Ikigai | Award-Winning Indie Game, Ascent: Rivals - Beta Release

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Michael Yagi

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

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

497000

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

5

[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 aim to onboard traditional consumers, gamers, and spectators with our game, Ascent: Rivals. As PAX Rising and DreamHack award winners, we're poised to drive a new wave of users with a smash hit.

[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?

Yes

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

Smart contracts and all Cardano integration work will be open sourced under the widely used MIT License, while game code will remain private.

[METADATA] Horizons

Gaming

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

To bring Cardano to the mainstream, we will bring Ascent: Rivals to the masses. With over four thousand hours played so far on single server/region testing and surpassing industry average metrics, this proposal will result in wider reach expanding more features, regions, and players.

So far, we've achieved the highest accolades from winning PAX Rising (120k attendees), and back to back winners of DreamHack Dallas and Atlanta. For industry validation, we've received coverage from one of Sony's largest gaming infrastructure providers which also highlighted our integrations with Cardano.

Ascent is designed to be a watchable game attracting not only players, but spectators alike.

https://youtu.be/pCLDSGwEuus

Attracting traditional brands such as Saleen, Dirtfish, and Shelby, we are also able to partner and begin bridging gamers, spectators, and brands.

Part of Ascent's vision is to incorporate brands such as Cardano projects and ecosystem directly into the game via billboards and intermissions which can be seen in our early alpha tournament.

https://youtu.be/PfgE0l6cFmo

Below is additional info how this proposal also pushes the ecosystem forward with our vision.

Integrating sponsorships via cardano's smart contracts have been designed since day 1 towards Ascent: Rival's vision:

Reimaging Formula 1 glamor, competition, and wealth in cinematic combat racer. While you’ve never raced at the blistering speeds in a race to the death, the skill of these young and upcoming racers can be seen through every turn and shot, keeping you at the edge of your seat as your favorite underdog takes a shot at knocking out the top sponsored racer. As you imagine your logos flashing for every spectator as the final lap nears, eyes widen as you notice another spectator inject a cash prize to whatever racer can take out your sponsee —

Cardano has been the perfect solution for Ascent as a solution for our passion and design in Social Gamification - Connecting Sponsors, Spectators, Players

Attention is the new currency in today's digital landscape. With the surge of video content, particularly in gaming, a new breed of players emerges—spectators. As content creators gain prominence, the hunger for fresh engagement avenues intensifies. Ascent introduces spectator interaction.

Imagine being able to not just watch but actively influence and participate in the cinematic, combat racer. Retail marketers hosting tournaments, offering cash prizes, sponsoring players, and enabling spectators to sway the odds in favor of their favorite racers. A deeper level of immersion, investment, and involvement.

Ascent has crafted a model that encourages calculated breaks for strategic adaptation, data analysis, and live commentary. Our platform's deep customization and high skill ceiling set the stage for an immersive cinematic experience. Pair that with the ability to sponsor and interact directly with players as a spectator, and you've got an endless well of discussion and anticipation surrounding the rising stars in gaming.

It’s no longer just about watching—it's about shaping the game, influencing outcomes, and being part of the narrative. Ascent redefines the role of spectators, making them active players in the gaming world. In return, players take pride as all eyes are on them and their skills.

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

Reaching Consumer Audience: A successful game that is fun, engaging, and widely accessible can attract a new demographic to the Cardano ecosystem. Players unfamiliar with blockchain technology will be introduced to Cardano through a compelling gaming experience, which can drive new wallets, transactions, and awareness of Cardano's capabilities.

Boosting Cardano’s Visibility in Gaming: The success of a game on Cardano would demonstrate the ecosystem's capabilities in handling complex, decentralized applications (dApps) beyond financial use cases. This visibility can position Cardano as a competitive player in blockchain gaming, attracting more developers and projects to the network.

Driving More Use of Native Assets and CNFTs: Ascent will allow players and spectators to utilize their existing cNFTs! Players could collect, trade, or stake game assets within the ecosystem, increasing on-chain activity and highlighting Cardano’s strengths in asset security and scalability.

Building a Community of Gamers and Spectators: The creation of a vibrant community of both players and spectators would provide a strong social and cultural layer to the Cardano ecosystem. Games that include features like tournaments, live streaming, and in-game economies can encourage social interaction, create excitement, and foster a loyal fanbase around Cardano.

Attracting Developers and Projects: A widely received game would serve as proof of concept for other developers looking to build on Cardano. As developers witness the success of a game project, they may be more inclined to develop their own dApps, expanding the variety of services and products within the ecosystem.

[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?

Our alpha is currently approved and live on Steam with over 1000 playtesters.

Early Achievements to show capability and public building

1. Showcased the game at PAX West 2024(130k attendees) winning players choice award
2. Won DreamHack Dallas Indie award (60k attendees)
3. PAX Rising winners (120k attendees) out of thousands of game studios
4. Showcased at Rare Evo 2024 (2.5k attendees)
5. Winners of DreamHack Atlanta (35k attendees)
6. Over 4,000 hours of organic playtesting and a player retention rate 30% higher than the industry average
7. Featured on Steam front page with 200 million MAU - twice!
8. Featured by Sony's largest gaming infrastructure provider, Accelbyte

All footage can be found on our youtube channel.

September 2023 - Winner of “Player’s Choice Award” at PAX 2023 (120k attendees)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAnnsbV9X7E

April 2024 - Attended west coast's largest LAN. Over 10% of players played Ascent Rivals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHrqJwKJo_c

March 2024 - Winner of DreamHack Dallas Indie Playground

March 2024 - Featured on Steam store front page with 200 million MAU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMupkx4yg7I

August 2024 - Sponsored by Rare Evo to showcase Ascent Rivals in Las Vegas (2.5k attendees)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2qjXvTX2s

October 2024 - Winner of DreamHack Atlanta Indie Playground (second time)

https://youtu.be/JmQqPHx3iDQ

Highlighting Cardano in Sony's largest gaming infrastructure provider

https://youtu.be/j1InFg5YY5k

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

Server Expansion

20% cost | 1 month | 20% completion

Deliverables:

• Online Matchmaking
• Server region expansion
• Additional gameplay features (medals, weapons, shop, skins)

Acceptance criteria:

• Players can play from additional regions outside of USA west coast such as Africa, Europe, Asia

Player Retention Features & Cardano Integration

20% cost | 1 month | 20% completion

Deliverables:

• Achievements
• Cosmetics
• Events
• Wallet and account connections
• Token gated feature abilities

Acceptance criteria:

• Traditional game features for player retention is added
• Metrics that are GDPR compliant to track player retention are tracked

Spectator and Webclient

20% cost | 1 month | 20% completion

Deliverables:

• In depth player data tracked on web client
• Spectate games through web client

Acceptance criteria:

• Video showing demo of live webclient

Shop, Cosmetics, and Unlockables

20% cost | 1 month | 20% completion

Deliverables:

• Users can purchase items in game
• Ship parts, skins
• Custom VFX, custom kill sound effects, emotes, poses

Acceptance criteria:

• Video showing addition of shop features and unlockables

Playtesting and Beta

20% cost | 1 month | 20% completion

Deliverables:

• Increased matchmaking features
• Beta features are completed

Acceptance criteria:

• Beta is live on major platforms (Steam, Epic Games)

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

Core Developers - and Previous Experience

Steven George - Lead Engineer; Level 11, DigiPen

Stan Hayes - Aesthetic Engineer; Epic Games, Nvidia, DigiPen

Michael Yagi - Creative Director; 2K Games, DigiPen

Ming Chi - Artist; NetEase

Scott Meyers - Audio Engineer; Respawn Entertainment, Riot Games

Jeff Uong - DevOps Engineer; Samsung, DigiPen

Clifford Garvis - Solutions Architect & Smart Contract; Nintendo, Level 11, DigiPen

David Yagi - Project Manager; Cryptochips

Advisors

Lowell Vaughn - Principal Strategist Epic Games

Shoutout! 1+ Year(s) Fulltime contribution

Alejandro Hitti - Technical Project Lead; Rockstar Games, DigiPen

Jason Dempsey - Senior Engineer; Microsoft, DigiPen

Zander Jensen - Gameplay Engineer; Treyarch, DigiPen

Hiago Desena - Senior Engineer; Firewalk, DigiPen

Aleksei Seleznev - Pixel Artist; Indie

Ahn Do - Producer; 343, GEC, DigiPen

Mickey Cushing - Designer; 343, Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast, Rockstar Games

Brian Park - Designer; Riot Games

Anon Developer - Senior Engineer; Respawn Entertainment, DigiPen

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

Milestone 1: Server Expansion

• 2 developers, 1 month = $33,390 / ₳95,400

Milestone 2: Player Retention Features

• 1.5 developers, 1 months = $33,390 / ₳95,400

Milestone 3: Satisfaction Loop

• 1.5 developers, 1 months = $33,390 / ₳95,400

Milestone 4: Social Layer Integration

• 1.5 developers, 1 months = $33,390 / ₳95,400

Final Milestone: Playtesting and Beta

• 1 developers, 1 month = $33,390 / ₳95,400

Tooling & Reserve: reserve for changes to business requirements resulting to technical pivots necessary to deliver a better product/outcome

• Tooling (aws) = $3,500 / ₳10,000
• Reserve = $3,500 / ₳10,000

TOTAL AMOUNT

• $173,950 / ₳497,000

We apply a 0.35 USD/ADA exchange rate, which is the average rate over the past few months conservatively adjusted downward to ensure that the project will remain viable despite moderate price shocks that may occur before or during the project timeline.

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

High Return on Investment in User Adoption: By delivering a high-quality, engaging product such as Ascent: Rivals, the project has the potential to attract a wide audience to the Cardano ecosystem, including new users who might not have engaged with blockchain before. This increase in user adoption brings long-term value, as more people will be introduced to Cardano's capabilities, increasing transaction volumes and contributing to the overall growth of the ecosystem. Ascent has been featured on Steams front page to 200 million monthly active users, won awards at expos with over 100 thousand live attendees, and been playtested thousands of hours so far in it's alpha state.

Ecosystem Growth Through Developer and Business Attraction: The project acts as a showcase for Cardano’s capabilities, demonstrating that the ecosystem can support innovative and complex decentralized applications. This will encourage other developers and businesses to build on Cardano, multiplying the initial investment by fostering an ecosystem of new applications, tools, and services. This can be seen as we have been covered by Sony's largest gaming infrastructure provider

https://youtu.be/j1InFg5YY5k

Long-Term Engagement and Community Building: A well-received project, particularly a game or interactive platform, will not only attract users but also keep them engaged. The cost of the project includes building systems and mechanics that foster long-term community growth, which results in an engaged, loyal user base. This community can contribute to ecosystem development, participation in governance, and collaboration on future projects. With Cardano Clash highlighting NFT communities and cardano projects via in game billboards, we will be able to help more cardano projects reach a wider audience