Discord's virtual reward, ‘Orbs,' launches out of beta
Users earn Orbs after completing Quests, which involve interacting with ads for products or games to get virtual items. Users can redeem Orbs for digital items in Discord's Shop, like a three-day Nitro credit, an Orb-themed profile badge, profile effects, avatar decorations, and more.
According to Discord, Orbs have been popular among testers, with millions earned and spent during the seven-week beta period. Other company data shows that there was a 16-fold increase in first-time purchases in the Shop, with 79% of participants having never bought anything before.
Discord is said to be considering an IPO and is looking to show potential partners that it can maintain a scalable ad model. Discord is marketing Orbs to advertisers as a simpler way to launch Quest campaigns without needing to create their own rewards.
The Orbs experiment is also likely meant to attract users who do not have a subscription to try Nitro, as they can use Orbs to purchase credits. However, it's unclear whether there was an increase in subscriptions. The company didn't respond to a request for comment, but it did mention that 70% of Orbs participants were nonmembers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pagaya Technologies (PGY) Soars 25.37% as Preliminary Q2 Results Suggest Exceeding Income Guidance
We recently published . Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PGY) is one of the top-performing companies on Thursday. Pagaya Technologies jumped by 25.37 percent on Thursday to end at $29.50 apiece following the preliminary results of its second quarter earnings performance that saw the company exceed its net income guidance. In a statement, Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PGY) said that it was expecting to announce $17 million in net income during the second quarter of the year, or 70 percent higher than the high-end range of its $0-$10 million guidance previously. Revenues were also expected to hit $326 million, or 5-12 percent higher than the $290 million to $310 million guidance prior. A shot of a financial trader's hands pressing buttons rapidly on a trading terminal. Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PGY) said it is finalizing the results of its earnings performance, with official data set to be released on August 7, 2025. 'Our second-quarter results reflect continued strong execution across our network, with a focus on consistent and profitable growth,' said Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PGY) CFO Evangelos Perros. While we acknowledge the potential of PGY as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A Big Railway Merger Could Be Rolling Closer
A multibillion-dollar rail merger may be chugging closer. Union Pacific (UNP) is in talks to acquire Norfolk Southern (NSC), The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal would merge companies with a combined market value of roughly $200 billion, based on Visible Alpha data. The report set both companies' shares in motion, with Union Pacific recently down 1.7% and Norfolk Southern up more than 3%. Shares of CSX (CSX), which yesterday was the subject of a Semafor story saying it was a possible takeover target, were little changed. All three companies declined to comment. A merger might face considerable regulatory hurdles, though experts generally believe President Donald Trump's administration would be broadly friendly to big deals. Bank of America analysts on Thursday upgraded shares of CSX to a bullish rating, citing "increased potential for M&A discussions to drive valuation interest in US railroads higher." It's been a while since there was a big railway merger. The last, which created Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP), was in 2023. Its shares were off nearly 4% today. "We've long viewed a transformative transcontinental railroad merger as an intriguing possibility," Deutsche Bank analysts wrote yesterday while raising their price target on Union Pacific to $272. The stock closed Thursday just below $270. With the latest news, they wrote, "we ascribe a higher probability to the deal." Read the original article on Investopedia
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Daniel Radcliffe's ‘disturbing' film with Sabrina Carpenter finally available on streaming
Harry Potter this is not. A decade after quietly slithering into cinemas, Horns – a genre-bending horror-fantasy starring Daniel Radcliffe and a teenage Sabrina Carpenter – is finally getting its due. The film is landing on Pluto TV for free streaming on July 21, giving horror fans and Radcliffe loyalists a chance to revisit one of his strangest, darkest roles. Based on Joe Hill's bestselling 2010 novel (yes, Stephen King's son), Horns follows Ig Perrish (Radcliffe), a young man whose life implodes after his girlfriend Merrin (played by Ted Lasso star Juno Temple) is brutally murdered. Everyone thinks he did it, but Ig's reality becomes even stranger when he wakes up with horns sprouting from his forehead, granting him the sinister ability to compel people to reveal their darkest secrets. Using this terrifying power, Ig sets out to find the real killer while grappling with the town's suspicion and his own grief. Directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl), Horns is a twisted blend of supernatural horror, dark comedy, and psychological thriller, unafraid to push boundaries and lean into its bizarre premise. It explores guilt, vengeance, love, and transformation with a darkly humorous edge, making it stand out in a landscape often dominated by formulaic horror. Sabrina Carpenter, who was just 15 during filming, plays the young Merrin in flashbacks, years before she would top charts and sell out stadium tours. The cast also includes The Handmaid's Tale's Max Minghella as Lee Tourneau, Ig's childhood friend whose secrets add further layers to the film's mystery. At its 2014 release, Horns received a mixed reception, with critics unsure how to handle its shifts in tone and genre. But over the years, the film has gained a cult following for its originality, gothic visuals, and Radcliffe's fearless performance as a man teetering between heartbreak and hellish fury. Fans on IMDb have praised the film's unusual concept, calling it 'an underdog movie that combines horror, fantasy, drama and psychological suspense.' On X, one viewer wrote, 'So many regrets not watching Horns earlier. Daniel Radcliffe you twisted mother!!' i just found out this was daniel radcliffe with sabrina carpenter😭 — jude⸆⸉ (@karmaissebby) May 11, 2024 Radcliffe's post-Potter career has often veered into the eccentric, from Swiss Army Man to Guns Akimbo, but Horns remains one of his boldest swings, showcasing his commitment to playing characters who are both tormented and darkly funny. The film also captures Carpenter at the start of her career, years before her current pop star superstardom, adding another layer of intrigue for her fans. In an era of safe remakes and jump-scare-heavy horror, Horns offers something different: a story about grief and rage dressed in supernatural horror, wrapped with dark humour and led by a committed Radcliffe who grows literal horns as his world collapses around him. Whether you're in the mood for a cult horror you missed, a dose of dark fantasy, or a reminder of Radcliffe's willingness to take risks, Horns delivers. It is a film that leaves an impression – sometimes shocking, sometimes emotional, always strange. With its arrival on Pluto TV, Horns is ready to haunt a new generation, proving that even a decade later, its twisted tale of love, loss, and the monstrous truths we hide is worth the watch.
