After nearly a decade leading Discord, Jason Citron is having his last week as CEO. Starting Monday, he’ll move into an advisory role while Humam Sakhnini, a former vice chairman at Activision Blizzard, takes the reins.

Sakhnini brings serious gaming industry experience, having led King (the studio behind Candy Crush) before stepping into a leadership role at Activision Blizzard. Now, he’s expected to guide Discord through its next big chapter — which might include going public. Rumors of an IPO have been floating around, and this leadership shift could be part of that plan.

Discord launched in 2015 and quickly became a favorite among gamers. While it has since grown far beyond just gaming, many users are wondering what this change could mean for the app's future. Some are worried Sakhnini’s background could lead to more microtransactions in the platform, like those seen in Call of Duty or Overwatch. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach.

In the meantime, Discord continues to evolve, testing new features like face scanning to better verify user ages. A new chapter is about to begin — and all eyes are on what comes next.

Main image: alphacoders.com