Revolutionary Web3 Soccer manager game

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Davide Lucchesi

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We'll bring gamers and developers to the Cardano ecosystem, by showing them that different business models are possible while giving players control, freedom, and a revolutionary gaming experience.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

No

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

We are huge open-source supporters: the main proposer already published several development tools for game developers and recently released the full version of the NMKR SDK for Godot plugin, which was funded in Catalyst Fund12 and will be the core web3 management component of this project.

For that reason, several portions of the code used for the game will be released as Open-Source software. However, one of the most essential and compelling parts of any manager game is figuring out the best strategy by playing and experimenting, while adapting to changes.

Some parts of the backend must be kept closed to ensure that the players can equally compete and keep being engaged, and this would not be the case if all the formulas used for training, match-making, etc. were made public.

[METADATA] Horizons

Gaming

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Video gaming is a booming billion-dollar industry that is expected to grow enormously in the following decade. The boundaries between gaming as leisure and profit-making activity have already become blurred, but we are not happy with the results so far.

We want to build the first decentralized blockchain-based Football Manager game, that joins soccer enthusiasts in a community where you train your NFT players, hire the necessary specialists, and scout new youngsters who can become future champions. However, it is not meant to be a play-to-earn game: we don’t like the direction that many self-proclaimed “play-to-earn” games are going, simply because the first goal for any game should be for the players to have fun.

In our game, you build and coach a club over time, while competing with other human managers. Unlike many other football games, you don't need to spend hours every day to win, because setting the right strategy is the key to success. You can anyway enjoy extreme fun every time you want by accessing the arcade parts of the game, which aims to achieve the same level of playability once experienced in the '90 gems like "Sensible World of Soccer" or Dino Dini's creations.

In our vision, players own their assets and can decide what to do with them. If one of our users trains a brilliant player for years and (after all this effort) decides to sell him for profit, it’s not our business: we just want to ensure players have an enjoyable experience with a first-class manager game.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

While there are plenty of NFT projects that allow the owners to use those assets in some kinds of games, our project takes a different approach: It's a game that uses NFTs for its game assets.

This sounds tautological but there's a big difference: there are no tokens, no dedicated NFT marketplace, and no players pre-sale because all the NFTs are minted directly from the game when the players decide to do so. The mint price of those assets will be particularly low because the real value of these assets depends on the player, the strategy he/she applied, and the improvements that this strategy will bring in the long term, making them more competitive.

In the "traditional" game-dev community there are still many doubts (and, often, prejudices) about NFT technology. We think that most of this negativity is difficult to dissipate mostly because of the lack of inclusivity that practically every project seems to show, from the traditional video game player's point of view: usually, the first thing that happens is the sale of NFTs, which are supposed to become in-game assets for that specific project, often for an incredible floor-price. With our game, we are directly addressing this issue.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Davide Lucchesi

I'm an IT professional with almost 30 years of experience as a developer and systems engineer, and I started to focus on game development for quite some time.

I fell in love with the Cardano technology a few years ago. In the spring of 2022, I started the European Cardano Community with my teammates: Marcus, Mauro, and Ricardo. We host regular town halls/fireside chats to present the latest projects building on Cardano, we host X spaces in several languages, and organize in-person events across Europe, thanks to the funds received in our successful Fund10 and Fund11 rounds.

I also hosted the Intersect Constitutional Event in Bologna (Italy) on October 5, 2024.

On Fund12, I submitted a proposal that has been approved, to build a plugin for the open-source Godot game engine, which is already available in its official repository.

Studio Evil

Studio Evil was founded in 2011 by three veterans of the IT industry. The team is now composed by 17 members, currently based in Bologna (Italy). Our mission is to create beautiful games mixing innovative mechanics, new technologies and a pinch of retro vibe inspired by the old school games we love. We released four self funded, original games on PC and Consoles: Syder Arcade, Super Cane Magic ZERO, Syder Reloaded and Retro Gadgets (developed in collaboration with Licorice and currently in Early Access). We recently announced our most recent title, the roguelite dice horror Dice of Arcana.

While our main purpose is to develop original games, in the last year we also specialized in developing interactive experiences for third parties, such as Motul, Ducati, Heineken and FAAC. 

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

In this initial phase, we will focus on laying the groundwork for the project. This includes comprehensive research into technical requirements and player needs. A detailed demo game design document and technical specifications for the prototype will be created to guide development and ensure all stakeholders are aligned before implementation begins.

• Output: Detailed project plan, technical specifications, and initial design documents.
• Acceptance Criteria: Key stakeholders approve the project plan and technical specifications.
• Evidence: Project documentation published.

Following the guides produced during the first milestone, the second phase will be focused on implementing the necessary backend infrastructure and code to allow development on the core game prototype parts.

• Output: dedicated servers configured, base backend software installed.
• Acceptance: basic game prototype functionality, such as authentication and base data querying and updating, are working as expected.
• Evidence: servers are online and answering queries.

With milestone 3, we will focus on the arcade part of the game prototype. It will be possible to play a soccer match using your players, and each of them will have different skills depending on the data retrieved from the backend.

• Output: arcade game published internally and available to selected testers.
• Acceptance: the arcade game prototype works as expected, including the AI for the players who are not currently driven by the user.
• Evidence: we will release one or more videos showing the current status of the game prototype.

The fourth milestone is dedicated to completing the necessary technical features that will allow the integration between the management and arcade parts of the game prototype.

• Output: the game prototype is technically complete, supporting all the basic features.
• Acceptance: the owned players will react to the training specified by the users, depending on the specialist in the team. Arcade matches can produce changes to the players, ex. injuries.
• Evidence: we will release one or more videos showing the current status of the game prototype.

Pre-release: it's time to announce the project and allow the users to subscribe, this will allow us to correctly schedule the start date for championships in the registered countries.

• Output: the official website is accessible and open to registration, and marketing activities.
• Acceptance: functionality of the official website and registration portal.
• Evidence: the website is working fine and all the published functionalities are correctly accessible.

Release!

• Output: the game prototype is available for everybody!
• Acceptance: subscribed users have their teams competing in the corresponding leagues. New users can register and prepare their teams for the following season.
• Evidence: game prototype availability. Final report, and close-out video published.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Davide Lucchesi

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/odiobill/
• https://x.com/studiomalaka

Project lead

Game design

Infrastructure management

Backend development

Blockchain integration

Studio Evil

• https://www.studioevil.com/

Studio Evil core team counts 17 experienced professionals, covering all the key figures necessary to deliver an high quality title. Our roster includes technical artists, game designers, programmers, 3D artists, producers, QA specialists and UX/UI programmers, all with an extensive experience in video game and interactive experiences development.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

• Prototype game design:
• 1 x Game Designer: 40 hours, 60$/hour: 2,400$
• Prototype UI and graphics: 8,400$
• Prototype audio assets: 3,000$
• Backend development:
• 1 x Senior Developer - 110 hours, 60$/hour: 6,600$
• Game prototype development:
• 2 x Senior Developer: 180 hours, 60$/hour 21,600$
• Game direction, PM and QA: 5,000$
• Marketing: 5,000$
• Server infrastrucure: 500$ (first year)

Total: 52,500$. Assuming 0.35$/ADA: 150,000 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The project provides a unique and engaging way for players to participate in a manager and arcade game while competing with other players all around the world. It also creates a new use case for CNFTs, driving demand and engagement within the Cardano ecosystem and pawing the way for further adoption from other developers following the same innovation route that we are drawing. The proposers have great experience and together can build a professional product while keeping the costs very competitive because there will be a very limited need, if any, to hire external professionals for any part of the game.