You can now buy, gift video game skins on Discord
What's the story
Discord, the popular communication platform for gamers, has launched a new feature that allows users to buy and gift digital items for games. The first game to support this feature is Marvel Rivals. The new capability will let players search for, purchase, wishlist, and also gift cosmetics without leaving the Discord platform.
Experience
How the new feature works
The new feature is accessible through a dedicated store page on the official Discord server of Marvel Rivals. Users can browse and purchase items directly from this page, without having to launch the game client. They can also create wishlists for specific items that will be visible on their profile, where friends can view and buy them too.
Developer benefits
A boon for developers
Discord Co-founder and CTO Stan Vishnevskiy revealed that the wishlist and gifting features of the new store present a huge opportunity for both the platform and game developers. He said, "On any single day, 20% of purchases are gifts."
User convenience
Discord's new feature aims to simplify purchasing experience
Vishnevskiy explained that the new feature is all about making the purchasing experience simple and seamless. He said, "We all have friends that play games that we don't play, and they love things that we don't always love." The Discord co-founder also hinted at plans to bring this feature to consoles and mobile devices in the future.
Future expansion
Shop plan to include more games
Vishnevskiy revealed that Discord's in-game shop plan will not be limited to big AAA games and publishers. He said, "We are starting with more AAA games, but our intent is to make sure this is available long term beyond them."