GCP Monthly Update – April 2025
As the GCP continues to scale operations and deepen its engagement with the broader gaming and venture ecosystem, April has been a month of network expansion, early-stage deal refinement, and team growth. This update provides a brief look into ongoing activities and a preview of what’s to come.
GCP Progress: From Foundations to Network Development
After the initial phases of the GCP focused on building key infrastructure and processes, the current focus is on refining and scaling the overall programming.
With the first key investments, grants, and hires going live over the past weeks, the team now have data at hand to continue reinforcing successes while applying valuable learnings to streamline operations. The relationships built over the last months have also positioned us as a key strategic partner with investors, builders, and ecosystems.
These efforts are beginning to show results: the team are seeing increased inbound interest, earlier access to high-quality opportunities, and stronger co-investment activity from respected partners across the gaming and entertainment vertical.
Deal Pipeline: Continued Momentum, Selective Progress
The investment pipeline continues to grow steadily, with increasing conversion from initial contact to serious diligence. The team are seeing improved quality and diversity across game genres, as well as in infrastructure and distribution platforms. The list below shows a snapshot of current projects in the pipeline, excluding those that did not meet the GCP requirements.
Investment Pipeline Overview (as of April 30th):
- 31 - Initial Screening
- 21 - In Discussions
- 11 - Diligence Started
- 3 - Ready for Investment Committee (IC) Review
- 2 - IC Approved
- 5 - Final Legal / KYB
- 2 - Investments Deployed
- 5 - Grants Deployed
Each stage in the pipeline reflects not just volume, but also growing inbound momentum as more developers and co-investors become aware of the GCP’s role within the Arbitrum gaming ecosystem. Several of the projects currently in diligence include co-investment opportunities alongside top-tier VCs and publishing partners.
We are excited to share details about the GCP’s first complete deals via a formal announcement soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
Hiring: Strengthening the Team
We’re pleased to announce continued progress on team expansion:
- Randall has officially joined as Content & Communications Lead. With deep experience in gaming and web3 communications, including several years at Blizzard Entertainment, where he helped lead messaging for the Hearthstone franchise, he will play a key role in shaping GCP’s storytelling, community-facing updates, and content strategy. Randall will also support DAO-facing work in collaboration with Castle Labs.
- We have a confirmed new hire who will start in the Venture Associate role on May 3rd, bringing prior experience in game-focused venture investing, particularly in Asia. He will help accelerate the SEA investment strategy and presence, enhance deal-flow operations, and provide due diligence support leading into H2.
Open roles are available at thegamingcatalyst.com, and the GCP continues to actively search for candidates to fill key positions across legal, grants, and operations.
Focus for the Month Ahead
As we head into May, the team are focused on the following priorities:
Advancing High-Potential Deals
- Deepening diligence and internal processes for projects approaching Investment Committee Review
- Finalizing terms and legal frameworks for priority opportunities
- Increasing capacity to move faster, evaluate more effectively, and maintain a high bar for quality through the upcoming GCP team expansion
Ongoing Developer & Partner Engagement
- Continued conversations with studios, publishers, and infra teams, building on or evaluating Arbitrum
- Expanding the GCP’s network through partnerships and targeted outreach
- Enhancing portfolio onboarding to enable cross-promotion, collaboration, and stronger ecosystem integration
Strategic Alignment and DAO Transparency
- Deliver the following high-level posts, targeted to be shared on 23rd May 2025, pending Council feedback, alignment, and approval:
- GCP’s Thesis & Strategic Positioning
- Updates to the GCP’s ARB Asset Strategy
- A Refined KPI & Success Measurement Framework for GCP
- Continue leveraging Castle Labs and the new Content and Communications Lead to share progress with the DAO
Team Growth
- Actively interviewing candidates to fill the remaining vacancies across finance, grants, and operational support, with a growing pipeline of high-quality talent with experience from traditional game studios, other networks/chains, and relevant venture firms.
- Taking a sustainable approach to onboarding, aligning team growth with the GCP’s evolving long-term needs while remaining mindful of current market conditions.
- Open roles can be found here: thegamingcatalyst.com
We look forward to sharing further updates in the coming weeks. As always, we remain available to discuss progress, strategy, or feedback — feel free to reach out to @Insomniac, @Atomist, @RickJohanson, or @Djinn.