It’s time to show what you’re made of!

Following the success of the first Builders’ Challenge, The Sandbox is excited to launch the second iteration of Builders’ Challenge inviting creators to once again unleash their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. This event runs for 10 weeks from June 24 to August 26, 2024, featuring a total prize pool of 1,500,000 SAND and new mechanics designed to foster engagement and reward innovation.

Looking to participate? Here are three steps to get your experience ready for the next installation of the Builders’ Challenge:

1. Publish: Your experience or game should offer something new or a creative twist on existing genres to stand out from the crowd. Utilize the latest features from Game Maker 0.10 to enhance fun and replayability. Consider crafting an engaging First Time User Experience (FTUE) to help attract and retain players.
2. Engage: Develop comprehensive marketing strategies and actively interact with your community to boost your game’s visibility. Collaborate with other creators to enhance your reach, and set up player rewards to incentivize engagement. Consider organizing events, streaming sessions, and leveraging social media to keep the community involved and excited. To learn more about how to engage players, check out the top creators’ success stories and engagement strategies and our guides on how to foster player engagement.
3. Earn: Ensure you’re eligible to claim your rewards by completing the KYC (Know Your Customer) process if you are an individual or the KYB (Know Your Business) process if you represent a corporate entity.

Mechanics

We created some new reward mechanics to keep things interesting and help creators level up in this installation of the Builders’ Challenge:

• Simplified Formula: Rewards are distributed every two weeks from a 300,000 SAND bi-weekly pool based on the experience’s ranking based on your experience’s engagement score. (More details about ranking are shared below.)
• New Experience Booster: Experiences not participating in the first Builders’ Challenge will receive a +50% boost in engagement
• Multiplayer Experience Booster: Multiplayer experiences will receive a +50% boost to their engagement score
• Branded Asset Booster: Be part of the culture by adding easter eggs to your experiences! Experiences that host at least three unique assets from The Sandbox Brands Partners from the list below will get a 50% boost to their engagement numbers: Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, Paris Hilton, Care Bears, Playboy, Ubisoft, Warner Music Group, Deadmau5, The Walking Dead, People of Crypto, Invincible, The Voice, Captain Tsubasa, Fist of the North Star, and The Smurfs

Note that all three Boosters (New Experience, Multiplayer Experience, Branded Asset) can be combined for a +150% boost!

Reward Distribution & Ranking

Your rank will determine your SAND rewards. Your Engagement Score will determine your rank, which can be calculated by multiplying the average session length of your experience by the total number of visits made by players who have accomplished at least one quest. A minimum of 10 unique players must play your game each week for your experience to receive rewards.

Keep an eye out for weekly posts of your rank on The Sandbox Forum.

Every two weeks, we will take a screenshot of the rank and distribute the rewards according to the table. Rewards will be distributed every two weeks. The ranking will reset every two weeks. Here’s a breakdown of the reward structure for two weeks of engagement:

Eligibility and Participation: Achieving Success in Builders’ Challenge 2

To participate in the event and to ensure a fair and equitable playing field for all creators, we have established the following eligibility requirements:

• Wallet Setup: A wallet is essential for receiving and managing rewards.
• Compliance with Terms of Use: Your account and behavior must adhere to The Sandbox’s Terms of Use, ensuring a harmonious and enjoyable experience for all creators.
• Game Maker Version: Your experience must be saved on Game Maker 0.10, the latest version of our intuitive no-code game development tool.
• Account Activity: Your Game Maker account must have been opened on seven different days to demonstrate genuine engagement with the platform.
• Open to Everyone: All creators are welcome to join the event. The Sandbox employees working on the Builders’ Challenge are not eligible for rewards.
• Ban Policy: To deter cheating or unauthorized activities, we will periodically review the top 100 Experiences. If any suspicious activity is identified, your experience may be banned at the company’s discretion. If your experience is banned, you will receive a warning via email. Appeals can be made at publishing.support@sandbox.game.
• Experience Exclusion: To maintain fair competition amongst creators, experiences made by The Sandbox or by brand partners will not be eligible for rewards. These are experiences with the orange tag “Brand” and the blue tag “Sandbox.” Note that experiences made through Game Jams themed around a Brand partner will be eligible for rewards.
• Minimum player participation: At least 10 unique players must play in your experience each week for your experience to be eligible for rewards

Join the Next Wave of Innovation

The Builders’ Challenge is more than just an event — it’s a unique opportunity for visionaries and creators to shape the future of The Sandbox. With the simplified formula and enhanced reward mechanics, we are fostering a community of dedicated individuals committed to delivering top-notch experiences that captivate players worldwide.

This challenge is designed to encourage innovation both in gameplay and engagement strategies, inviting seasoned builders and new enthusiasts alike to participate. The new reward structure ensures that exceptional craftsmanship and player engagement are recognized and rewarded.

Do you have what it takes to be a pioneer in this exciting challenge? Participate from June 24 to August 26, 2024, and make your mark on The Sandbox!

Announcing the Builders’ Challenge 2 was originally published in The Sandbox on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.