Discord plans to roll out third-party ads on its mobile apps, starting with a mobile pilot for Video Quests, video ads that let users earn rewards, in June 2025
Video Quests will start rolling out to mobile users in June. … Discord is bringing third-party ads to its mobile platform.
Context & Ripple Effects
Discord had already tested an opt-in ad format through Sponsored Quests that rewarded users for game-related tasks. Extending that model to mobile video broadens the surface on which Discord can sell advertising without presenting ads as a standalone feed.
The move also sits alongside Discord’s wider effort to add revenue streams for its ecosystem, including new developer monetization tools and lower early-stage platform fees. It matters because rewards can make advertising part of the platform’s participation economy rather than a purely interruptive format.
First-order effects
- Mobile users in the pilot will be able to watch Video Quests for rewards, while Discord gains a new third-party advertising placement on its mobile apps.
- Advertisers can use Discord’s Quest format beyond game-task promotions, subject to the pilot’s rollout and user participation.
Second-order effects
- The mobile expansion gives Discord a reason to make rewards more useful and visible; its later Orbs beta tied in-app currency to Quest completion, showing how ad engagement can be connected to a reusable incentive layer.
- Game publishers and other advertisers will be able to assess rewarded video against existing Quest-style campaigns, increasing pressure on Discord to preserve user choice and keep rewards meaningful.
Third-order effects
- If rewarded formats scale, Discord’s monetization could shift from discrete premium subscriptions and developer fees toward a hybrid model in which advertising subsidizes participation and virtual rewards.
- The longer-term constraint is user trust: platforms that turn social interaction into an ad-reward loop must balance advertiser demand with controls that prevent rewards from making promotional content feel unavoidable.
The trend: Discord is part of a broader shift toward opt-in, reward-based advertising that converts user attention into platform currency and engagement rather than relying solely on conventional display placements.