Discord | Techlist.io

discordApr 22, 2025Original article

Discord Appoints Humam Sakhnini as Chief Executive Officer (opens in new tab)

Discord has appointed former Activision Blizzard executive Humam Sakhnini as its new CEO, effective April 28, 2025, marking a significant transition from founder-led management to veteran industry leadership. Co-founder Jason Citron will move into an advisory role while remaining on the Board of Directors, and co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy will continue his tenure as Chief Technology Officer. This leadership shift is designed to accelerate Discord’s commercial scaling and deepen its integration within the global gaming ecosystem. **Leadership Transition and Industry Pedigree** * Humam Sakhnini brings over 15 years of high-level gaming experience, having most recently served as Vice Chairman at Activision Blizzard. * Sakhnini previously led King Digital Entertainment as President, where he managed record-breaking performance for massive titles such as *Candy Crush*. * His expertise spans managing multi-billion dollar portfolios including *Call of Duty* and *World of Warcraft*, positioning him to lead Discord’s efforts in professionalizing its business operations. * Jason Citron’s transition to Advisor follows a decade of building the platform from its inception to a cornerstone of digital communication. **Market Position and Financial Momentum** * Discord currently hosts more than 200 million monthly active users who generate 2 billion hours of gameplay each month. * The company has reported five consecutive quarters of positive adjusted EBITDA, signaling a transition from venture-backed growth to financial sustainability. * The platform remains the primary social infrastructure for multiplayer gaming, supporting thousands of individual titles through voice, video, and text integration. **Strategic Evolution of Revenue Streams** * While the core business has historically relied on the Nitro subscription service, the company is now diversifying into advertising and micro-transactions. * A renewed focus on "gaming roots" involves providing social infrastructure directly to game developers to help them engage their communities. * The new leadership aims to capitalize on modern revenue creation and customer acquisition strategies to better monetize the platform’s massive engagement metrics. This leadership change indicates that Discord is moving into a "growth and monetization" phase, prioritizing industrial-scale operations over early-stage product discovery. For developers and partners, this likely means a more aggressive rollout of developer tools and collaborative features designed to bridge the gap between gameplay and community management.

Real Time Communication Voip Monetization Gaming Industry+2

discordApr 21, 20253 min readCurated summary

Staff Picks, April 2025: All The Adaptations

The April 2025 edition of Discord’s “Staff Picks” highlights video game adaptations across television, film, and anime. Staff members praise adaptations such as *The Last of Us*, *Five Nights at Freddy’s*, and *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners*, while suggesting games like *BioShock*, *Ace Attorney*, and *God of War* for future projects. Their choices emphasize strong storytelling, distinctive worlds, memorable characters, and creative visual adaptation. ## Upcoming Video Game Adaptations - April 2025 features several major releases: - *A Minecraft Movie* on April 4 - Season two of HBO’s *The Last of Us* on April 13 - The *Until Dawn* movie on April 25 - The article uses these releases as a starting point for discussing staff members’ favorite adaptations and dream projects. ## Veronica: *The Last of Us* and *BioShock* - Veronica considers HBO’s *The Last of Us* her favorite adaptation. - The original game’s cinematic presentation made it seem naturally suited to television. - The series exceeded her expectations and expanded the game’s lore. - She specifically praises the emotional impact of the third episode. - She is enthusiastic about the adaptation of the divisive but personally beloved second game. - Her ideal future adaptation is the *BioShock* series. - She wants to see the underwater cities of Rapture from *BioShock* and *BioShock 2*. - She is also interested in seeing Columbia from *BioShock Infinite*. - Although adaptation rumors have circulated, she remains cautiously optimistic. ## Cody: *Five Nights at Freddy’s* and *Ace Attorney* - Cody selects the *Five Nights at Freddy’s* movie despite its relatively mild scares. - He enjoys its predictable jumpscares and accessible PG-13 horror style. - The film’s animatronics are especially effective because they were built as real puppets by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop rather than created entirely with CGI. - He would like the *Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney* trilogy to receive an anime adaptation. - The original *Ace Attorney* trilogy already has an anime series. - The Apollo Justice games feature a more comedic and cartoony cast that could translate well to animation. - After spending more than 100 hours playing the trilogy, Cody also hopes Capcom eventually produces a new mainline entry. ## Emi: *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners* and *God of War* - Emi praises *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners* as a standout adaptation. - The anime quickly builds emotional investment in David, Lucy, and the residents of Night City. - Studio Trigger’s animation and visual effects are so striking that she rewatched individual scenes. - The series’ music, particularly “I Really Want to Stay at Your House,” remains emotionally powerful. - Her dream adaptation is the *God of War* franchise as a television series or film. - The Greek and Norse storylines provide a large narrative scope. - Kratos’s character development, cinematic scenes, and supporting cast give the series strong adaptation potential. - She hopes reported plans for a screen adaptation eventually lead to a release. The staff’s recommendations show that successful game adaptations can preserve a game’s atmosphere while expanding its characters, lore, and visual identity. Viewers looking for game-inspired entertainment can start with *The Last of Us*, *Five Nights at Freddy’s*, or *Cyberpunk: Edgerunners*, while fans can look forward to possible adaptations of *BioShock*, *Ace Attorney*, and *God of War*.

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Video Games Game Adaptations Anime Film+2

discordApr 20, 20252 min readCurated summary

How to Use Discord’s In-Game Overlay to Talk While Playing on PC

Discord’s Windows In-Game Overlay lets players stay connected without alt-tabbing out of their games. It provides access to voice calls, video, chat, screen sharing, streams, notifications, and Activities while playing. The article explains how to use and customize it, plus troubleshooting steps when it does not appear. ## Overlay Features - **Chat Bar:** Provides access to voice and video settings, the soundboard, screen sharing, Activities, and other Discord controls. - **Voice Channel widget:** Shows current call participants and highlights whoever is speaking. - **Video Tiles:** Displays friends’ camera feeds, including Vtuber or PNGtuber models. - **Activity widget:** Shows the game currently associated with your Discord activity status. - **Streams widget:** Displays friends’ live broadcasts so they can be viewed directly in-game. - **Notifications widget:** Shows messages, mentions, and game invites. ## Opening and Customizing the Overlay - Press **Ctrl + `** by default to open the overlay. - Widgets can be repositioned by dragging their dotted borders. - Layouts can be customized to suit different game types, such as FPS or RTS games. ## Streaming Your Game - Click the **screen share** button in the Chat Bar to instantly stream to the current voice channel. - Discord automatically selects suitable streaming quality. - The drop-down menu beside the button allows users to adjust quality and bandwidth usage. ## Watching Friends’ Streams - Streams started in the current voice channel appear in the Overlay’s Streams widget. - Users can click a stream to watch it without leaving the game. - Multiple streams can be viewed directly through the Overlay. - Repositioning the Streams widget changes where broadcasts appear on screen. ## Troubleshooting the Overlay - Confirm that the Overlay is enabled under **User Settings > Overlay**. - Check the per-game settings, since the feature can be disabled for individual games. - Use **windowed** or **borderless windowed** mode; fullscreen games are not supported. - Some games may not be compatible, so test the Overlay with another title if necessary. - The Overlay is available only on **Windows** and does not support macOS or Linux. For Windows players, enabling and customizing the Overlay can make Discord voice chat, streaming, and social interaction available without interrupting gameplay.

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Discord Voice Chat Windows Game Streaming+3

discordApr 20, 2025Original article

Make More Closet Space! Nitro Members Can Now Keep Avatar Decoration Quest Rewards for Longer (opens in new tab)

Discord is updating its Quest reward system to provide Nitro members with extended access to earned avatar decorations, which previously expired after a standard two-month window. While all users will continue to receive a minimum of two months of use for any claimed decoration, active Nitro subscribers can now keep many of these rewards for longer, with some even returning from previous Quests. This shift transforms temporary participation rewards into a more permanent benefit for the platform's premium subscriber base. ### Extended Availability for Nitro Subscribers * Most avatar decorations earned through Discord Quests will no longer strictly expire after 60 days for Nitro members. * The specific amount of extra time granted varies between different decorations, with many remaining available as long as a subscription is active. * All Quest participants, including non-subscribers, are still guaranteed the initial two-month period to use their rewards. ### Subscription Requirements and Eligibility * The extension perk is exclusive to full Nitro members; those on Nitro Basic or Nitro Classic plans do not qualify for the extended time. * Users who are not currently Nitro members can subscribe or upgrade their existing plan to immediately regain access to previously collected Quest decorations that have "expired." * Not every decoration is eligible for an extension, as Discord determines availability on an item-by-item basis. ### Management and Returning Content * Discord is retroactively returning several previously available Quest decorations to the collections of eligible users who earned them in the past. * Users can verify the status and expiration date of their items by navigating to Profile Settings > Change Decoration and reviewing the individual item descriptions. * The update is currently live, allowing eligible users to re-equip old rewards or view new expiration timelines immediately. To maximize your collection, check your Profile Settings to see which legacy decorations have returned to your inventory and ensure your Nitro subscription is active to prevent future rewards from expiring.

Discord Discord Nitro Gamification Avatar Customization+2

discordApr 16, 20253 min readCurated summary

The Game Developer Playbook, Part One: Getting Started on Discord

Discord’s playtest community should be created early in development to build relationships with players, gather feedback, and develop trusted advocates. The article recommends keeping the server focused on testing and feedback, with a clear structure separating information, discussion, staff communication, and playtest voice channels. A simple server template can evolve as the game and community grow. ## Getting Started - New server owners should understand Discord basics, including: - Creating and setting up a server - Managing permissions and roles - Sharing screens - Starting early gives developers more time to nurture a small but valuable group of engaged players. ## Playtest Community Basics - The primary goals should be to: - Make it easy for players to test the game - Give testers clear ways to provide feedback - Keep the community’s scope focused - Developers can begin with Discord’s recommended server template and expand it over time. ## Categories and Server Organization - Organize channels into clear groups: - Read-only information - Two-way discussions - Staff-only communication - Individual voice channels for voice chat, video, and screen sharing - Keep important information—such as rules, announcements, and updates—at the top. - Games with many classes, heroes, kits, or complex mechanics may benefit from dedicated forum or discussion channels. ## Roles and Permissions - Use two primary roles: - `@admin`, later renamed for the studio - `@playtest`, assigned to testers - Studio members should access every channel, while testers should see everything except the admin-only category. - Remove permissions from `@everyone` so unassigned users see an empty server, even if they enter through an unauthorized invite. - Use Discord’s **View Server As** feature to verify what each role can access. ## Community Features - Enabling Discord’s **Community** features can help larger servers manage growth. - Useful options include: - **Announcement Channels** for publishing updates that other servers can follow - **Server Insights** for engagement and retention data once the server reaches 500 members - **Community Onboarding** for self-assigned roles and rule acceptance - These features do not need to be enabled immediately; developers can adopt them as the community expands. ## Channel Design - Every channel should have a clearly defined purpose and a descriptive name. - Read-only channels should use consistent formatting, emojis, and Markdown to make important information easy to scan. - Suggested channels include: - `#rules-and-info` for server rules and guidelines - `#announcements` for game and playtest news - `#patch-notes` for updates and release details - `#game-discussion` for broader conversation A successful game playtest server should start small, organized, and purpose-driven. Establish clear permissions, separate information from discussion, and add features or channels only when they support the testing process and the community’s growth.

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Discord Markdown Game Development Access Control+2

discordApr 16, 20253 min readCurated summary

The Game Developer Playbook, Part Two: Early Access and Pre-Launch

The post explains how game developers should evolve a Discord server from a private playtest space into a public pre-launch or Early Access community. Its central advice is to define what members should do, create focused spaces for conversation and feedback, and measure meaningful engagement rather than member count alone. The server should remain flexible as the game and community develop. ## Defining the Community’s Purpose - Decide what you want members to do when they visit the server. - Successful communities typically: - Encourage open discussions about trailers, updates, and development decisions. - Build a network of ambassadors and super fans. - Host activities for both small and large groups. - Gather feedback through announcement threads rather than one-way posts. - Help players find others for multiplayer sessions, strategy discussions, and team play. - Members may join for news, feedback opportunities, social connections, or organized events, so the server should support these different needs. ## Designing the Server Structure - Starting early helps developers understand how the community evolves. - A server focused on one game is usually easier to navigate than one covering multiple games or franchises. - Developers moving from a private playtest to a public community may benefit from creating a new server and rewarding playtesters with VIP roles. - The layout should remain experimental and adaptable. ### Categories and Channels - Categories can organize discussions as the community grows, including dedicated support areas. - Every channel should have a clear purpose. - Start with a small number of channels and expand only when necessary. - Use categories and emojis to make channels easier to recognize. ### Roles and Permissions - Administrators should handle major server-wide changes. - Staff roles can provide lighter permissions and access to private operational areas. - Moderators need only the permissions required to enforce rules and manage conversations. - It is easier to add roles and channels later than to remove permissions or undo an overly complex setup. ## Measuring Engagement - A large membership count does not necessarily indicate a successful community. - Discord should function as an ongoing conversation, not merely a broadcast channel. - More useful metrics include: - **Activation and engagement:** Whether new members explore channels or send a message on their first day. - **Communication:** How many members participate in text or voice conversations, measured daily, weekly, or monthly. - **Retention:** Whether new members return and participate again the following week. - Community servers can use Discord’s Server Insights to monitor these measures and other activity data. The practical recommendation is to keep the server focused, lean, and community-oriented. Developers should prioritize meaningful participation, feedback, and member retention while adjusting the server structure as the game and audience grow.

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Discord Game Development Community Management Early Access+3

discordApr 13, 20252 min readCurated summary

MAJOR NEWS: DISCORD ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST IN-HOUSE AAAA VIDEO GAME, “THE LAST MEADOW”

Discord announced Big Wump Games, its new in-house studio, alongside its first “AAAA” title, *The Last Meadow*. The game stars Wumpus on a journey across dangerous plains, deserts, and frozen forests to reach the legendary meadow. It was playable directly in Discord from April 1–7, 2025, with a limited-time Avatar Decoration awarded to players who finished it. ## Big Wump Games and *The Last Meadow* - Discord introduced Big Wump Games as its first in-house game studio. - The studio’s debut release was described humorously as a “quadruple-A” game. - The announcement builds on Discord’s connection to the millions of users who play games with friends through the platform. ## Adventure and Gameplay - Players take on the role of Wumpus. - The quest involves: - Crossing perilous plains - Climbing desert cliffs - Traveling through frostbound forests - The objective is to reach the mythical Last Meadow, presented as an achievement no Discord user had completed before. ## Availability and Reward - The game could be played directly through Discord’s desktop app: - In User Settings - Through the provided “Play The Last Meadow” link - The game was available from April 1 through April 7, 2025. - Players who completed it by April 7 received an exclusive Avatar Decoration usable throughout April. Discord’s announcement presents *The Last Meadow* as a limited-time, playful expansion of its gaming identity. Interested users needed to play during the one-week window to claim the exclusive profile reward.

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Discord Desktop App Video Game Game Studio

discordApr 8, 2025Original article

Overclocking dbt: Discord's Custom Solution in Processing Petabytes of Data (opens in new tab)

Discord scaled its data infrastructure to manage petabytes of data and over 2,500 models by moving beyond a standard dbt implementation. While the tool initially provided a modular and developer-friendly framework, the sheer volume of data and a high headcount of over 100 concurrent developers led to critical performance bottlenecks. To resolve these issues, Discord developed custom extensions to dbt’s core functionality, successfully reducing compilation times and automating complex data transformations. ### Strategic Adoption of dbt * Discord integrated dbt into its stack to leverage software engineering principles like modular design and code reusability for SQL transformations. * The tool’s open-source nature allowed the team to align with Discord’s internal philosophy of community-driven engineering. * The framework offered seamless integration with other internal tools, such as the Dagster orchestrator, and provided a robust testing environment to ensure data quality. ### Scaling Bottlenecks and Performance Issues * The project grew to a size where recompiling the entire dbt project took upwards of 20 minutes, severely hindering developer velocity. * Standard incremental materialization strategies provided by dbt proved inefficient for the petabyte-scale data volumes generated by millions of concurrent users. * Developer workflows often collided, resulting in teams inadvertently overwriting each other’s test tables and creating data silos or inconsistencies. * The lack of specialized handling for complex backfills threatened the organization’s ability to deliver timely and accurate insights. ### Engineering Custom Extensions for Growth * The team built a provider-agnostic layer over Google BigQuery to streamline complex calculations and automate massive data backfills. * Custom optimizations were implemented to prevent breaking changes during the development cycle, ensuring that 100+ developers could work simultaneously without friction. * By extending dbt’s core, Discord transformed slow development cycles into a rapid, automated system capable of serving as the backbone for their global analytics infrastructure. For organizations operating at massive scale, standard open-source tools often require custom-built orchestration and optimization layers to remain viable. Prioritizing the automation of backfills and optimizing compilation logic is essential to maintaining developer productivity and data integrity when dealing with thousands of models and petabytes of information.

Sql Scalability Data Engineering Dbt+3

discordApr 7, 2025Original article

Discord Update: March 25, 2025 Changelog (opens in new tab)

The Discord March 25, 2025, update focuses on a comprehensive modernization of the desktop client and its in-game integration capabilities. Through a modular overlay redesign and significant UI flexibility, the platform aims to enhance user agency and service reliability for its core gaming audience. ### Modular In-Game Overlay * The overlay has been transitioned to a widget-based system, allowing users to move and organize specific UI elements to suit different game genres. * New functional depth includes the ability to watch friend's streams or start a personal gameplay broadcast with a single click without leaving the game. * Native Soundboard support is now integrated directly into the overlay for immediate access during gameplay. * The update expands the library of supported games, ensuring notifications and widgets work across more titles. ### Desktop UI Refresh and Customization * Four new base themes—Light, Ash, Dark, and Onyx—have been introduced alongside three UI density options to adjust app spacing. * The interface has been decluttered by moving the Inbox to the title bar and centralizing voice and video call buttons into a single unified bar. * The channel list is now resizable, facilitating easier navigation for servers with long channel names. * Active camera status is now indicated by a persistent green button, providing better visual feedback when a user's video is live. ### Developer Integrations and Social Tools * A new API allows developers to implement Discord-powered text chat directly within their game clients, with initial support in titles like *Rust* and *Pax Dei*. * The "Ignore" feature provides a privacy layer that hides messages from specific users in DMs and servers without notifying the ignored party. * Discord’s App Launcher now includes "Spark: Hero Tactics," a new first-party deck-building battle game available on both desktop and mobile. ### Backend Reliability and API Deployment * Discord has overhauled its API deployment process to isolate and protect critical infrastructure from potential configuration errors. * This structural change is designed to minimize the frequency of outages and ensure that core messaging and voice services remain stable during maintenance cycles. To get the most out of this update, users should experiment with the new UI density settings to reclaim screen real estate and check the Overlay settings to configure their widget layout before their next gaming session.

User Experience Desktop App Widgets Discord Api+3

discordApr 7, 2025Original article

Wicked Saints Turns Players into IRL Superheroes with the Help of e.l.f. Beauty and Discord (opens in new tab)

Wicked Saints Studios has launched *World Reborn*, a pioneering interactive story game designed to translate digital achievements into tangible real-world social impact. Built by a team of peacebuilders and behavioral scientists, the platform leverages positive psychology to reveal players' character strengths through narrative gameplay and "Training Mods." The launch marks a new paradigm for brand-led missions where Gen Z players can improve their personal wellbeing while contributing to global social causes. **Behavioral Technology and Skill-Building** * The game is described as "Duolingo for saving humanity," using bite-sized interactive narratives to improve player wellbeing and relationships. * The platform employs behavioral technology to identify a player's natural "character strengths," encouraging them to apply these traits to day-to-day reality. * Mastery within the game is specifically designed to bridge the gap between digital entertainment and real-life skills, such as resilience and emotional regulation. * The project emerged from Niantic’s BDI incubator, utilizing the expertise of former senior engineers from *Pokémon GO*. **Brand-Led Social Impact Missions** * The platform features "Training Mods," which are real-world quests hosted by corporate and non-profit partners to tackle specific social issues. * Exclusive launch partner e.l.f. Beauty has developed quests focused on building confidence in young girls and supporting Elite Women Athletes, featuring insights from WNBA star Aerial Powers. * Discord serves as the exclusive communications partner, hosting Training Mods centered on teen mental health, authenticity, and the use of gaming for stress reduction. * The Starlight Children’s Foundation provides a mission where players send words of encouragement to hospitalized children, using the story of a transplant survivor to foster empathy and connection. **Connecting with Gen Z Through Authenticity** * The platform targets the 13–24 demographic, noting that 87% of Gen Z play games at least once a week. * By moving beyond traditional advertising, brands can connect with Gen Z through the social spaces and authentic interactions they already prioritize. * The game leverages the social infrastructure of Discord to help players form communities around their unique strengths and gameplay experiences. **The Multi-Disciplinary Development Team** * Wicked Saints is a Black female-led studio backed by major industry players including Riot Games and Reid Hoffman. * The leadership team combines an Emmy-award winning storyteller and international peacebuilder with a behavioral science researcher. * Creative talent for the project includes veterans from major franchises and productions such as *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*, *Love Death + Robots*, and *Marvel*. For organizations looking to engage younger demographics, *World Reborn* offers a scalable model for integrating corporate social responsibility directly into the gaming experience. The app is currently available on the Apple App Store for an initial eight-week limited run.

Gamification Mobile Gaming Social Gaming Behavioral Technology+3

discordApr 3, 20252 min readCurated summary

How to Stream Games and Applications to Discord from Desktop or Mobile

Discord lets users stream games, applications, or entire screens from desktop and mobile while in a voice call. Desktop users can choose between sharing a specific application or their whole screen, while mobile users can only share everything displayed on their device. Stream quality, audio support, and available features vary by platform, with Nitro offering higher-resolution streaming options. ## Streaming from Desktop - Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. - Join a voice call in a server channel or DM. - Select the screen-sharing button, then choose: - A specific application or game - The entire screen - A capture device - Adjust stream quality and select **Go Live**. ## Streaming from Mobile - Available on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. - Open a voice call and expand the bottom options menu. - Tap **Share Your Screen** and confirm using the device’s streaming controls. - Mobile streaming shares the entire screen, including notifications and device audio. - Users should mute notifications to avoid exposing private information. ## Sharing an Application vs. the Entire Screen - **Share Application** - Shows only the selected game or application. - Can include audio from that application without sharing sounds from other apps. - Helps keep unrelated content and notifications private. - **Share Entire Screen** - Shows everything visible on the display. - Can share system audio from all applications. - Viewers may see notifications, messages, or other sensitive content. - Mobile devices only support full-screen sharing. ## Audio Support by Platform - Windows, the mobile app, and Chrome support application audio sharing without additional setup. - macOS supports audio streaming on macOS Ventura or later. - Audio sharing is unavailable through non-Chrome browsers and on Linux at the time of publication. ## Choosing Stream Quality - **Smoother Video** prioritizes frame rate by reducing resolution, making it better for fast-moving games. - **Better Text Readability** preserves the application’s resolution while lowering frame rate, which is useful for documents, artwork, or homework. - Discord Nitro provides HD streaming at higher resolutions and up to 60 frames per second. Choose application sharing when privacy and focused audio matter; use full-screen sharing when viewers need to see everything. On mobile, review notifications and other visible content before starting because the entire device screen will be broadcast.

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Discord Android iOS Linux+4

discordApr 2, 20253 min readCurated summary

Discord Patch Notes: April 3, 2025

Discord’s April 3, 2025 patch focuses on usability, reliability, performance, and bug fixes across desktop and mobile. Major updates include Overlay v3, improved mobile navigation to unread messages, smarter Quick Switcher rankings, and expanded server-joining controls. The release also addresses numerous localization, layout, permissions, rendering, and chat issues. ## Major Highlights - **Overlay v3** was released, with Discord encouraging users—especially those dissatisfied with earlier Overlay versions—to try it. - Mobile users should now reach the oldest unread message in a busy channel with a single tap on the “new messages” indicator. - Quick Switcher channel-ranking logic was refined to improve search results and navigation across multiple servers. ## Server Access and Community Management - Users can set a server nickname and configure DM permissions during the invite-based joining process. - Servers can now use the Membership Application system, requiring approval before users join. This is managed through the new **Access** tab in Server Settings. - The built-in Timeout command was fixed and should once again accept valid durations. - Moderator actions from a user’s profile now work correctly even when that user has blocked the moderator. - The server ban list no longer displays stray parentheses after usernames. ## Interface, Navigation, and Performance Fixes - Keyboard navigation in Quest Discovery now expands the selected tile. - Desktop popouts should appear where they were opened instead of at the top-left corner. - The Shop’s “Shop All” section received performance improvements. - The back button now correctly returns users to Server Discovery after joining a server. - Numerous alignment and rendering problems were fixed across voice channels, profile popouts, MFA setup, Safety settings, code blocks, emoji, banners, and mobile screens. - Mobile issues involving blank screens after leaving Group DMs, scrolling Nitro perks, emoji-picker navigation, and poll-result overlap were resolved. ## Localization and Content Display - Fixed missing or incorrect translations in UK English, Japanese, and other localized interfaces. - Corrected event text, Quest minute pluralization, Nitro Home banner alignment, and Prune Members UI rendering. - Markdown in Scheduled Events and information in voice-chat profile popouts should now display properly. - Search results should once again show messages correctly. ## Chat and Threads - Mastodon embeds now provide better support for images, videos, formatting, styling, and a broader range of posts. - Spotify embeds in Text in Voice channels should scale correctly. - Mobile users no longer need to provide a thread name, matching the desktop experience. - Users are no longer incorrectly prompted to create a thread when they lack permission to send messages but can create threads. - Slowmode messages should display their full text instead of only the first few letters. - Users with the necessary permissions can lock and unlock mobile threads without joining them first. Overall, the patch is primarily a broad maintenance release, combining several visible feature improvements with a large number of cross-platform fixes. Users should see smoother navigation, more reliable chat behavior, and better consistency between desktop and mobile experiences.

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Discord Android iOS Markdown+3

discordMar 30, 20252 min readCurated summary

Checkpoint 2: Our First Year With Discord Quests

Discord’s first year with Quests shows how rewarded advertising can connect players, developers, and brands without interrupting gameplay. By placing campaigns in Discord’s gaming communities, Quests give users rewards while helping advertisers reach engaged audiences authentically. After 70+ campaigns, Discord reports strong repeat participation from users and returning advertisers. ## Quests as Player-Centered Advertising - Quests reward users for engaging with games or entertainment content. - More than 200 million monthly active users spend a combined 1.5 billion hours playing over 8,000 PC titles each month. - Users who accept a targeted Quest are three times more likely to accept another. - More than half of Quests partners have returned for a second campaign. - Campaigns have included franchises such as *Diablo*, *Street Fighter*, *World of Warcraft*, *Genshin Impact*, and *Dune: Prophecy*. ## Campaign Results - **Genshin Impact:** A Play Quest promoting a major update attracted millions of participants and increased playtime by 80% during the campaign week. - **Dune: Prophecy:** Max’s first Video Quest featured a 2-minute, 38-second trailer that achieved an 85% completion rate among users who engaged with it. ## Why Discord Reaches Players Effectively - Gaming audiences often reject traditional advertising, especially when it feels disruptive or inauthentic. - Discord reaches players in the “digital living rooms” where they already socialize with friends. - Campaigns can build on existing behaviors rather than interrupting gameplay. - Users are especially engaged socially: gameplay increases sevenfold when they play with at least one friend. ## Two Quest Formats - **Video Quests:** Designed to build awareness through trailers, season announcements, DLC promotions, and other video content. - **Play Quests:** Require users to play or stream a game to unlock rewards, directly encouraging gameplay. - Discord is expanding Video Quests to mobile to increase campaign reach and create additional advertising opportunities. Discord’s results suggest that rewarded, community-based advertising can be more effective than interruption-based formats for gaming audiences. Brands seeking to reach players should focus on authentic engagement and incentives that complement, rather than disrupt, the gaming experience.

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Discord Gaming Game Discovery Mobile+2

discordMar 30, 20252 min readCurated summary

How to Create & Upload Your Own Stickers on Discord

Discord stickers function like oversized emojis, adding emphasis and personality to messages. Users can access server stickers plus 300 Discord-created stickers, while Nitro members can use stickers from their servers anywhere. Creating custom stickers requires server permissions, exact file specifications, and enough sticker slots, which can be expanded through Server Boosting. ## Using Stickers on Discord - Open the sticker menu from the chat bar by selecting the peeling-square icon. - Stickers are available from: - Servers you belong to - Discord’s library of 300 stickers usable anywhere, including DMs - Click a sticker to send it immediately. - Hold **Shift** while clicking to attach the sticker to a message in progress. - Server stickers can be used within that server. - Nitro members can use their servers’ stickers in other servers, DMs, and group DMs. ## Uploading Custom Stickers - Custom stickers belong to Discord servers. - Uploaders must either: - Own the server, or - Have the **Manage Expressions** permission - Upload stickers through **Server Settings > Stickers**. - Required specifications: - Exactly **320 × 320 pixels** - **PNG** for static stickers - **APNG or GIF** for animated stickers - Maximum file size of **512 KB** - Each sticker requires an associated emoji to improve suggestions and searchability. - An optional text description can improve accessibility for screen-reader users. ## Sticker Limits and Server Boosting - Servers begin with **five sticker slots**. - Boosting can increase the total capacity to **5, 15, 30, or 60 stickers**, depending on the server’s boost level. - Nitro includes two boosts that can provide ten additional slots when applied to an unboosted server. - If a server loses boosts and drops to a lower tier: - Stickers beyond the new limit become unavailable. - Administrators can restore boosts or remove stickers to meet the reduced limit. ## Creating Sticker Images - Any image can become a sticker if it meets Discord’s technical requirements and Community Guidelines. - Basic cropping can be done with built-in tools such as Microsoft Paint or macOS Preview. - Discord apps such as Picsart can automatically remove image backgrounds. - Mobile users need an editing app capable of exporting images at exactly **320 × 320 pixels**. To create a sticker, prepare an appropriately sized image, upload it through the server’s Stickers settings, associate an emoji, and add an accessibility description when useful.

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Discord Screen Readers Custom Emoji Png+4

discordMar 30, 20252 min readCurated summary

Revamped Overlay & Refreshed Desktop Give Game Time a Boost

Discord’s March 25, 2025 update focuses on improving PC gaming through a redesigned Game Overlay and a refreshed desktop app. The new Overlay uses movable widgets, performs better, supports more games, and avoids directly hooking into game windows. Desktop users also gain expanded themes, density controls, resizable channel lists, and clearer voice and video controls. ## Redesigned Game Overlay - Rebuilt around individual widgets rather than replicating the full Discord interface. - Adds an action bar for: - Voice and video controls - One-click game streaming - Joining voice calls - Lets users watch friends’ game streams directly within the Overlay. - Widgets can be repositioned to suit different game types, including RTS and FPS games. - Improves performance by avoiding the previous direct game-window hooking approach. - Works with more titles, including more of Discord’s most-played games, while reducing conflicts with anti-cheat systems. ## Refreshed Desktop Customization - Adds four free base themes: - Light - Ash - Dark - Onyx - Introduces three UI density settings: - Spacious - Default - Compact - Makes the channel list resizable, helping users read longer channel names. - Refreshes colors and illustrations throughout the application. - Aims to improve legibility, reduce visual clutter, and create greater consistency between desktop and mobile. ## Improved Voice and Video Controls - Consolidates more call controls into a single, centralized bar. - Uses stronger visual indicators for device status: - A more prominent red glow when the microphone is muted - A green glow when the camera is active Discord says these changes are intended to make desktop gaming more convenient before, during, and after play, particularly since more than 72% of its users regularly game on PC. Users can adjust the new appearance settings through Discord’s support options and provide feedback through the company’s forums or social media.

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Discord Desktop App Voice Chat Video Streaming+4

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