Guilded was a VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution platform designed by Guilded Inc. and was bought by Roblox Corporation on August 16, 2021 for $90M.[1] Since then, Guilded had been integrated with Roblox. The company was based in San Francisco.[2] Users communicated with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private chats or as part of communities called "servers".[3] Guilded was founded by Eli Brown, a former Facebook and Xbox employee.[2] Guilded was available on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS.
| Guilded | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Original authors | Guilded, Inc. |
| Developer | |
| Initial release | March 17, 2017 |
| Final release | v9.0.8
/ December 19, 2025 |
| Written in | Node.js |
| Available in | English |
| Type | VoIP communications, instant messaging, content delivery, collaborative software, and social media |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Features
editGuilded was a main competitor of Discord and primarily focused on video game communities, such as those focused on competitive gaming and esports.[1][3] It provided features intended for video gaming clans, such as scheduling tools and integrated calendars.[3][4] The platform distinguished itself by offering higher performance specifications for free users compared to competitors, including 1080p resolution streaming at 60fps, 256kbps audio bitrate, and a 500MB file upload limit. In addition to standard communication tools, Guilded featured specialized organizational channels including "whisper" groups for nested voice chat, Kanban boards, and collaborative document editing similar to Google Docs.
History
editGuilded was developed by Guilded, Inc., which had been an independent product group of Roblox from August 16, 2021, to December 19, 2025.[5][6]
Account integration mandate
editOn May 31, 2024, Roblox Corporation announced that all current accounts must have a Roblox account linked before July 15, 2024 to continue using their Guilded account, while new users will only have the option to sign up with Roblox.[7] This requirement led to a departure of non-Roblox gaming communities, particularly independent MMORPG guilds and FPS clans, many of whom cited privacy concerns and a desire for platform neutrality as reasons for migrating back to Discord. On October 12, 2024, Roblox Corporation restricted access for Guilded users in Russia, citing concerns that Guilded could be blocked in the country.[8] Russian users reported receiving "403 Forbidden" errors due to changes in Amazon CloudFront configurations intended to comply with U.S. sanctions, which geoblocked the region without prior warning.
Discontinuation
editOn September 29, 2025, Roblox Corporation announced that Guilded would shut down by the end of 2025.[9] Roblox stated the closure was part of an effort to unify social features into "Roblox Communities," a similar toolset integrated directly into Roblox. In the months leading up to the shutdown, the platform provided server owners with an export tool to archive message history and media. On December 19th, 2025, the Guilded website was shut down and now redirects visitors to Roblox's Communities feature. [10] Upon the shutdown, the desktop and mobile applications ceased functionality, displaying only a "Sunset" notification screen.
References
edit- ^ a b "Roblox Announcement". July 16, 2021. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Thapa, Anuz (August 17, 2021). "What Is Guilded?". TheStreet. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c Matney, Lucas (May 1, 2020). "Guilded raises over $7 million for its competitive gaming-focused chat app". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "Roblox acquires game chat startup Guilded". VentureBeat. August 16, 2021. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Matney, Lucas (August 16, 2021). "Roblox acquires Discord competitor Guilded". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ La Monica, Paul R. (August 16, 2021). "Roblox wants to rule the metaverse". CNN Business. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ "Update to Guilded login requirements". Guilded - Chat for Gaming Communities. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Ömer (October 13, 2024). "Russia is now banning Discord alternative apps!". ShiftDelete.Net Global. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- ^ "Update on Guilded and Communities". Roblox Dev Forum. September 29, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "Guilded - Chat for Gaming Communities". Guilded - Chat for Gaming Communities. Archived from the original on October 15, 2025.