Following a DAO voting round, Arbitrum is set to implement an ambitious $215 million program aimed at catalyzing growth within the gaming industry. The decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) of the Ethereum layer-2 rollup network approved the proposal over the weekend, with over 75% of votes in support.
The Gaming Catalyst Program (GCP) will allocate 225 million Arbitrum (ARB) tokens to attract game developers and players to the Arbitrum, Orbit, and Stylus platforms over a three-year period.
The initiative is a strategic move to rapidly expand Arbitrum’s presence in the gaming sector, leveraging the ecosystem’s scalability and low transaction costs. Notable supporters included influential entities like L2Beat, Wintermute, and the gaming-focused Treasure DAO, which celebrated the proposal’s passage, stating, “Arbitrum is the home of gaming — let’s make some magic happen.”
Under the GCP’s structure, new and early-stage game publishers can receive grants of up to 500,000 ARB, valued at approximately $483,000 at current prices. Established developers may apply for investments involving value-sharing components such as tokens or equity.
The remaining funds will be distributed through infrastructure-related bounties and operational expenses. Governance will be overseen by a dedicated team and a five-member council comprising gaming, venture capital, data analysis, and DAO governance experts.
The program has implemented robust financial safeguards, capping operational expenses at $25 million and requiring explicit DAO approval for expenditures exceeding this limit. This framework aims to ensure effective resource allocation while encouraging innovation and accountability within the Arbitrum gaming ecosystem.