Discord Opens Its Ad Business to Smaller Brands, Ars Technica Reports
Discord is opening its advertising business to companies of any size, as Scharon Harding reported for Ars Technica.
New Tools and Features
The chat app has launched Discord Ads Manager, a tool for planning, buying, and tracking ad campaigns in one place, which is currently available to select advertisers. Full self-serve access is expected in early 2027.
Until now, most brands required a direct sales deal with Discord to run ads. The new tool is designed for smaller game studios and marketers.
Discord is also expanding Video Quests, short ads that users watch in exchange for in-game rewards. The new version is optimized for mobile phones, requiring users to watch for approximately 15 seconds. Brands can purchase these through Ads Manager, with a premium version, Video Quests Reserve, available for large brand campaigns.
Wider Targeting and Future Formats
Discord claims these changes will enable advertisers to target users more broadly. More ad formats are expected to be introduced, according to Adam Bauer, Discord’s advertising chief, as reported by GamesBeat.
User Concerns
Not all users are enthusiastic about these changes. Some fear that ads, along with new age checks and AI moderation, could negatively impact the platform. Discord’s co-founder and CTO, Stanislav Vishnevskiy, has expressed similar concerns.
For now, Discord’s ads appear as subtle pop-ups and sidebar cards that only open upon tapping.