Discord rewards users for engaging with ads, new Orbs currency introduced

Discord announced Orbs, a new currency that can be earned from Quests and spent on cosmetic content.

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A bit ago, Discord CEO Jason Citron resigned, signalling changes for the company. Humam Sakhnini, the former president of billion-dollar mobile titan King, took over as Discord's new CEO at a pivotal moment. We speculated that this new CEO could introduce higher levels of layered ad-related monetization into Discord's business model at a critical point as the company nears its potential IPO. Now that appears to be happening.

Discord is currently beta testing what it calls Discord Orbs, a digital currency that isn't purchased with real money. Instead, Orbs are earned through Quests, which are game-ified calls to action that require users to engage with ads in some way. Interactions include streaming a specific game to friends or watching video ads. Quests are also expanding, the company said.

"Discord Orbs, an all new virtual reward, is rolling out to a small group of users today. Discord Orbs are a new type of reward earned through Quests, which users can use to claim items in the Shop - including Orbs exclusives such as Nitro credits and profile cosmetics.

"We're also introducing a new partnership with Kantar, which will further enhance the return on investment measurement and analytics capabilities of Quests for advertisers.

"For advertisers, Orbs make campaign launches even easier. Advertisers no longer need to bring their own reward (though our users certainly love that) or worry if the reward will resonate with their target audience.

"We will continue to add new ways for users to claim rewards using Orbs in the future, and for Nitro subscribers to continue to receive better rewards and deals across our ecosystem."

Here's what you can purchase with Orbs in the Shop:

• Shop items from the main collections
• Orbs-exclusives: Nitro Credits, a profile badge, special Avatar Decoration, and special Profile Effect.

You cannot purchase these items with Orbs:

• Partner-branded Shop items
• Gifts
• Recurring Nitro or Boosting subscriptions

• Q: Is there any other way to obtain Orbs? Can I only earn Orbs from Quests?
• A: The only way to earn Orbs is to complete specific Quests that offer Orbs as a reward.

• Q: Can I share or trade my Orbs with friends?
• A: No, Orbs are tied to your personal Discord account and cannot be transferred between users.

• Q: Can I exchange my Orbs for real money or transfer them to other platforms?
• A: No, you cannot convert Orbs to real money or transfer them to other platforms.

The announcement goes on to highlight how Discord "offers advertisers unparalleled access to engaged audiences" and underlines a new partnership with Kantar, a major global analytics firm.

Discord integration has found its way into both the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems, albeit in a voice-to-chat function. It's unclear whether or not these new economies will be introduced in any way to consoles, however the native Discord app on mobile supports Quests.