Netflix has teased the idea of entering the video game market, and for good reason: It has the potential to add to its subscriber base by attracting the interest of the 2.7 billion gamers worldwide. 

“We do want to expand,” said Netflix founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings. “We’ve got a lot to do in terms of different types of entertainment.”

The news came during a company earnings call on Tuesday as the streaming giant looks to add to its portfolio of entertainment offerings.

“There’s no doubt that games are going to be an important form of entertainment and important modality to deepen that fan experience, so we’re going to keep going,” said Greg Peters, the COO and chief product officer at Netflix. 

Following its latest earnings report, Netflix may have a sense of urgency in establishing itself in the $160 billion video game market. Despite year-over-year revenue growth of 24%, Netflix added only 3.98 million subscribers versus an expectation of 6.2 million for Q1 2021, according to Factset. 

The company says it didn’t meet expectations due to the pandemic and expects to add just 1 million new subscribers in Q2 2021.

Netflix is reportedly wary of entering a market that is dominated by longtime industry leaders Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. Amazon Game Studios has been unable to make any headway into gaming, despite spending $500 million annually on myriad gaming projects since 2014.

BetMGM isn’t being shy about the potential of sports betting.

The sportsbook and iGaming platform said on Wednesday that it foresees net revenue climbing to $1 billion in 2022 – more than five times its $178 million net revenue for 2020, and double the $500 million forecasted for this year.

MGM Resorts and Entain, which jointly own BetMGM, are expected to invest $450 million in the company this year.

While its main competitors in the sports betting world, FanDuel and DraftKings, started as daily fantasy sites, BetMGM has its roots in the casino industry. iGaming — app-based casino-style gambling — is a key component of its revenue stream. 

BetMGM has around 16% of the sports betting market, compared to 30% and 35% for DraftKings and FanDuel, respectively, but adding in iGaming brings their share of the online gambling market up to around 23%.

BetMGM is now live in 10 states, while another 10 currently allow sportsbooks and five more have pending legislation on sports betting. Another 21 states, including Texas and California, have introduced legislation to legalize sports betting.

BetMGM sees the North American online gaming market eventually reaching $32 billion — and it’s looking for a substantial piece of that pie.

Discord has ended talks of a sale to Microsoft, and may pursue an IPO. 

The company  has a valuation of roughly $7 billion due to a user base that has reached 140 million, double last year’s total. The instant messaging platform would have garnered at least $10 billion in a sale to Microsoft.

Discord has experienced substantial growth over the past year due to its ability to offer a safe platform for people to connect amid the pandemic. Its accessibility has made it a popular tool for gamers. 

The free online platform, which allows users to communicate through text, audio, and video, generated $130 million in revenue in 2020, up from $45 million in 2019. 

Discord has yet to turn a profit, and Microsoft was hoping to change that as part of a bigger plan to expand its reach to more consumers. 

Last year, Microsoft considered acquiring TikTok from China-based tech company ByteDance. The negotiations eventually dissolved following the Trump administration’s desire to turn TikTok into a U.S.-based company. 

Now, another round of talks has fallen through for the multinational tech company. 

Not all hope is lost for a future Discord acquisition. The company has provided no timetable for a sale, but its ability to field interest from at least three companies shows ample market interest, should they pick talks back up.