Overview - Dot Play Games Bounty A & Refill Games Bounty B

Project Name — Dot Play: Accelerate Gaming Adoption in the Polkadot Ecosystem

Following our successful application to the DFF as the specialized Business Development arm for Polkadot gaming, along with the establishment of Dot Play Bounty (Game Bounty A) as a games publisher, and after the full deployment of Games Bounty A (500,000 DOT) we are submitting a new proposal, Games Bounty B herein (1,000,000 DOT.) Our goal is to create a new business model of sustainable and profitable cash flow to replenish and sustain the Polkadot Treasury.

After referendum #968 passed with 100% approval, we deployed the capital, along with our own resources, building towards the ambitions we set out in our proposal. We have made great progress in developing a core structure and vision for continued funding and efforts to stimulate the adoption of Polkadot in gaming and entertainment: We are building Polkadot tech specifically for gaming with the primary goal of content interoperability. Specifically, Blockdeep Labs and we are developing a neutral hub for experience exchange in the Polkadot gaming and entertainment ecosystem. As this experience exchange will require a content flywheel to use it, we have begun in Games Bounty A by completing four exciting mass market content agreements, all of which are highly confidential as they are in production mode.

In the process of meeting ~400 companies in our work as Dot Play Business Development, we have surfaced several exciting and accretive projects, which will require additional capital. All of our content projects have a goal of generating profitable cash flow and returning to the Polkadot treasury. Below please find our progress report and more importantly, our refill request, Games Bounty B, of 1 million DOT to be able to continue on our ambitious road map to continue to create a games accelerator for the Polkadot ecosystem. In addition to funding from the Polkadot community, we are using our own capital and human resources, our 20+ year relationships and network, our new gaming talent, and new tools that we are offering to studios as a part of the accelerator.

Full detail linked here 

Games Bounty A Completed:

Technology: Blockdeep Hub for Polkadot (in process)

Tools: 1) Polkadot SDK for Unity; 2) NEW - Sortium 3D Asset Generation tools, an exclusive offering by Dot Play Bounty, as game publisher, to game studios building in the Polkadot ecosystem; 3) NEW - AI-driven virtual KOL, Dottie

Content: 1) Project Rainbow (mass market IP game in development to be launched by YE24); 2) CM Games Note + revenue share agreement to complete Nitro Nation World Tour and create a path for future growth); 3) Visible Realms (Mobile Game which integrates Unity SDK for Polkadot and virtual influencer technology); 4) Building Blox (Roblox-first brand integrations, including Polkadot branding, in select Roblox games

Games Bounty B Funding Requested:

Technology: Continued build out of Polkadot gaming hub to provide an interoperability hub for the use of all parachains, from Mythos to Asset Hub (in collaboration with Blockdeep Labs, Parity and industry partners.)

Tools: Continued support of the Sortium 3D Asset Generation tools for new studios, an exclusive offering by Dot Play Bounty, as game publisher, to game studios building in the Polkadot ecosystem; Continue to build the KOL squad, in addition to Dottie

Content: Mercedes Mone: New Superstar in the Polkadot Gaming & Entertainment ecosystem. Dubit: We are in the process of building a digital-first luxury retail store, featuring in-game assets such as original wigs and clothing designs, with the ultimate ability to sell physical versions of her online skins (in process)

Polkadot Platform Extension in SPORTS - exciting opportunity in progress - LootMogul: complementing Mythos, InterMiami and Conor Daly. LootMogul is a Web3 platform at the intersection of sports, gaming, and the creator economy. Leveraging blockchain technology, LootMogul empowers fans to create and own unique sports games and experiences using their series of AI services, such as the Text-To-X platform for games, merchandise, and fantasy leagues. With exclusive partnerships across major sports leagues, including cricket (Cricket South Africa - 1.3B viewers in 2023), and a focus on GenZ engagement, Lootmogul is unlocking new revenue streams for the sports industry.

Learnings from this round of projects: Developers and investors alike validate and applaud our business development strategy, and we have had an incredibly warm reception despite the blockchain skeptics we interact with in gaming. In short, they see merit in our technology hub and tooling that transcend their preconceived biases We have an ambitious and encompassing vision that will take time and effort to execute. We aim to create a sustainable model for the treasury, and while we had a running start with several mass market, well-known IP projects, we need more financing to increase our pace and to build a solid foundation The logistics of negotiating, evaluating, and deploying capital during a pullback in the crypto markets has presented significant friction in the process as our capital allocation to new partners have been revised down multiple times. This is not easily mitigated by the fact that our total capital is small relative to any other publishers who are working with our studios. A larger fund structure is needed to keep our reputation intact, which will be mitigated by our AD8 New Superstars Fund, as announced by W3F. We’ve identified through our discussions and meetings with companies and investors that our biggest tactical advantage and strength is our ability to build publishing and community aggregation tools that enable developers to stay connected to their audiences using Polkadot tech. Separately, we believe that we are now the only publisher who is offering anything like Sortium’s 3D asset generation tools as a part of our ‘start up’ package. Our next bounty will lead with these products.

Proposed Refill of Dot Play Bounty: Total ask: 1 million DOT into game projects

Treasury / Dot Play net revenue split (after distribution, platform, chargebacks and other expenses) 80/20. This will create a way to grow the bounty over time by driving new capital back into the ecosystem, based on profitability. Game publishing operations across projects: 1 million DOT. Assuming $5/DOT:

• Content and Experiences: $3,360,000
• Tooling, Dot Play hub, including Polkadot Engine SDKs Unreal $1,440,000
• Accounting, investment reporting, and legal $200,000