The news: Discord unveiled Discord Ads Manager, a new self-serve campaign management platform designed to help advertisers reach players and drive action on Discord, as well as a new ad format.

• Discord Ads Manager unifies the campaign workflow, including tasks like forecasting, building campaigns with objective-based bidding, and reporting.
• The Ads Manager offers auction-based delivery and a dynamic cost model rather than fixed CPMs.
• Discord noted that the platform opens advertising opportunities to smaller marketers and studios that previously needed direct sales relationships for campaigns.
• The company also launched Video Quests, a mobile-first rewarded ad format. Video Quests allow users to watch ads to earn Orbs—ideally driving more consideration among engaged audiences and giving advertisers stronger intent signals based on how long users choose to watch.

Why it matters: The update could significantly broaden its pool of advertisers, critical for a smaller player like Discord. Updates simultaneously lower barriers to game advertising and offer a format with potential to drive engagement and conversions.

• Even though Discord has made notable pushes to draw in a larger pool of brands, such as introducing lower-funnel ad capabilities and expanding to mobile last year, it lacks the scale and mainstream infrastructure of larger ad platforms. A self-serve platform further broadens that pool to brands willing to experiment with Discord.
• Rewarded ads specifically show strong potential and give Discord a unique differentiator from standard programmatic ads. Sixty-five percent of US marketers agree that users prefer rewarded ads over other formats, per 2025 EMARKETER and Discord data.
• These ads operate across the funnel. Over 60% of marketers say rewarded ads are effective for awareness, engagement, and conversions; 40.6% say they foster long-term brand loyalty.