Discord Rolls Out In-Game Rewards for Watching Friends Play in Shift Toward Advertising
• Discord is introducing "Sponsored Quests" - a new form of in-game advertising where users can get rewards in games for getting friends to watch them play.
• Sponsored Quests mark a shift for Discord, which previously took a strong stance against having ads on its platform.
• The ads seem minimally intrusive for now - they only appear on the bottom left of the screen and can be fully disabled.
• Discord sees Sponsored Quests as a way to connect game developers with new players. It's unclear if more intrusive ads could come later.
• Some long-time Discord users are unhappy about the platform monetizing friendships and social connections.