Discord succumbs to ads: Ads arrive on the messaging platform

This decision comes shortly after the company reduced the number of its employees by 17%, citing the need to improve efficiency after the expansion period in 2020.

Advertising has become an essential source of income for many digital platforms. Now, Discord, known for its user base made up mostly of gamers and content creators, is poised to follow the trend.

Discord, which offers a free and paid version, plans to introduce ads for several of the platform's features, according to the Wall Street Journal. This decision comes shortly after the company reduced the number of its employees by 17%, citing the need to improve efficiency after the expansion period in 2020.

The ads will be rolled out gradually, with users having the option to disable them from their account settings. Additionally, ads are expected to be tailored to users based on their age, location and in-game preferences, using demographic and behavioral data to make them more relevant and less intrusive.

Ads will appear at the bottom and to the left of the app, without interrupting the user experience. Discord is also exploring the possibility of incorporating interactive advertising, such as video game studios offering rewards for completing in-game tasks, while other users can follow the process from the platform.

Despite these changes, Discord is committed to respecting the user experience and is hiring advertising experts to ensure accurate implementation. However, many details remain to be determined, such as the impact on paying subscribers and changes to advertising policies.

This strategy seeks to improve the financial situation of Discord, which is considering a possible public offering (IPO) in the near future, after rejecting a purchase offer from Microsoft for $10 billion in 2021.

Discord currently has over 500 million users and continues to see an average growth of 23% each year since 2020. Its servers for popular games like Roblox, Valorant, and Blox Fruits are some of the busiest.