Gm everyone
We’re excited to share two major updates from the GCP team, which are the culmination of months of focused effort, deep engagement with the gaming industry, and an ongoing commitment to refining our approach to make Arbitrum the obvious choice for the best games, studios, and gaming infrastructure teams in Web3.
Introducing Our First Investment Cohort
We’re proud to announce the first group of projects we’ve backed as a part of our first investment cohort! These teams are building the future of on-chain gaming, game distribution, and player ecosystems, and they’re doing it on Arbitrum:
Wildcard
A 2v2 collectible card action game from seasoned founders Paul and Katy Drake Bettner (Words With Friends, Age of Empires). Wildcard brings AAA quality and a vision for blockchain-native gameplay to Arbitrum, backed by Paradigm and Griffin Gaming Partners.
Hyve Labs
A frictionless game distribution layer that lets users play games directly via X, Telegram, Farcaster, browsers, and more. Hyve Labs is pioneering mass distribution and cross-platform gameplay that fits Web3’s social-first reality.
T-Rex
A consumer-first blockchain with a strong footprint in Southeast Asia, one of the fastest-growing gaming markets globally. T-Rex aligns with our goal of supporting global adoption of Arbitrum through gaming.
Xai
The first Layer 3 for on-chain gaming, built on Arbitrum Orbit. With titles from Ex Populus and others, Xai brings Web2-level scale and polish to the open economies of Web3, while integrating with Steam and Epic Games.
Proof of Play
A technology-focused game studio founded by Zynga alum Amitt Mahajan, co-creator of FarmVille. With games like Pirate Nation and tech like Passport, Proof of Play is building player-owned worlds that put users at the center of Web3 game economies.
From GCP to Arbitrum Gaming Ventures
If you’ve seen any press coverage of today’s announcement, you may have noticed that the Gaming Catalyst Program (GCP) is now Arbitrum Gaming Ventures!
This new name strengthens our brand and reflects the true nature of our initiative: a venture-aligned investment arm dedicated to scaling the Arbitrum gaming ecosystem through strategic capital, deep partnerships, and operational support.
Since launch, our mission has been clear: to scale the Arbitrum ecosystem by backing high-quality games and gaming infrastructure through strategic capital, partnerships, and operational support. As we’ve grown, it’s become increasingly important that our identity reflects the true nature of our work.
The addition of “Arbitrum” makes our connection to the ecosystem explicit, while “Ventures” signals our long-term, investor-led approach.
We’re not here to run a short-term incentive program. We’re here to be a durable, serious partner to the next generation of breakout gaming projects in Web3.
This is just the beginning. As Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, we’ll continue to back the builders who are pioneering the future of gaming and choosing Arbitrum as their home.
Let’s build the future of play together.