Open-Sourcing Cosmic Champs (xGov proposal 3461960394)

xgov proposal: https://xgov.algorand.co/proposal/3461960394

Cosmic Champs ( play.cosmicchamps.com ) is a free-to-play, AAA-quality, real-time 3D PvP strategy game — live on Android, iOS, and Web since 2022, and the only real-time 3D PvP game on Algorand running authoritative multiplayer servers at scale. Over almost five years, we’ve built and battle-tested a complete Web3 gaming stack, including real-time authoritative multiplayer servers, cross-platform clients, NFT-based in-game economies and full blockchain integration.

That stack represents thousands of hours of engineering, battle-tested in production with real users. We are now proposing to give it to the ecosystem.

What We’re Proposing

We are requesting 300,000 ALGO in exchange for fully open-sourcing the entire Cosmic Champs codebase — client, server, and utilities — before any funds are distributed. No strings attached. (Game assets remain our IP.)

This is a value-for-value exchange. The codebase is production-ready, proven at scale, and immediately useful to any developer building on Algorand. The ask reflects the depth and maturity of what is being contributed — not development costs, not operational history, but the worth of a complete, working Web3 gaming stack being handed to the ecosystem permanently and unconditionally.

Why This Matters for Algorand Builders

Right now, if a developer wants to build a real-time multiplayer game on Algorand, they’re starting from scratch. There’s no reference architecture, no proven framework, no battle-tested example to learn from. That’s a significant barrier — and it’s one of the reasons blockchain gaming has been slow to mature across the industry.

Open-sourcing Cosmic Champs changes that. Developers would get immediate access to:

  • A proven, production-tested architecture for real-time 3D multiplayer on Algorand
  • An example of authoritative server infrastructure built for security, performance, and scale
  • Full cross-platform client code (mobile + web) with blockchain integration for a competitive real-time strategy game
  • Almost five years of operational knowledge compressed into a working stack, not a demo

Cosmic Champs also demonstrates a fully working implementation of NFTs as in-game assets — not as speculation vehicles, but as functional items that players own, trade, and use in real gameplay. Every unit and item in the game is an Algorand Standard Asset, meaning true on-chain ownership is baked into the core loop, not bolted on as an afterthought. Tracking on-chain asset ownership and integrating it seamlessly into real-time gameplay at scale is one of the core challenges of Web3 gaming — and our codebase shows exactly how we solved it.

Beyond the code itself, the way we’ve built Cosmic Champs was deliberately designed to avoid the traps that kill most indie and Web3 gaming projects before they reach scale: vendor lock-in and unpredictable costs. Our networking layer is built on Mirror, a well-established open-source networking library, meaning there’s no proprietary middleware, no licensing fees, and no dependency on a third party that could change its pricing or shut down. Our game fleet/servers run on AWS today, but the stack is fully portable — it can be deployed on bare metal or any cloud provider with negligible changes required. Any team building on this codebase inherits that same freedom and cost predictability from day one.

This is the kind of foundational resource that accelerates an entire ecosystem. It lowers the barrier to entry for the next generation of Web3 game developers building on Algorand, and signals to the broader industry that Algorand has the tooling to support serious gaming projects.

Why Now

Blockchain gaming is widely recognized as one of the most promising onramps for mainstream crypto adoption. Games bring users. Users bring liquidity, attention, and network effects. Algorand needs more builders in this space — and builders need a foundation to build on.

The broader landscape makes this moment particularly important. Web3 adoption has slowed. Algorand’s ecosystem growth has plateaued. New developers are cautious about where they build, and they make that decision based on what tooling and precedent already exists. Contributing a production-grade, fully open-sourced gaming stack to the ecosystem right now is a direct investment in reversing that trend — giving the next wave of builders a reason to choose Algorand.

Cosmic Champs has spent almost five years proving what’s possible on Algorand. Open-sourcing it is how that proof becomes a foundation others can build on. This proposal is the mechanism for making that happen in a way that is fair, transparent, and permanently beneficial to the ecosystem.

This is a one-time ask, paired with a permanent contribution to the ecosystem. The code will outlast any market cycle — and the developers who build on it will help define what Algorand gaming looks like for years to come. We’re ready to deliver on our end before a single ALGO is distributed.

**About the Team
**
cosmicchamps.com/#team
Cosmic Champs was built by a team with deep roots in the Algorand ecosystem. In 2021, we were part of the Algorand & Draper University accelerator: one of the earliest cohorts backing builders committed to the chain. Around the same time, we pioneered 3D and AR NFTs on Algorand, pushing the boundaries of what on-chain assets could look like and do before most of the industry had caught up. Since then, we’ve remained active contributors to the ecosystem — shipping, iterating, and maintaining a live product through every market cycle.

Proof of Traction

Cosmic Champs isn’t a prototype or a proof of concept — it’s a live, active platform with real users and a measurable footprint in the ecosystem See it in action.

  • The longest-running real-time 3D game on Algorand, with consistent exposure across the wider Web3 gaming space
  • An average of 6,000 PvP games played monthly, peaking at 15,000+ during campaign periods — with full on-chain tracking since July 2025 (Allo)
  • 13 ecosystem project contributors to our P2E prize bot — including Folks, Alpha Arcade, Tinyman… — with automated on-chain reward distribution (Allo)
  • 7,000+ X followers and 2,000+ Discord members

Grants Received Within the Algorand Ecosystem

  • 50,000 ALGO received via xGov pilot in May 2024 for infrastructure costs
  • $10,000 AWS credits received from the Algorand Foundation in 2024 (fully utilized)
  • We have received private investments into the project in exchange for either tokens or equity
6 Likes

Happy to answer any questions and open to feedback.

2 Likes

While I am not into Web3 gaming, I think this will be a valuable contribution once the whole codebase is open-sourced. Hopefully we will see even more games getting build on Algorand because of it.

Under what license will it be open-sourced?

For transparency for those who are not familiar with, would you mind adding that the founder of Cosmic Champs, Simon, is on the xGov Council?

2 Likes

Thanks for the feedback!

It will be open-sourced under MIT license.

We’re unable to edit the original post, but this is correct:
I’m co-founder of cosmic champs and i’m also on xgov council, this was exactly why we didn’t post it from my personal forum profile but from Cosmic Champs profile instead, so it wouldn’t imply council support for it as such.

Seeing this is OSS after approval request, I’ll pesonally abstain from voting on the proposal when it comes to TnC(at the time of veto/approve), unless there is a 50/50 stalemate (there are 11 council members, and you need 6 to approve or reject proposal), in such case i’ll vote yes as a final vote.

2 Likes

Open-sourcing it under MIT will provide a great benefit for the ecosystem!

Thank you for your transparency regarding your role in the xGov.

1 Like

I think that will have a tremendous value for the community and builders since it is a very good best practice of its own kind. A BIG YES for me. :rocket:

1 Like