Discord announced Nitro Rewards on Monday, providing Nitro subscribers with exclusive offers from gaming and lifestyle brands at no additional cost.

Nitro currently enhances the Discord experience through features such as expanded profile customization, HD streaming capabilities and file uploads up to 500 MB. The subscription remains optional, allowing full platform access without payment - a deliberate choice by Discord. This approach, however, makes attracting paying users more challenging.

"Nitro has always focused on meaningfully enhancing the Discord experience without significantly restricting free users," Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord co-founder and CTO, told TechCrunch.

Nitro Rewards is available to both Nitro Basic ($2.99/month) and full Nitro ($9.99/month) subscribers, aiming to boost perceived value and improve retention rates.

Launching with access to the base tier of Xbox Game Pass, this includes over 50 PC and Xbox titles like Fallout 4, Stardew Valley and Day Z. It also features 10 hours of cloud gaming for streaming from PC or Xbox to other devices.

Additional perks include 15% to 30% discounts on select gaming gear from Logitech G, SteelSeries and KontrolFreak, with rotating offers. Discord intends to expand partnerships for more such deals in the future.

"Nitro drives the majority of Discord's revenue, showing steady year-over-year growth," Vishnevskiy noted. "We're committed to amplifying that by delivering greater value. It's a sincere appreciation to subscribers for their support, while also enhancing business retention through increased subscription worth."

Originally built as a gamer chat app, Discord has evolved into a vital hub for diverse online communities - from crypto enthusiasts developing decentralized projects and pub-goers planning local events to activists organizing protests. It holds significant influence in tech circles, where founders engage beta testers and power users directly. The platform now boasts over 90 million daily active users.

With this broader reach, Discord faces the same online safety challenges as major platforms. The company is gearing up for age-verification tools amid rising lawsuits concerning children's safety online.