Proposal — Yoki Arena Community Evaluation Phase

Governance
1

Hello everyone,

Following discussions around Yoki Arena and feedback received from members of the Astar and Soneium ecosystems, I would like to submit the following proposal.

The primary objective of this proposal is twofold:

  • to allow the community to test a functional product on the Soneium Mainnet and collectively decide whether the project should continue, be discontinued, or potentially be integrated into the broader Yoki ecosystem;
  • to explore a community-driven funding model that would allow the project to continue its development in a transparent framework aligned with the interests of the ecosystem.

Executive Summary

This proposal requests $15,000 to deploy a public evaluation version of Yoki Arena on Soneium Mainnet.

Yoki Arena is an already functional strategy game built around Yoki NFTs and designed to explore:

  • additional utility for Yokis and ASTR;
  • increased user engagement;
  • recurring activity on Soneium.

The objective of this proposal is not to fund a commercial launch, but to allow the community to evaluate the product and determine whether it should:

  • be discontinued;
  • continue as an independent community project;
  • or potentially be integrated into the broader Yoki ecosystem.

Any continuation beyond the evaluation phase would require a separate community proposal.

About the Author

My name is GuiGou.

I have been an Astar Ambassador since 2022 and have actively contributed to the ecosystem as a Technical Ambassador, supporting developers and teams on topics related to WASM, ink!, Solidity, and smart contract architecture.

Professionally, I have worked as an Application Architect for more than 12 years and have over 20 years of experience designing software applications and IT systems.

I have been developing in Web3 since 2022. One of my main projects is Lucky, a decentralized application built on multiple ink! smart contracts that has been running in production since 2023 and remains publicly accessible today.

Since then, I have participated in several developer-focused programs and created additional decentralized applications alongside my professional work.

Previous Contributions

Developer Programs

Applications Developed

Public Profiles

GitHub: GuiGou12358 (GuiGou) · GitHub

Funding Address: XSoAFYUApBxr6fHSgYUyV44Cg6VnFvCfVhYZcQLH15hPzsv

Why This Proposal?

Yoki campaigns have become one of the most successful initiatives within the Astar ecosystem, generating:

  • significant new user acquisition;
  • strong on-chain activity;
  • widely recognized community-owned intellectual property.

Yoki is part of Astar’s collective IP and remains accessible to ecosystem contributors.

However, Yokis currently remain largely passive assets with limited long-term utility.

Yoki Arena was created to explore how Yokis could evolve into a sustainable gaming experience capable of:

  • creating new use cases for Yokis;
  • increasing user engagement;
  • generating recurring activity on Soneium;
  • creating additional utility for ASTR;
  • strengthening long-term ecosystem retention.

Development of Yoki Arena began during the first quarter of the year, at a time when no active Yoki product was being developed by the Foundation.

Community members can already review the current implementation through the public links provided below.

This proposal aims to allow the community to evaluate the project through a public testing phase before making any decision regarding its long-term future.

What Is Yoki Arena?

Yoki Arena is a strategy-focused game in which Yokis become playable characters featuring:

  • stats;
  • progression systems;
  • evolutions;
  • equipment;
  • competitive gameplay;
  • tournaments;
  • ranking systems.

Documentation and Public Resources

Community members can review the current implementation and supporting materials through the following resources:

The project already exists and deployed on Minato (Soneium testnet):

Current Development Status

A substantial part of the platform is already developed, including:

  • frontend;
  • backend;
  • game engine;
  • smart contracts;
  • NFT systems;
  • combat mechanics;
  • tournament systems;
  • AI-assisted gameplay infrastructure;

This proposal is therefore not intended to fund a concept or prototype, but rather to allow the community to evaluate an already functional product before deciding its future direction.

This proposal does not fund the commercial launch of Yoki Arena.

The requested funding is intended to:

  • partially cover the work already completed to develop a functional version of the project;
  • finance the deployment of a public evaluation version on the Soneium Mainnet;
  • allow the community to test the product and decide its future.

At the end of this evaluation phase, the community may choose to:

  • end the experiment;
  • continue the project as an independent community initiative;
  • explore integration into the Yoki Arcade ecosystem.

Any continuation beyond this phase would require a new community approval process.

Funding Request

Amount Requested in This Proposal

$15,000

The requested amount covers:

  • substantial development work already completed, representing more than 40 days of effort;
  • preparation for Soneium Mainnet deployment;
  • Startale SDK integration (Account Abstraction support, batch transactions, gasless transactions);
  • infrastructure costs;
  • software licenses;
  • AI services and professional subscriptions;
  • maintenance during the evaluation period.

Community Decision Framework

One of the primary goals of this proposal is to avoid any confusion between Yoki Arena and Yoki Arcade.

Yoki Arena will not be launched while the Astar Foundation is actively promoting Yoki Arcade unless a native integration with Yoki Arcade is jointly approved with the Foundation.

The proposal therefore introduces a phased approach.

Phase 1 — Community Evaluation

A public evaluation version of Yoki Arena will be deployed on the Soneium Mainnet and made accessible through the Startale App.

The application will be clearly identified as a testing environment:

  • a dedicated evaluation NFT collection;
  • visible pre-production banners on NFTs and application interfaces;
  • access through Startale App debug mode to avoid confusion with officially launched products.

All ASTR spent within the application during this evaluation phase will be automatically transferred to the community treasury.

The remaining development work before deployment primarily concerns Startale SDK integration in order to make the mini-app compatible with the Startale App and leverage Account Abstraction features (gasless transactions, batched transactions, etc.) whenever the Startale Smart Wallet is detected.

The evaluation period will last approximately two weeks.

Phase 2 — Community Decision

Option A — End the Experiment

The project ends after the evaluation phase.

No additional funding will be requested.

Option B — Independent Community Deployment

Yoki Arena continues development as an independent community project.

Under this scenario:

  • the game would be finalized based on community feedback;
  • Yoki Arena NFT collections would be deployed without pre-production visual elements;
  • the project would remain fully community-driven.

This option would be submitted to the community through a separate proposal.

Additional funding requested: $15,000

This follow-up proposal would cover:

  • past and future development work;
  • community-requested improvements;
  • infrastructure and operational costs;
  • AI services required for gameplay;
  • ongoing platform maintenance.

Option C — Integration into Yoki Arcade

Subject to alignment with the Astar Foundation.

Under this scenario, Yoki Arena could be adapted for integration into the Yoki Arcade ecosystem.

This could include:

  • partial or complete collection redesigns;
  • adaptation to the four Yoki Arcade narrative universes;
  • development of new user interfaces in Yoki Arcade;
  • smart contract modifications;
  • AI Worker adaptations.

Potential Benefits of Option C

  • immediate access to an existing player base;
  • broader distribution;
  • stronger brand consistency;
  • greater adoption potential.

This option would require significant redesign of the visual identity, user experience, and multiple technical components to align with Yoki Arcade standards and artistic direction.

This option would be submitted to the community through a separate proposal.

Additional funding requested: $25,000

Such an integration would naturally require prior approval from the Astar Foundation and alignment with its product roadmap and schedule.

Potential Ecosystem Impact

For ASTR

  • creation of new utility;
  • potential demand growth;
  • burn mechanisms;
  • increased on-chain activity.

For Yokis

  • meaningful utility;
  • progression systems;
  • long-term engagement;
  • revitalization of historical collections.

For the Ecosystem

  • experimentation with a community-driven gaming product;
  • improved retention;
  • recurring activity on Soneium;
  • opportunities to onboard new users.

ASTR Value Return Mechanism

The objective of Yoki Arena is not only to provide a game, but also to explore the creation of an economic loop beneficial to the ecosystem.

If the project continues beyond the evaluation phase, a portion of the revenue generated in ASTR could be:

  • burned (by transferring ASTR to the 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 address);
  • allocated to the community treasury;
  • distributed through any other mechanism approved by the community.

The final mechanisms and allocation ratios would be defined in a future proposal.

Technical Architecture

On-chain Layer (Soneium Mainnet)

The blockchain layer manages:

  • NFT ownership;
  • evolutions;
  • minting;
  • progression data;
  • economic interactions.

Off-chain Layer

The off-chain infrastructure manages:

  • combat calculations;
  • tournament orchestration;
  • matchmaking;
  • AI Worker execution;
  • gameplay responsiveness.

What Is the AI Worker?

The AI Worker is an off-chain service responsible for running combat simulations and resolving complex game interactions.

Keeping this logic off-chain allows:

  • reduced transaction costs;
  • faster gameplay;
  • improved user experience;
  • reduced blockchain congestion.

Only relevant game outcomes are ultimately recorded on-chain.

Payment Schedule

Milestone 1 — Proposal Approval

$7,500

Paid upon approval of this proposal.

Milestone 2 — Mainnet Deployment

$7,500

Paid upon deployment of the public evaluation version on the Soneium Mainnet.

Tentative Timeline

Milestone 1

Within days following proposal approval:

  • Smart Wallet compatibility finalization;
  • Startale SDK integration (Account Abstraction support, batch transactions, gasless transactions);
  • deployment preparation.

Milestone 2

Deployment on Soneium Mainnet.

Target deployment: within 2–3 weeks after proposal approval.

Milestone 3

Two-week community evaluation period.

Milestone 4

Community vote to select Option A, B, or C.

1 Like
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Thank you for the proposal!

As for Yoki Arena, I have already tried the publicly available version, so I believe I have a reasonable understanding of it.

With that in mind, my main question at this point is how it will relate to Yoki Arcade. As mentioned in the proposal, I understand that discussions with the AF are currently underway. Personally, I would like to decide whether to provide funding and move forward formally based on the outcome of those discussions.

To be honest, from a gameplay perspective alone, I do not currently find it compelling enough to justify funding. As a result, I do not think simply providing funding and proceeding with development and release would have much impact on its own.

To achieve meaningful results, I believe it is important to coordinate closely with the AF and establish a strong relationship with Yoki Arcade before moving forward with the release.

1 Like
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Indeed, I have already had several discussions with the Foundation, particularly with @Gaius_sama.

One of the possibilities currently being explored is the integration of Yoki Arena into Yoki Arcade. This corresponds to Option C in the proposal.

Option C should be understood as a proposal and an opportunity for collaboration, not as a confirmed agreement. While discussions with members of the Foundation have been positive so far, no formal approval has been granted at this stage. Any integration of Yoki Arena into Yoki Arcade would remain subject to the Foundation’s final approval, even if the community decides to support Option C.

This option requires additional efforts in both development and design:

1. Alignment with the four existing Yoki Arcade lores

  • Review the entire Yoki Arena NFT collection, as well as part of the equipment collections.
  • Adapt the smart contracts accordingly.
  • Update the AI worker to support the new lore structure.

2. Full integration of Yoki Arena into Yoki Arcade

  • Rewrite Yoki Arena within Yoki Arcade to ensure a consistent visual identity and user experience.
  • Rework the design of the new collection in collaboration with the Foundation.

Under this model, I would cover the development costs as well as the infrastructure costs (including the AI worker), while the Foundation would provide distribution through Yoki Arcade (existing audience, Startale App listing, and co-marketing support).

Benefits and Contributions

1. For the Community

Contribution:

  • Partial funding of the development.

Benefits:

  • A percentage of the fees generated (mints, tournament registrations, etc.) would either be burned or allocated to the Community Treasury.
  • An additional utility for the ASTR token, with a potentially positive impact on its value proposition.
  • A precedent demonstrating collaboration between the Foundation, developers, and the community. This could encourage more builders and teams to contribute to the Astar ecosystem.

2. For the Astar Foundation

Contribution:

  • Distribution through Yoki Arcade.
  • Co-marketing support.
  • Support for the integration and distribution of the project through the Yoki ecosystem.

Benefits:

  • Additional value creation around the Yoki brand.
  • A share of the fees generated by the platform.
  • An additional utility for the ASTR token.

3. For Myself

Contribution:

  • Creation and development of the game.
  • Infrastructure and operational costs.

Benefits:

  • Partial funding of the development effort.
  • A share of the fees generated to help cover infrastructure costs.
  • Active participation in creating value for the Astar ecosystem.

Requirements

However, this option requires:

  • Community approval for the proposed funding (Option C: $15,000 + $25,000).
  • Foundation approval for this co-production model.
  • Alignment of the various development and business timelines.

While Option C offers the greatest long-term benefits for all stakeholders, it is also the most ambitious and demanding option in terms of development effort and coordination with the Foundation’s roadmap.

For this reason, if the community wishes to explore Option C, it would be important to move forward quickly in order to align schedules and assess its feasibility with all stakeholders.

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Thank you for your continued development of the proposal, @GuiGou!

I want to share my personal opinion, separate from the collective decision-making within the Astar Foundation.

With Yoki Arcade, we understood the community’s reception regarding this and the use of the Yoki IP. We measured it through usage, onchain transactions, interactions, and other data that gives us a complete picture of the situation. The reality is:

  1. The global market is not at its best. Even with such a relatively small investment, we would likely see a distant or uncertain return.

  2. You are a solo developer. Even being a top developer, there are too many factors to consider: data availability, issue resolution, customer support, inclusion of new features, campaigns, etc., etc., etc.

  3. For me, this is far from being a formal proposal.

I still see Yoki Arena as more of a side project. It lacks visual quality, appeal, and a strong hook (such as a compelling narrative development). This is based on comparisons with other mini-games in the ecosystem, where we are working closely alongside them.

USD 15K is a small amount when we talk about an investment that requires a meaningful return, solid gameplay quality, and a strong-hook MVP. Achieving this requires resources and a proper team.

I want to reiterate that this is just my personal opinion. I am heavily involved with the mini-games in the Soneium ecosystem and have been able to analyze real data, so I am being fully transparent here. I am only aiming for what is best for the Astar Collective, while also promoting responsible use and acceptable returns on the funds being allocated

2 Likes
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Thank you @Juminstock for taking the time to share your perspective and explain your concerns.

I completely understand the importance of ensuring that collective funds are used responsibly, and I respect the experience you have gained working with mini-games across the ecosystem.

However, I would like to provide a few clarifications.

First of all, Yoki Arena is neither an idea nor a prototype still under consideration: the mini-app is already developed, deployed, and fully functional. Before concluding that it lacks visual quality, user appeal, or a compelling hook, I would sincerely encourage you to test it yourself: Farcaster

For those who would like to quickly evaluate the visual quality of the application without going through the setup process required for testing, you can also find screenshots of the mini-app here.

To test the mini-app version, users need:

  • A Farcaster account;
  • A wallet configured on the Minato network;
  • A small amount of ETH on Minato to cover transaction fees.

Regarding your view that Yoki Arena is a side project, I fully respect that opinion. This is precisely why the proposal includes Option B — “Independent Community Deployment.”
If the community believes the application should continue its development independently rather than through integration into Startale App, they can simply vote for that option.

You also raised concerns about the fact that I am a solo developer. That is true, and it comes with its own responsibilities. However, I do not believe team size is necessarily an indicator of quality or execution capability. A solo developer can sometimes deliver more than a small team, especially when they have complete ownership and understanding of the product from end to end.

I hope I have demonstrated over the years my ability to design, develop, deploy, and maintain applications independently. As an example, Lucky has been live for more than three years and continues to be actively maintained today.

Regarding the requested amount, I agree with your observation: $15,000 is a relatively modest budget compared to other initiatives funded within the ecosystem. This also significantly reduces the risk associated with this proposal.

The goal is not to fund an idea or a promise, but rather to allow the community to evaluate a working product directly through Startale App, gather meaningful user feedback, and determine its future direction based on real usage data.

Finally, if after testing the application and evaluating its value proposition the community concludes that it does not deserve to be listed, they can naturally vote for Option A.

I am a member of the Astar community since more than three years. During that time, I have developed several dApps, helped many developers and teams on various technical topics.

I am not presenting a concept that still needs to be built or a theoretical vision. I am presenting an application that is already developed, usable, and testable today. I hope that my past contributions, accomplishments, and long-term involvement within the Astar ecosystem will also be taken into consideration when evaluating this proposal.

Thank you again for your feedback and for the time you have dedicated to reviewing the project.

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