Discord will soon start displaying ads on its platform as it aims to create new revenue streams through advertising.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, ads from game studios and developers will soon start to pop up for Discord users, some of which will allow users to redeem gifts.
This will happen through the company’s ‘Sponsored Quest’ system where users can complete in-game tasks on Discord while their friends watch. Discord is reportedly hiring more than a dozen workers to see this through.
Watch and earn
In addition, the ads will also be targeted to users based on their age, gameplay and location and will be displayed at the bottom left corner of the screen. A user who is streaming must complete in-game objectives from an advertiser and have at least one friend watching to earn rewards.
While viewers can also complete their own Quests and earn rewards, Discord will reportedly allow users to turn off ads from the app settings.
After laying off 17% of its workforce in January – its largest cuts to date – Discord CEO Jason Citron cited taking “on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated” as the reason for the job cuts.
Since it launched in 2015, Discord has been without ads and relied on its Nitro subscription service which provides users with additional upload bandwidth, custom emojis, and server boosts starting at $2.99/month with a different $9.99/month subscription that comes with more perks.
