Deploy to Arena

This guide covers the full deployment pipeline — from packaging your game through quality gates, review, catalog listing, versioning, and revenue. For building the game itself, see Build a Game.

Prerequisites

Before deploying, your game must:

Implement the complete Game<TState, TAction> interface
Include a valid ludus.manifest.json
Pass all four quality gates locally (SDK Compliance, Security, Determinism, Performance)

Packaging

Build your game
Terminal window
```
npm run build
```

Verify the package structure

my-game/
├── ludus.manifest.json
├── dist/
│   └── index.js
├── public/           # optional assets
└── README.md         # optional, shown in catalog

Create the archive
Terminal window
```
tar -czf my-game.ludus.tar.gz -C my-game .
```
All files referenced in the manifest (game.file, assets[].path) must exist in the archive.

Submission

Submit your package through the SubmissionService:

import {
  SubmissionService,
  InMemorySubmissionStore,
} from "@ludus/game-protocol";

const service = new SubmissionService(new InMemorySubmissionStore());

// Step 1: Upload package → DRAFT
const submission = service.submit(packageContents, "your-wallet-address");
console.log(`Submission ${submission.id} created as DRAFT`);

// Step 2: Submit for review → runs all quality gates
const reviewed = service.submitForReview(
  submission.id,
  packageContents,
  () => MyGameImplementation,
);

The submitForReview() call transitions the submission through PENDING → TESTING (runs all quality gates) → REVIEW (all pass) or REJECTED (any fail).

Duplicate Detection

You cannot submit a game with the same name + version if an active submission already exists. Bump the version or wait for a previous REJECTED submission to clear.

Quality Gate Process

Four gates run sequentially. All must pass.

1. SDK Compliance

Checks that your game object has all 8 required methods/properties:

Method/Property	What It Checks
`metadata`	Property exists with required fields
`initialize()`	Returns valid initial state
`getValidActions()`	Returns action array
`executeAction()`	Returns new state
`isGameOver()`	Returns boolean
`getWinner()`	Returns Player or null
`getRankings()`	Returns PlayerRanking array
`describeAction()`	Returns string

Fix failures: Implement every method. No stubs that throw.

2. Security

Scans source code for banned patterns:

Pattern	Why Banned
Arbitrary code execution	Dynamic code generation
`Function()`	Dynamic code generation
`require()`	Module loading
`fs.*`, `readFile`, `writeFile`	File system access
`fetch`, `XMLHttpRequest`, `http.`	Network access
`process.env`	Environment leakage
`child_process`	Process spawning
`__proto__`	Prototype pollution
Dynamic `import()`	Dynamic module loading

Fix failures: Remove all I/O, network, and dynamic code from game logic. Keep it pure.

3. Determinism

Runs your game 3 times with seed 42 and 2 players. All runs must produce identical state sequences.

Fix failures:

Replace Math.random() with rng.next() or rng.nextInt()
Replace Date.now() with turn counters
Use structuredClone() in executeAction() instead of mutation

4. Performance

Runs executeAction() for 50 turns. Each turn must complete within 5 seconds.

Fix failures: Profile your game logic. Avoid O(n!) or O(2^n) algorithms. Cache expensive computations.

Checking Results

if (reviewed.status === "REVIEW") {
  console.log("All gates passed!");
} else if (reviewed.status === "REJECTED") {
  console.error("Rejected:", reviewed.rejectionReason);
  for (const result of reviewed.qualityResults) {
    if (!result.passed) {
      console.error(`  ${result.gate}: ${result.details}`);
    }
  }
}

Review

After passing all quality gates, the submission enters REVIEW status. Human reviewers (or DAO governance) evaluate:

Gameplay quality — Is the game fun and well-balanced?
Originality — Does it add value to the catalog?
Documentation — Is the README clear?
Fair play — No exploits or degenerate strategies?

The reviewer approves or rejects with notes:

// Approve → LISTED
service.approve(submission.id, "Great game, well-tested.");

// Or reject → REJECTED
service.reject(submission.id, "Needs balancing work", "Player 1 wins 95% of the time.");

Catalog Listing

Once approved, the game appears in the catalog:

import { CatalogService, InMemoryCatalogStore } from "@ludus/game-protocol";

const catalog = new CatalogService(new InMemoryCatalogStore());

// List the approved game
catalog.listGame(approvedSubmission);

Your game is now discoverable through:

Text search — by name, description, or tags
Category browsing — strategy, economic, social, card, dice, territory, puzzle, party
Popularity ranking — weighted score from downloads, ratings, recency, completions
Recent listings — newest games first

Players can rate your game (0-5 stars), and the popularity score updates automatically.

Versioning

Publish updates using semver:

import { VersionManager, InMemoryVersionStore } from "@ludus/game-protocol";

const manager = new VersionManager(new InMemoryVersionStore());

// Register initial version
manager.registerVersion("my-game", "1.0.0", "hash-abc");

// Publish a patch (bug fix)
manager.registerVersion("my-game", "1.0.1", "hash-def");

// Publish a minor update (new feature)
manager.registerVersion("my-game", "1.1.0", "hash-ghi");

Each new version goes through the same submission and quality gate process.

Deprecation

When you publish a new version, you can deprecate the old one:

manager.deprecateVersion("my-game", "1.0.0", "Security fix in 1.0.1");

Deprecated versions remain playable for a 30-day grace period. Players see a warning and a pointer to the latest version. After the grace period, the old version is unlisted.

Migration Paths

Check whether an upgrade is breaking:

const path = manager.getMigrationPath("my-game", "1.0.0", "2.0.0");
// path.breaking: true (major version jump)
// path.intermediateVersions: count of versions between

Rollback

If a new version has issues, roll back:

manager.rollback("my-game", "1.0.0", "immediate");

Rollback policies: "immediate" (instant), "grace-period" (scheduled cutover), "manual" (requires confirmation).

Revenue

The Ludus protocol distributes platform fees to game developers.

Fee Split

Recipient	Share
Game developer	70%
Ludus protocol	30%

How Fees Accumulate

Fees are recorded from match entries, betting, and in-game transactions:

import { RevenueEngine, InMemoryRevenueStore } from "@ludus/game-protocol";

const engine = new RevenueEngine(new InMemoryRevenueStore());

// Fees accumulate automatically as players use your game
engine.recordFee("my-game", "dev-wallet", 100, "USDC");

Revenue Reports

Track your game’s performance:

const report = engine.getRevenueReport(
  "my-game",
  new Date("2026-01-01"),
  new Date("2026-03-31"),
);
// report.totalFees — gross platform fees
// report.developerShare — your 70% cut
// report.protocolShare — protocol's 30%
// report.feeCount — number of fee events

Payouts

Request a payout when your earnings meet the minimum threshold:

const payout = engine.createPayout("dev-wallet", periodStart, periodEnd);
// payout.status: "pending"

// After on-chain settlement:
engine.completePayout(payout.id, "0xtxhash...");
// payout.status: "completed"

Payout lifecycle: pending → processing → completed (or failed with reason).

Wallet Setup

Set author.wallet in your ludus.manifest.json to receive payouts. Without a wallet address, fees accumulate but cannot be paid out.

Developer Portal

Once your game is listed, monitor it through the catalog:

Downloads — tracked automatically via catalog.recordDownload()
Completions — tracked when games finish via catalog.recordCompletion()
Ratings — player ratings on a 0-5 scale
Popularity score — composite score (0-100) based on downloads (40%), rating (30%), recency (20%), completions (10%)
Revenue — fee reports and payout history

Error Reference

Error	Cause	Fix
`ManifestValidationError`	Invalid manifest fields	Check field rules in Game Protocol
`DuplicateSubmissionError`	Same name+version exists	Bump version
`InvalidTransitionError`	Illegal status transition	Follow the submission flow
`DeterminismGateError`	Non-deterministic game	Use SeededRNG, no Math.random()
`SecurityGateError`	Banned code pattern found	Remove I/O, network, dynamic code
`SDKComplianceError`	Missing Game interface methods	Implement all 8 methods/properties