Cross-posting the GCP Strategic Update (March 2025) here for all those following this thread.
We encourage everyone to follow the link and digest the full update.
Hey everyone,
In the spirit of increased transparency, we wanted to provide an update on a few items that are currently in progress for the Gaming Catalyst Program (GCP).
The GCP team is taking a long-term approach to asset management, accountability, and ecosystem impact. Development of the following three pillars will ultimately form the backbone of their strategy to bring top-tier projects and enhanced value to the Arbitrum ecosystem:
- ARB Asset Strategy
- GCP Thesis & Strategic Positioning
- KPIs & Success Measurement Framework
Upon completion, these pillars will be presented to the GCP Council; once the team and the Council are aligned, further details and specifics will be shared with delegates for broader discussion and feedback.
Our goal is to have more to share with you regarding these three pillars by May 15th, pending Council feedback and alignment.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to build a strong foundation for the GCP. While time-consuming, they’re hard at work making sure these strategies reflect the scale,ambition, and careful planning expected by the Arbitrum DAO.
At the same time, they hear your calls for increased transparency and communication, and are actively working to enhance their efforts in this area. With the additional support from us (Castle Labs), as well as their new Content and Communications Lead, we are excited to explore new avenues for reporting, engagement, and dialogue.
More soon.
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Cross-posting the GCP Monthly Update (April 2025) here for all those following this thread.
Follow the linked topic to read the entire post!
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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.
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We’ve published our Strategic Report that outlines our general operations approach, asset deployment protocol, investment return pathways, risk mitigation strategy, and performance tracking framework
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In order to showcase the games that AGV is backing, and to help foster growing support for gaming within the Arbitrum DAO, we’re kicking off a new quarterly playtest event series called Next Level, the first of which will feature Wildcard - one of the projects from our $10M first investment cohort.
All DAO members are invited for a hands-on playtest of Wildcard, as well as an opportunity to engage directly with the game’s development team, AGV team members, and other DAO members.
The first event will be held 2025-07-10T17:00:00Z
For more information on this first event, see our announcement post:
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Today we published our second Transparency Report, which covers our program’s activities through H1 of 2025. Read the report via DocSend and let us know your thoughts on the forum post linked below.
Note: This report reflects program activity and financial data through May 31, 2025. It does not include deployments, progress, or transactions finalized after that date.
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Perhaps this thread should be renamed to “GCP/AGV Update Thread”? Or just “AGV Update Thread”?
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Team Expansion Complete
As mentioned in our past few monthly updates (July, August, September), the AGV team has grown and we have now filled all open positions. Recent additions to the team include:
- Ade Molajo - Grants Lead
- Tammy Fisher - General Counsel
- Michael Chang - General Manager
Proposal: AGV Council Compensation Calibration: Benchmark for Next Term & Startup-Phase Bonus
This proposal has been updated, and we encourage DAO members to read and discuss to ensure a well-informed vote once the Snapshot voting period opens on Thursday, October 9.
As part of our ongoing treasury management collaboration with the Arbitrum Foundation, the GCP Foundation (now AGV) will begin receiving its operational expenditure (opex) budget directly in ARB tokens rather than in USD/USDC equivalents converted by the Foundation (as per the original Tally proposal).
This update follows the rationale previously outlined here:
- It alleviates operational overhead for the Arbitrum Foundation
- It grants the GCP Foundation greater flexibility in managing conversions
- It keeps our treasury processes consistent with those already employed by the Foundation
The GCP Council has voted in favor of this change. This adjustment is within the remit of the Council under the bylaws and does not impact the approved opex budget.
We are informing the DAO of this adjustment in line with our transparency commitments, giving delegates the opportunity to raise any concerns or objections. Unless otherwise raised, this change will be considered accepted after a one-week feedback period.
If there are no objections from the DAO, the Arbitrum Foundation will continue to uphold the OpEx budget, but send ARB instead of USD equivalents.
2026 AGV Council Elections
Applications for the 2026 AGV Council term are open until November 23. For more details on the election process, please see the following post:
The current AGV Council has nominated two members, Tim Chang and John Kennedy, for a re-confirmation vote.
Re-confirmation voting for the two Council-Nominated Seats is now live via Snapshot, and will run until November 27.
Cast your votes via the links below:
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