Discord is doubling down on its Nitro subscription program with new perks. Instead of just getting better server privileges and custom emoji, paid users will now get discounts on certain gear and access to Game Pass Starter Edition, a newly revealed, narrower slice of Xbox’s Netflix-like game library service. Nitro is currently $10 a month ($100 a year), and users will now get access to games like Stardew Valley and Fallout 4 at no extra cost.
As previously leaked, Game Pass Starter Edition includes around 50 Xbox games and their PC versions where applicable. That ranges from Xbox first-party stuff like Gears 5 and The Elder Scrolls Online to indies like Tunic and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Nitro subscribers will also get the opportunity to earn up to $25 in Microsoft rewards and stream games over the cloud for up to 10 hours a month.
Nitro’s existing suite of bonuses, which includes bigger server file upload sizes and HD game streaming to other users, will also add discounts to PC gaming gear like 30 percent off Logitech and 15 percent off at SteelSeries. Will all of this be enough to convince millions of free Discord users to upgrade?
“As we hit Nitro’s 10-year anniversary, we’re launching Nitro Rewards, a brand-new benefits program built with some of the biggest names in gaming,” Discord product director Lu Zhang wrote on the company’s website on Monday. “We want to keep the bar high for what we include. Every partner in this program is here because they offer something that people who play games would naturally want. That focus is going to stay as Nitro Rewards grows.”
Discord is rumored to be pursuing an IPO while Microsoft is searching for ways to grow Game Pass’ stalled footprint. It’s unclear if this synergy will be the key to unlocking either one of those goals, but the emphasis on paid perks rather than ad-supported features shows Discord isn’t yet looking to completely sell out its free riders.
