Checkpoint 2: Our First Year With Discord Quests (opens in new tab)

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.