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 1 token (tokens are the platform currency, roughly a dollar or less each in packs) — and the creator keeps 100% of that token. Not a 70/30 split. Not "revenue share on qualifying impressions." The whole token, every unlock, credited to your balance.
Why give creators everything? Because the platform already earns when tokens are bought. Taking a cut of your unlock would mean charging you twice for the same dollar. The 100% number isn't generosity — it's just honest accounting, 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 — a game that earns 4 unlocks has paid for its own sequel. A small self-sustaining loop is a realistic early goal.
- Cash-out is on the roadmap: converting earned tokens to real money at a fixed per-token rate is built and gated behind payout onboarding — it's marked "coming soon" in Settings until it goes live. Until then, honest framing: you're earning build credit, not rent money.
- 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 ⚡ 5 free tokens — a 2D build costs 4, publishing costs nothing. Your first cabinet could be live tonight.
Build for the arcade →First play free for every player · unlocks 1 token · creators keep 100%.
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 100% number really 100%?
Yes — the full unlock token goes to the creator. The platform's margin comes from token sales, not from your earnings.