a wider population beyond games.
(Bloomberg) — Gaming chat app Discord is acquiring the buzzy teen social networking site Gas as it seeks to appeal to a wider population beyond games.
Gas, created by former Meta Platforms Inc. product manager Nikita Bier, exploded in popularity last fall and dethroned social media giants TikTok and BeReal from the top of the App Store downloads ranking. Gas, which refers to boosting someone’s self-confidence, asks high schoolers to send compliments to each other by voting in polls for rankings such as “the best DJ” at a party. The app is similar to TBH, another social networking site for teens that Bier created several years ago and which was subsequently acquired by Facebook.
“The reason I built it was because I wanted to bring back what TBH did for so many kids five years ago, which was raise self-esteem and spread positivity,” Bier said in an October interview with Bloomberg.
Gas was released in August and by December Bier said the company had done $6 million in sales and reached 10 million downloads.
Once considered a niche gaming voice-chat app, Discord has grown to become a hub for all sorts of conversations via text, audio and video. The platform has 150 million monthly active users who flock to millions of servers to discuss topics and interests from Ariana Grande to Fortnite. Gas’s “tremendous success shows the opportunity that exists in creating a playful yet meaningful place for young people,” Discord said in a statement Tuesday.
Gas will continue to be a standalone app and its team will be joining Discord, the company said. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed and Bier declined to comment on the transaction.
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