P2E ADA: Open-Source Framework for Game Devs

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

P2E ADA: Open-Source Framework for Game Devs

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

100000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

6

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Game developers on Cardano lack an easy-to-use framework for P2E ADA rewards. This high technical barrier slows the creation of new games on the platform and limits ecosystem growth.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://github.com/EsubalewAmenu/Puzzle-Game
,
• https://DataSciencePLC.com

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies.

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

Our project will be fully open-source under the MIT License, this ensures transparency, encourages collaboration, and allows other developers to integrate the Play-to-Earn ADA feature into their own games, contributing to the development of a global standard.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Developer Tools

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.

Our rationale for choosing the MIT License is centered on maximizing adoption and utility for the Cardano community. The primary goal of this project is to create a public good that accelerates game development. The MIT License is highly permissive and business-friendly. This allows any developer or team, from indie hobbyists to commercial studios, to freely integrate our framework into their projects without being forced to open-source their own proprietary game code.

How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?

We will ensure public accessibility and communication through a two-pronged approach:

1. Immediate and Transparent Accessibility: All development will take place in our public GitHub repository, which is already established: https://github.com/EsubalewAmenu/Puzzle-Game.
2. Proactive and Consistent Information Sharing: We will keep the community informed through multiple channels. Regular Updates, Official Reporting and Centralized Hub.

How will you provide high quality documentation?

We will deliver high-quality documentation by treating it as a core project deliverable, targeting different user needs, and assigning a dedicated team member to oversee its creation. Our strategy includes: In-Code Documentation, Comprehensive Developer Guides (README.md) , A "Getting Started" Tutorial, API Reference, Video Tutorials and A Live Example.

This multi-faceted approach ensures that developers of all skill levels will have the resources they need to successfully use our framework.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

1. How do we perceive the problem we are solving?

The core problem is the high barrier to entry for game developers on Cardano. Integrating blockchain rewards today is often complex, costly, and requires specialized knowledge, which discourages indie and web2 developers from building on the platform. This slows the growth of Cardano's gaming ecosystem and limits engaging on-ramps for new users.

2. What is our proposed solution and our approach?

Our solution is a two-part, open-source Play-to-Earn (P2E) framework designed for simplicity and reusability, along with a proof-of-concept game to demonstrate its effectiveness.

• Part A: The Open-Source P2E Framework: This is our primary deliverable. It will consist of: 1. On-Chain Smart Contracts: A set of simple, and secure smart contracts (written in Plutus) for managing a rewards treasury and processing payouts to players. 2. Off-Chain SDK (Software Development Kit): A lightweight client-side library (initially for Flutter/Dart) that allows any developer to integrate ADA rewards into their game with just a few lines of code (e.g., a simple function call like triggerReward(playerWalletAddress)).
• Part B: The Proof-of-Concept Game: To prove the framework is effective and easy to use, we will build and release a complete logic puzzle game based on the "Man, Lion, Goat, and Grass" riddle. This game will be the first to use our P2E framework. We will experiment with an ad-based revenue model within the game to demonstrate a potential path to sustainability for P2E projects.

3. Who will our project engage and benefit?

• Cardano Game Developers: They are the primary beneficiaries. They receive a free, well-documented, and easy-to-use tool that saves them time and money, lowering the barrier to building P2E games.
• Players and New Users: They get a fun and simple way to engage with the Cardano ecosystem and earn their first ADA, acting as a powerful onboarding tool.
• The Cardano Ecosystem: The ecosystem benefits from a new public good that can accelerate the development and launch of multiple new games on the platform.

4. How will we demonstrate or prove our impact?

We will measure our impact through clear, transparent metrics:

• Developer Adoption: We will track the public GitHub repository for forks, stars, and clones, indicating use by other developers.
• Player Engagement: We will measure the number of downloads and daily active users for our prototype game.
• ADA Distributed: We will publicly track the total amount of ADA rewarded to players through our smart contract preprod on-chain.

5. What is unique about our solution?

While other P2E games exist, our project is unique because its main goal is not just to build one game, but to empower the entire community to build many games. The reusable, open-source framework is a public good designed to act as an accelerator for the whole Cardano gaming vertical, making it a highly valuable and cost-effective investment for the ecosystem.

Current Status

We have successfully developed the initial level based on the "Man, Lion, Goat, and Grass" riddle and are working to integrate the basic functionality of the P2E system. The game is playable, and we are in the process of refining the level and testing the gameplay experience.

Github repo : https://github.com/EsubalewAmenu/Puzzle-Game

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

Our project’s primary impact is to act as a catalyst for the Cardano gaming ecosystem by providing a foundational tool that makes it easier, faster, and cheaper for anyone to build Play-to-Earn (P2E) games.

1. In what way will the success of our project bring value to the Cardano Community?

• Accelerates Game Development: Our open-source P2E framework will drastically reduce development time and costs for other projects. By providing a ready-made, secure solution for ADA rewards, we empower developers to focus on what they do best: creating great games. This acts as a multiplier, potentially leading to dozens of new games on Cardano.
• Creates a Powerful Onboarding Tool: The prototype game—and every game that uses our framework—will serve as a fun, low-risk on-ramp for new users to the Cardano ecosystem. Earning their first ADA through gameplay is a far more engaging introduction than navigating an exchange.
• Increases On-Chain Activity: More games mean more wallets, more daily transactions, and increased utility for ADA, strengthening the entire network.

2. How will we measure this impact?

We will track a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics to measure our success:

• Quantitative Metrics (The Numbers): -
  • Developer Adoption: Number of forks, stars, and clones of our public GitHub repository.
  • Player Engagement: Number of downloads and active users of our prototype game.
  • On-Chain Activity: The total amount of test ADA distributed to players via our rewards contract, which will be publicly viewable on-chain.
• Qualitative Metrics (The Feedback):
  • Developer Testimonials: We will actively seek feedback from developers who use our framework to publish case studies and testimonials.
  • Community Sentiment: We will monitor social media and community forums for discussion and sentiment regarding our project and the games that adopt our framework.

3. How will we share the outputs and opportunities that result from our project?

All outputs will be made public and easily accessible:

• For Developers: The entire P2E framework, including smart contracts and the SDK, will be published on GitHub under a permissive MIT license. We will create comprehensive documentation to guide other developers through the integration process.
• For the Community: We will publish our prototype game on the Google Play Store for anyone to download and play. We will provide regular, transparent progress updates through our social channels and through the official Catalyst reporting system.

This approach ensures our project delivers a lasting public good that continues to provide value long after our initial 6-month timeline.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & 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?

1. Our Team's Capability

Our team is a collective of developers and specialists with a proven track record of collaboration and the specific skills required to deliver this project.

• Proven Technical Skills: We have a strong, demonstrated capability in Flutter/Dart for front-end game development, as shown in our existing GitHub repository for the puzzle game prototype. Our blockchain developers have direct experience with Cardano, and we have selected Plutus for the smart contracts due to its focus on security and simplicity, which is ideal for an open-source framework.
• We Built the Audience: Our previously funded project, "Cardano for 100,000+ students (google play link here)," was a massive success with over 50,000 active users, teaching us how to create and scale app for a huge user base in this region.
• We Built the Tools: Our "Universal DevTools" and "Enhancing Cardano Developer Ecosystem" projects proved our technical capability to deliver complex, open-source solutions that benefit the entire ecosystem.
• Collaborative Workflow: Our team has an established workflow using GitHub for version control and project management. This ensures our development process is transparent, organized, and accountable from day one. You can view our current progress and code quality here: https://github.com/EsubalewAmenu/Puzzle-Game.
• Focused Expertise: Each team member has a defined role, from the project lead ensuring we meet deadlines to dedicated developers for the on-chain contracts, the off-chain SDK, and the user experience of the prototype game. This clear division of labor ensures high-quality output for every component of the project.

2. How We Will Validate Feasibility

Our approach is designed to be low-risk by validating feasibility at each stage.

• Technical Feasibility: The core of our framework—a simple treasury and payout smart contract—is a well-understood model on Cardano. Our primary technical task is to package this into a simple, robust, and easy-to-use SDK.
• Proof of Concept: Our playable puzzle game prototype serves as our primary testbed. It validates not just the game mechanics but the core feasibility of integrating our off-chain SDK with the on-chain contracts. We are not starting from zero; we are building upon a functional foundation.
• Community Validation: Before the final release, we will share an alpha version of the framework with a select group of community developers. Their feedback will be crucial for ensuring our documentation is clear and that the framework is genuinely easy to use, confirming its value to the ecosystem.

3. Financial Trust and Accountability

We are committed to the highest level of transparency in managing community funds.

• Milestone-Based Reporting: We will provide detailed, evidence-based reports for each milestone to the Catalyst team. Funds will be strictly used for the tasks and resources outlined in our public budget.
• Public Updates: We will provide monthly updates to the community via social media, detailing our progress, and achievements. This ensures the community that funded us can track our progress and hold us accountable throughout the project's lifecycle.

4. Collaboration

We are proud to partner with Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.

The Microsoft for startups founders hub advantages: We have access to a mix of technical benefits and business resources. (38 microsoft services benefits)

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Framework Scaffolding & On-Chain Development

Milestone Outputs

The focus of this initial phase is to build the secure foundation of the project. We will design, develop, and test the Plutus smart contracts for the P2E rewards treasury and payout logic. This front-loads the most critical blockchain development.

Outputs:

• Completed Plutus smart contract code for the P2E system.
• Successful deployment and internal testing of contracts on the Cardano preprod Testnet.
• Technical specification document for the on-chain components.

Acceptance Criteria

A public GitHub repository link will be provided containing the complete Plutus smart contract code and the technical specification document. We will also provide a short video demonstrating successful preprod testnet transactions with the contracts.

Evidence of Completion

• A link to smart contract github repository
• A link to technical document
• A link to a demo video that shows a preprod transaction

Delivery Month

2

Cost

25000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

SDK Development & Prototype Integration

Milestone Outputs

This phase connects the on-chain contracts to the off-chain game world. We will develop the core functionality of the off-chain SDK (Flutter/Dart) and integrate this V1 SDK into our logic puzzle game prototype to create a fully functional end-to-end P2E loop.

Outputs:

• V1 of the open-source P2E SDK (Flutter/Dart).
• Integration of the SDK into the prototype game.
• Functional in-game ADA address input UI.

Acceptance Criteria

We will provide a link to the SDK code in the GitHub repo. We will submit a video demonstrating the full gameplay loop: a player input their ADA address, completes a level, and receives preprod ADA in their wallet, triggered by the SDK, backend code and verified on-chain.

Evidence of Completion

• A link to the SDK code in the GitHub repo.
• A link to video demonstrating the full gameplay loop with ADA address input and received ADA history

Delivery Month

4

Cost

30000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Public Release & Developer Documentation

Milestone Outputs

The final development phase is focused on packaging the framework as a public good for other developers. We will refine the SDK, write comprehensive documentation, and publish the prototype game as a live, public demo.

Outputs:

• Complete developer documentation and tutorials for the framework.
• Public release of the prototype game on the Google Play Store.
• A simple project landing page for showcasing the framework and linking to all resources (GitHub, tutorials, game).

Acceptance Criteria

At this stage the github repository will be final and documented also the live app will be deployed on the Google Play Store. the video tutorial will be ready for developers and the project's landing page will be ready.

Evidence of Completion

We will provide links to

• The final, documented GitHub repository
• The live app on the Google Play Store
• The video tutorial for developers
• The project's landing page.

Delivery Month

5

Cost

30000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Final Milestone: Project Close-Out Report and Video

Milestone Outputs

As per Catalyst requirements, we will compile a comprehensive final report detailing the project's journey, achievements, and impact metrics (e.g., GitHub forks, game downloads). We will also produce a final summary video.

Outputs:

• A detailed Project Close-out Report.
• A final project summary video.

Acceptance Criteria

Successful submission of the report and video to the Catalyst team based on the Catalyst final mileston guideline, closeout report and video. The closeout report will include a detailed summary that includes KPIs and challenges along with an evaluation of how they were addressed or whether they still require attention.

Evidence of Completion

• A comprehensive closeout report shared in a publicly accessible link.
• A closeout video stored on YouTube.

Delivery Month

6

Cost

15000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Our budget is structured to align directly with our project milestones, ensuring that funds are allocated to specific, verifiable deliverables throughout our 6-month timeline. The total requested funding is 100,000 ADA.

Milestone 1: Framework Scaffolding & On-Chain Development

This milestone covers the foundational work on the Plutus smart contracts and initial project setup.

• Personnel Costs (2 months): 24,000 ADA - Covers the 4-person core team for the first two months, focusing on Plutus development and project architecture.

Milestone 2: SDK Development & Prototype Integration

This milestone focuses on building the off-chain SDK, integrating it with the game, and ensuring the security of the framework.

• Personnel Costs (2 months): 24,000 ADA - Covers the core team for months 3 and 4, focusing on Flutter/Dart SDK development and game integration.
• Smart Contract Improvement and Integration: 12,000 ADA - A critical allocation for the smart contract improvement and integration with the backend code.

Milestone 3: Public Release & Developer Documentation

This final milestone is dedicated to packaging our work as a public good, including documentation, tutorials, and community outreach.

• Personnel Costs (2 months): 24,000 ADA - Covers the core team for the final two months, focusing on writing documentation, creating tutorials, and community management.
• Marketing & Community Engagement: 6,000 ADA - For promoting the framework to developers, launching the prototype game, and creating high-quality video tutorials.

Software & Infrastructure: 4,000 ADA

• Initial setup costs, including developer tools, software subscriptions, and project management platforms.
• Continued operational costs for hosting and development tools.
• Covers public deployment costs (e.g., Google Play Store fees) and final server expenses.

Contingency: 6,000 ADA

• To cover any unforeseen challenges during the initial technical setup.
• To address potential complexities during the integration phase.
• To handle any unexpected issues during the public launch and final reporting phase.

GRAND TOTAL: 100,000 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

This project represents exceptional value for money by delivering a foundational, reusable piece of infrastructure for the ecosystem at a highly competitive cost. Our 100,000 ADA budget is a strategic investment with a clear multiplier effect.

1. Cost-Effective, High-Quality Development

Our core team is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The proposed personnel cost of approximately 2,500 ADA per person per month allows us to secure a significant, dedicated commitment from senior-level Plutus and Flutter developers at a rate that is highly competitive on a global scale. A project of this technical scope would cost 3-4 times more if developed in North America or Western Europe. This allows the Cardano treasury to fund the creation of a high-quality, professional-grade tool for a fraction of the typical cost.

2. High Return on Investment through a Multiplier Effect

The true value of this project is not the single puzzle game we are building, but the open-source P2E framework that will be the primary output.

Think of it this way: the treasury is not just funding one bakery; it's funding the construction of a public, open-source oven that all bakers in the community can use for free.

By providing a secure, documented, and easy-to-use framework, we drastically lower the financial and technical barriers for other developers to build games on Cardano. If our framework enables just two or three other teams to launch their projects by saving them time and development costs, this 100,000 ADA investment will have already paid for itself multiple times over in ecosystem growth.

Furthermore, because the entire framework will be open-source under an MIT license, it becomes a permanent asset for the Cardano community. Its value will persist and compound long after our 6-month funding period ends, as other developers can use, fork, and improve upon our work. This ensures the investment provides durable, long-term value to the entire ecosystem.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes