The "then what?" problem
Finish a game on most platforms and you face the distribution cliff: export it, host it somewhere, post the link into the void, hope. It's the same wall indie developers have always hit — discovery is the hard part, and no AI build button solves it. So we built the other half: on Arcade Sandbox, publishing drops your game into a shared arcade that every player on the platform browses — staff picks, trending rails, genre aisles, cabinet art from your game's own screenshot. Distribution isn't a separate skill; it's the default destination.
The economy, in one paragraph
Publishing is free. Any player's first play of your game is free — a real demo, not a paywall-first experience. If they like it, unlocking unlimited plays costs a flat ⚡500 (fifty cents — tokens are the platform currency, denominated at $1 = ⚡1,000) — and the creator keeps 75% of it. That's ⚡375 per unlock, every unlock, credited to your balance. No "revenue share on qualifying impressions" fine print — a flat three-quarters, stated up front.
Why 75%? The platform's 25% covers what makes unlocks happen at all — hosting, moderation, and every player's free first play. The rest is yours, and it makes "publish something great" the strategy for both of us.
What earnings look like in practice
- Earned tokens land in your balance and can fund your next builds — at ⚡375 per unlock, two unlocks cover a typical 2D build (⚡350–650). A small self-sustaining loop is a realistic early goal.
- Earnings are platform tokens, not cash — honest framing: you're earning build credit, not rent money. Tokens stay inside the platform, where they're worth exactly what purchased tokens are worth: more games.
- Your audience compounds: every published game links back to your others, and shared links (Discord, Twitch, group chats) feed players into the arcade where the rest of your catalog lives.
What it takes to earn an unlock
Players unlock games that survive the free play — which means the bar is "fun in the first minute." The guides that help: the prompt method (verb, pressure, feeling), juice and instant restart (the one-more-try formula), and honest difficulty ramps. Polished 5-minute arcade games outperform ambitious half-working epics here, every time.
▶ BUILD → PUBLISH → GET PLAYED
New accounts start with ⚡2,000 free — a 2D build typically runs ⚡350–650, publishing costs nothing. Your first cabinet could be live tonight.
Build for the arcade →First play free for every player · unlocks a flat ⚡500 ($0.50) · creators keep 75%. · first token pack 25% off — $3.74
How this compares
Other platforms end elsewhere, and sometimes that's what you want: Rosebud ends in a project you can eventually export; Star ends in files and multiplayer servers; mobile apps like Gummy end inside their own app. An arcade-with-economy is the trade we chose instead: less portability, more players. If "strangers played my game and one of them paid a token for it" is the sentence you're chasing, this is the platform shaped for it.
FAQ
Do players need accounts?
Browsing the arcade is open; playing published games uses sign-in so each player's free play and unlocks work. Games you share by private link play without any account.
Can I keep a game out of the arcade?
Yes — publishing is optional. Unpublished games are private links, which is exactly right for gifts and works-in-progress.
What stops low-effort spam from flooding the arcade?
Builds cost tokens, publishing is curated by economics (spam earns nothing), and there's a report + moderation system with takedowns. The first-play-free rule also means bad games simply don't convert.
Is the 75% number really 75%?
Yes — ⚡375 of every ⚡500 unlock goes to the creator, credited as platform tokens (build credit, not cash). The other 25% funds hosting, moderation, and the free first plays that keep the arcade browsable.