SECTION 1: APPLICANT INFORMATION
Applicant Name: MonkeyEmpire
Project Name: MonkeyEmpire MMO-RTS Game
Project Description: Monkey Empire is a free to play mobile MMO-RTS game with a focus on a real market economy. It offers players a comprehensive gaming experience with PvE, PvP, raids, events, advanced crafting, and scalability.
Team Members and Roles:
Samy - CEO
Augustin - COO
Florian - CTO
Simon - CBO
Simon - Architecture / Infrastructure
Paul Fabella - Game Designer / Producer
Reno - Art Director
Jordan - Lead/Senior BackEnd
Igor - Backend & Blockchain Developer
Mike - UE4 Full-Stack Developer
Emeric - Frontend Developer, Unreal Engine Generalist
Ryan - Frontend Developer
Matthew - Frontend Developer
Juni - 3D/3D Artist & Concept artist
Sylvain - 2D/3D Artist & Concept artist
Mehdi - 2D/3D Artist & Concept artist
Mikhail - UI/UX Designer
Yasindu - Level Designer
Alexander - 3D character expert
ApesEnchanter CM - Moderator & Ape Mascot
Thévert - CM
Lutis - Moderator & Ape Mascot
Krronaldo - Moderator
For more info on each individual: Team | Monkey Empire
Samy : KYC contact
Augustin : Owner of dashboard requirements, COO, and co-founder
Project Links:
Website: https://monkeyempire.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/monkeyempiree
Docs: General info | Monkey Empire
Discord: discord.gg/C4kcPuQgWZ
Telegram: Telegram: Join Group Chat
Medium: Monkey Empire – Medium
Contact Information
Point of Contact: Augustin
Point of Contact’s TG handle:
@AugustinMEgame
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/0xAugustinME
Email:
Do you acknowledge that your team will be subject to a KYC requirement?:
Yes
SECTION 2a: Team and Product Information
Provide details on your team’s past and current experience. Any details relating to past projects, recent achievements and any past experience utilizing incentives. Additionally, please provide further details on the state of your product, audience segments, and how you expect incentives to impact the product’s long-term growth and sustainability.
Team experience: https://monkeyempire.gitbook.io/monkey-empire/whitepaper/team
What novelty or innovation does your product bring to Arbitrum?
MonkeyEmpire offers a real MMO-RTS game experience with a focus on a real market economy. Our game offers an experience similar to that of Clash of Clans but has the added benefit of allowing players to actually own their assets, whether they are NFT items or tokens that represent the in game currency.
Is your project composable with other projects on Arbitrum?
The most obvious protocols that we work well with are ones that assist us in the trading of our in-game assets; DEXes for our erc20s and NFT marketplace for our NFTs.
Beyond that our platform offers a fun and competitive landscape for users, regardless of skill level, to get involved. In this way we will be able to foster user growth on Arbitrum by attracting various types of users that can easily spill over into other verticals within the ecosystem.
Additionally, at its core, our game is quite competitive. This allows us to plug into various e-sports/gaming platforms and we are eager to explore these types of partnerships as we further establish ourselves on Arbitrum.
Do you have any comparable protocols within the Arbitrum ecosystem or other blockchains?
No.
How do you measure and think about retention internally?
To measure internal acquisition and retention, we track the number of downloads on the stores (700 over the past few months), the number of active players (200 currently) and the progress of their villages.
We track all the actions of these players on our backend:
- Building levels
- Resources
- Troops / Items
- Connections
- Attacks
- Hero Cards Opened
- NFTs held on-chain by the player (if they have connected their wallet to the game)
We are able to track all player interactions. We also have the ability to track player activity in our community via Zealy quests. So with the Zealy API we can both educate the engagement of our community members, whether on in-game social networks or on-chain.
More on-chain info coming on this dashboard: https://dune.com/monkeyempire1/monkey-empire
We would be delighted to make a dashboard available to the Arbitrum Foundation so that they can follow these dates live.
Relevant usage metrics:
| Category | List of Metrics |
|---|---|
| General Metrics |
(Applies to all)|Daily Active Users: A time series metric representing the daily count of unique addresses interacting with the protocol’s contracts.
Daily User Growth: A time series metric representing the daily user growth (in addresses) interacting with the protocol’s contracts.
Daily Transaction Count: A time series metric representing the daily number of transactions interacting with the protocol’s contracts.
Daily Protocol Fee: A time series data representing the daily total protocol fee generated. For example, swap fees, borrowing fees, etc., comprising all economic value generated through the protocol, contracts, apps, etc., by users.
Daily Transaction Fee: A time series, daily total transaction fees generated daily by interactions with the protocol’s contracts.
Daily ARB Expenditure and User Claims: Data on individual ARB incentive claim transactions made by users, as incentivized by the protocol. It should include the timestamp, user address, and the claimed ARB amount. The spent ARB will allow for the normalization of growth metrics.
Incentivized User List & Gini: The list should include users incentivized by the protocol along with their performance metrics. For instance, if trading volume is incentivized, this would be a list of traders with their respective trading volumes. If liquidity providers are incentivized, it would include a list of LPs and their liquidities in USD. Protocols should also strive for more uniform engagement levels across a wide user base for long-term sustainability, which will be measured through a gini coefficient across reward recipients.|
Gaming List of Users & Transactions: A daily time series record of individuals or entities that have engaged with the game, along with the frequency of their interactions.
Economic Volume (In-Game, Secondary Marketplace, DEX): Daily time series metric, measured in USD, representing the economic activity and trading volume in aggregate and within the game, secondary marketplaces, or DEXs, as applicable.
Do you agree to remove team-controlled wallets from all milestone metrics AND exclude team-controlled wallets from any incentives included in your plan:
Yes
Did you utilize a grants consultant or other third party not named as a grantee to draft this proposal?
We have a network of advisors that we rely upon to offer feedback and insights when it comes to everything, including grant writing.
Serious People, Jeff Nowak, Maven Capital, Sky Wee, Jonathan Zambon
None of these groups will receive ANY of the incentives in this proposal, and therefore have no conflicts of interest.
SECTION 2b: PROTOCOL DETAILS
Provide details about the Arbitrum protocol requirements relevant to the grant. This information ensures that the applicant is aligned with the technical specifications and commitments of the grant.
Is the protocol native to Arbitrum?:
Yes, MonkeyEmpire is native to Arbitrum Nova.
On what other networks is the protocol deployed?:
None.
What date did you deploy on Arbitrum mainnet?:
NFTs: 2023-09-30 [Transaction ID: MonkeyEmpireApesNFT | Address 0x1b7d1140c7aa8b7ce68a591d2303904dcc8ee872 | Arbiscan
Do you have a native token?:
Yes, MonkeyCoin ($MKC) Not launched yet.
Past Incentivization:
We launched a user acquisition campaign by incentivizing various activities with a point system that equaled out to $5,000 in total. Users were encouraged to connect their wallets to the game as well as to mint Monkey Empire NFTs.
In total we attracted 232 new users in this campaign for an average customer acquisition cost (CAC) of $22.51 which is far lower than comparables in the web2 space.
Current Incentivization:
None
Have you received a grant from the DAO, Foundation, or any Arbitrum ecosystem related program?:
Yes we received a grant of 8,100 ARB based on Milestones set out for us by the Arbitrum Foundation. The details of this particular grant are under NDA but we are happy to discuss with council members in private if necessary and assuming we secure written permission from the counterparty signatory on the NDA.
Protocol Performance:
So far we have:
- 700+ downloads
- 893 users
- 220 Villages created
We have several ways of knowing the level of retention, the best of which is the evolution that the players have in the game. We can track all types of in-game data:
- Create an account
- Main building level
- Number of boxes opened (every day, every week, etc.) which will be generated in the form of NFTs on Arbitrum.
- We can track the number of resources accumulated
- Number of attacks made by players
- The number of Testnet tokens sent in the game
- The number of NFTs (profile pictures) held by the players
Protocol Roadmap:
Audit History & Security Vendors:
By utilizing an OpenZeppelin contract and not making any code changes we are relying on the battletested code that has been used time and time again: openzeppelin-contracts/contracts/token/ERC20/extensions/ERC20Permit.sol at v5.0.2 · OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts · GitHub
Security Incidents:
None.
SECTION 3: GRANT INFORMATION
Detail the requested grant size, provide an overview of the budget breakdown, specify the funding and contract addresses, and describe any matching funds if relevant.
Requested Grant Size:
60,000
Justification for the size of the grant:
When we ran our recent user growth campaign we discovered that our average CaC using similar execution methods (to be discussed later in the application) is $22.51. With this in mind we are planning on growing our user base by ~5x over three months using the requested $ARB.
60,000 $ARB * $1.72 = $103,200
$103,200 / $22.51 = 4,584
Current user base: 893
Grant Matching:
N/A
Grant Breakdown:
60,000 $ARB for a user acquisition campaign that utilizes an NFT minting competition, split into 3 epochs that each last for 1 month.
Funding Address:
0xCBf4BFffAf71472CB821D8837F63F2976e51EF4a
Funding Address Characteristics:
The funding address is a Gnosis safe multisignature secured by several signatories.
Treasury Address:
0xCBf4BFffAf71472CB821D8837F63F2976e51EF4a
Contract Address:
0xCBf4BFffAf71472CB821D8837F63F2976e51EF4a
SECTION 4: GRANT OBJECTIVES, EXECUTION AND MILESTONES
Clearly outline the primary objectives of the program and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), execution strategy, and milestones used to measure success. This helps reviewers understand what the program aims to achieve and how progress will be assessed.
Objectives:
- Wallet Connections
- We want to grow the number of active users on our platform by ~500% over the course of the grant program
- NFT Minting
- We want to increase the number of NFTs minted and held by our current and new users by directly incentivizing this activity via a competition
Execution Strategy:
Program Overview:
- Allocate a total of 60,000 $ARB for a three-month engagement program, aimed at encouraging the minting of NFTs within our platform.
- The program is divided into three epochs, each spanning one month, with 20,000 $ARB dedicated to rewards for each epoch.
Reward Mechanism:
- Participants are rewarded based on their contribution to the total number of NFTs minted during each epoch.
- The formula for reward distribution is: Participant’s Reward = (Number of NFTs minted by the participant / Total NFTs minted) * Total ARB allocated for the month.
- This mechanism promotes a competitive environment where participants are incentivized to contribute more actively to receive a larger share of the rewards.
Participant Engagement:
- To foster continuous engagement, each participant can mint up to 6 NFTs daily, provided they remain active throughout the day.
- This daily cap ensures equitable participation opportunities for all users while encouraging consistent platform engagement.
Financial Details:
- For the sake of the calculations in this application, ARB token is priced at 1.72, setting the total rewards value at approximately 103,200 USD for the duration of the program.
- An average Cost Per Acquisition (CAC) of 21.55 is established to guide the expected user growth and engagement strategy.
User Growth Projections:
- Initial projections estimate an increase in active users, finishing with an expectation of approximately 4788 new users by the end of the 3rd epoch.
- User engagement and platform participation are expected to grow over the 3 months, with strategic adjustments made based on actual performance and engagement metrics.
Adaptive Strategy:
- The program’s structure allows for flexibility in response to user engagement levels and participation metrics, ensuring the reward mechanism remains both competitive and rewarding.
- Continuous evaluation of program performance will inform potential adjustments to reward allocations, participation caps, and engagement strategies to maximize impact and growth.
What mechanisms within the incentive design will you implement to incentivize “stickiness” whether it be users, liquidity or some other targeted metric?:
- Competitive Minting Rewards:
- By tying the reward mechanism directly to the number of NFTs minted, we inherently motivate participants to continuously engage with our platform to mint more NFTs. This not only increases the number of transactions but also ensures that users have a diverse collection of in-game NFTs, enhancing their gameplay experience and investment in the platform.
- Daily Minting Caps:
- Implementing a cap on the number of NFTs a user can mint daily encourages users to return to the platform regularly, promoting daily engagement. This consistent interaction increases the platform’s stickiness, as users develop a routine around participating in the minting process.
- Engaging and Entertaining Gameplay:
- The core of our platform’s stickiness lies in the inherent entertainment value of the game itself. By ensuring the game offers engaging content, challenges, and a dynamic ecosystem, users are more likely to remain active on the platform, utilizing their minted NFTs for gameplay. This creates a feedback loop where the enjoyment derived from the game incentivizes further participation and minting.
- NFT Utility Within the Game:
- Ensuring that the NFTs minted have tangible utility within the game environment is crucial. Whether it’s unlocking exclusive content, enhancing player abilities, or granting access to special events, the utility of NFTs keeps users engaged with both the minting aspect and the game itself. This utility promotes a sense of ownership and investment in the game’s outcome, further increasing stickiness.
Specify the KPIs that will be used to measure success in achieving the grant objectives and designate a source of truth for governance to use to verify accuracy. [Please also justify why these specific KPIs will indicate that the grant has met its objective. Distribution of the grant itself should not be one of the KPIs.]:
Number of New Users (Customer Acquisition Rate):
- Justification: A fundamental measure of the program’s effectiveness in attracting new players to the platform. An increase in new users directly correlates with successful customer acquisition.
- Source of Truth: Platform registration and user account data.
Daily and Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU):
- Justification: These metrics provide insight into the engagement levels and stickiness of the platform. High DAU/MAU ratios indicate that new users are not only joining but also actively participating, demonstrating the effectiveness of the incentive design in retaining users.
- Source of Truth: User activity logs and analytics dashboard.
Number of NFTs Minted:
- Justification: Reflects the level of user participation and engagement with the core activity incentivized by the grant. A higher number of NFTs minted signifies active involvement and utilization of the platform’s features.
- Source of Truth: Blockchain transactions and minting records.
Grant Timeline and Milestones:
Grant Timeline:
- Epoch 1 (Month 1): Initial launch and user acquisition phase. Focus on building awareness and attracting the first wave of new users.
- Epoch 2 (Month 2): Expansion and optimization phase. Implement insights from Epoch 1 to enhance acquisition strategies and further grow the user base.
- Epoch 3 (Month 3): Final push and consolidation phase. Maximize acquisition efforts to reach the overall user growth target.
Milestones:
End of Epoch 1:
- Objective: Achieve 20% of the total expected new users, equivalent to approximately 957 users.
- Rationale: Sets a realistic target for the initial phase, allowing for the assessment of the program’s initial impact and the opportunity to refine strategies moving forward.
End of Epoch 2:
- Objective: Cumulatively achieve 50% of the total expected new users, totaling approximately 2,394 users by the end of Epoch 2.
- Rationale: Reflects an increased pace of acquisition, leveraging the momentum and optimizations made after reviewing the outcomes of Epoch 1. This milestone is crucial for demonstrating the program’s ability to scale and adapt.
End of Epoch 3:
- Objective: Reach 100% of the total expected new users, aiming for a total of approximately 4,788 users by the end of the 3rd epoch.
- Rationale: The final phase aims to solidify the acquisition campaign’s success, ensuring that the program meets its overall target for expanding the user base.
Verification of Milestones:
- Regular Data Monitoring: Utilize platform analytics to track new user registrations and activity levels, ensuring alignment with the projected growth rates.
- Adaptive Strategy Implementation: Based on the data collected, continuously refine and adapt acquisition strategies to meet and exceed the set milestones.
- Transparent Reporting: Provide stakeholders with regular updates on progress, challenges encountered, and strategic adjustments made throughout the program. This ensures accountability and allows for timely interventions if needed.
How will receiving a grant enable you to foster growth or innovation within the Arbitrum ecosystem?:
For Monkey Empire, acquiring new users means expanding our active player base, which is crucial for enhancing the game’s dynamism, competitiveness, and community strength. This growth will be leveraged to:
- Boost In-Game Economy: A larger user base increases transaction volumes and the circulation of in-game assets, stabilizing and enriching the in-game economy.
- Enhance Social Interactions: More players foster a vibrant community, enhancing player engagement through social features, collaborations, and competitions.
- Improve Game Development Feedback: Increased user feedback aids in refining game features and balancing, ensuring a better gaming experience.
- Attract Partnerships: A growing platform can attract more collaborations and integrations with other projects within the Arbitrum ecosystem, enriching the game’s features and accessibility.
- Utilizing the grant to acquire new users directly contributes to these areas, fostering a sustainable and thriving game environment that benefits both Monkey Empire and the broader Arbitrum ecosystem.
Do you accept the funding of your grant streamed linearly for the duration of your grant proposal, and that the multisig holds the power to halt your stream?:
Yes
SECTION 5: Data and Reporting
OpenBlock Labs has developed a comprehensive data and reporting checklist for tracking essential metrics across participating protocols. Teams must adhere to the specifications outlined in the provided link here: Onboarding Checklist from OBL 40. Along with this list, please answer the following:
Is your team prepared to comply with OBL’s data requirements for the entire life of the program and three months following and then handoff to the Arbitrum DAO?:
Yes
Does your team agree to provide bi-weekly program updates on the Arbitrum Forum thread that reference your OBL dashboard?:
Yes
Does your team agree to provide a final closeout report not later than two weeks from the ending date of your program?:
Yes
Does your team acknowledge that failure to comply with any of the above requests can result in the halting of the program’s funding stream?:
Yes