Discord, the chat service for gamers, is now introducing ads to support their platform, a change from their previous anti-advertising stance. The ads will be in the form of “sponsored quests,” where game developers can offer quests to Discord users playing their games. These quests can be completed by the users for rewards. Discord will target ads based on a user’s gameplay, age, and location, but users can opt out of personalization in the settings. Sponsored quests have been tried before with Epic Games and Lucasfilm Games, and they will likely work similarly this time around.
In addition to sponsored quests, Discord will also sell sponsored profile flair in its shop, starting with the Valorant collection. The company is looking to generate more revenue as it laid off 17% of its workforce in January. Discord has been growing in users and revenue but has never posted a profit, leading to the move towards advertising. CEO James Citron mentioned plans for an initial public offering in the future. Discord hopes that sponsored quests and collections in the shop will perform better than their previous game store, which was discontinued in 2021.
Sponsored quests work by developers paying for a quest that encourages users to play their game while streaming on Discord. The quest will pop up while streaming, users can engage with it, complete the quest, and then others in the stream can do the same. Rewards can be redeemed in-game once a quest is finished. Users can turn off sponsored quests in the app settings for now, but this may change once the quests officially launch. The exact graphics and appearance of sponsored quests will be revealed at the launch.
Discord has not given an exact release date for sponsored quests but mentioned it would be in the first week of April. The advertising will mostly be shown to users who use the streaming feature on Discord. However, users who do not stream may still see pop-ups related to events or promotions. Users currently have the option to opt out of personalized promotions based on their activity or data shared with Discord. Sponsored quests aim to create engaging and interactive experiences for users, with rewards provided for completing quests and encouraging friends to join in.
The implementation of sponsored quests and advertising marks a shift for Discord, as the company looks to increase revenue through partnerships with game developers and offering new products in their shop. Discord’s move towards advertising comes after years of revenue growth and investor interest, despite never making a profit. The introduction of sponsored quests aims to enhance the gaming experience on Discord and provide new opportunities for developers to reach their audience. By targeting ads based on user data, Discord aims to create personalized and engaging experiences for its users.
