Discord adds game-joining functionality

Growing comms platform Discord now lets its users join games with their friends more easily.

Discord already shows you want games your friends are currently playing. Now a new feature called Rich Presence adds a button that, when pressed, will allow you to either boot the game and join in or spectate their gameplay.

It will also allow groups to party up in Discord and then jointly launch the app.

Compatibility is currently determined on a title-by-title basis, with Call of Duty: WWII, Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Payday 2 leading the charge. Other compatible titles include Duelyst, SpeedRunners, Battlerite, Move or Die, Brawlhalla, Foxhole, Holodrive, Unturned and Tooth & Tail.

Developers are able to add compatibility using Discord’s SDK. They can also choose to have Discord monitor and offer up game data.

“Rich Presence removes the friction PC gamers often feel when joining game sessions with their friends,” Discord CEO Jason Citron said. “It gives players a clear at-a-glance understanding of what their friends are playing, how they are playing it, where they are at in the game, and a one click way to jump in and join.

“For developers, this becomes a valuable way to help super-fans engage more deeply with other players in their games and get the word out in their game communities.”

Discord is a hugely popular text and voice chat app and has become the standard for gamers looking to voice comm in-game. It currently boasts around 45m users.