SIP-19: The Sandbox DAO UGC Platform by WakeUp Labs [Update Thread]

⚙️ SIP: Implementation
1

TL;DR

We’re officially kicking off the development of the new Sandbox DAO UGC Platform!
WakeUp Labs is building a community-governed, creator-first platform focused on improving visibility, discovery, and monetization for independent creators.

Why Are We Doing This?

Currently, creators within The Sandbox face several challenges:

  • Limited visibility for independent experiences
  • Insufficient discovery tools and analytics
  • Few monetization options outside centralized decisions
  • Lack of community governance and transparency

These challenges have been echoed across multiple community-led SIPs, such as the Creator Toolkit proposal, which highlights the lack of access to essential tools like leaderboards, SAND/NFT reward systems, EP-based season tracking, and public APIs.

This initiative aims to address those issues by providing better tools, transparent analytics, monetization opportunities, and community-driven governance.

What We are going to build – First Version Scope

We want to develop the first version of a new UGC discovery platform, specifically designed around community and creator needs. It focuses on enhancing content visibility, player engagement, and early monetization.

Key features include:

  • Login System: Enables personalized experiences (connected with Sandbox credentials if it’s possible)
  • Homepage: Highlights trending and top creator content
  • Experience Pages: Offers rich visuals and analytics to guide player decisions
  • Creator Pages: Showcases comprehensive creator profiles
  • Search & Filtering: Simplifies and improves content discovery
  • Live Analytics: Integrates Google Analytics for actionable insights
  • Early-stage Monetization Tools: Includes tip jars and spotlight sponsorships
  • Responsive Design: Optimized for both mobile and desktop, reflecting The Sandbox’s aesthetic

Implementation Roadmap

The project will progress through four key milestones:

:small_blue_diamond: Milestone 1: Product Discovery, Architecture & Design
:small_blue_diamond: Milestone 2: Back-End Development
:small_blue_diamond: Milestone 3: Front-End Development
:small_blue_diamond: Milestone 4: Production Launch & Testing

Each phase unlocks part of the total budget and includes clear deliverables. You can find the full roadmap and details in the project overview document.

How We’ll Measure Success

  • Successful launch and DAO approval
  • Increased UGC visibility and creation
  • Higher player engagement (ratings, reviews, session duration)
  • Active community participation in governance and feedback

This is just the beginning. As we move through the implementation phases, Regular updates will be shared here and on our X (Twitter) and LinkedIn!

6 Likes
2

Excellent update. Thanks for spelling out where you are in it.

Would you say that you are on schedule, behind schedule, or ahead? It’s okay to say you’re behind schedule, I’m more interested to know the honest progress :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes
3

Hey! We’re honestly super excited today’s just Day 1, so we’re officially kicking off this 5-month journey!

The design and research team already started running interviews to better understand the context and thoughts of some important members of the community, and we’ll start sharing updates little by little as things take shape.

Right now, it’s still day one no ahead, no behind just setting a strong foundation for what’s coming. Thanks so much for being so attentive and always wanting the best for the DAO.

2 Likes
4

I think what I’m referring to is SIP-19’s end date of Feb 5 to the milestone table in your proposal

  • 64 days has elapsed since SIP-19’s end date of Feb 5
  • Your proposal’s Milestone #0 cites “Day 1” and Milestone #1 cites “End of Month 1” (30 days) for discovery and what looks like solidifying the tech specs with the user.
  • Milestone #2 is back-end development

image
image388×611 26 KB
image
image450×752 20.8 KB

That’s what I was referring to. With the info we have I can’t tell if Day 1 means the start of Milestone #0 or 2, or if Milestone #1 took 36 days longer than anticipated, or if I’m reading the milestone table wrong.

That’s all I meant :grinning_face:

1 Like
6

Hey Lanzer! Thanks for the clarification. To clarify: Day 1 refers to the official project kickoff, which was on April 9th, not immediately after the SIP-19 end date (February 5th).

There was a gap between the end of voting and the project start due to necessary preparations and final alignments before beginning the actual work.

The milestones in the proposal are counted from April 9th onward, following that kickoff date.

Thanks again for bringing it up I appreciate the attention to detail!

7

There was a gap between the end of voting and the project start due to necessary preparations and final alignments before beginning the actual work.

Okay, got it. Was there a place I could have gone to see that April 9th date for myself, or could that not have been known to us until you made this post

Not trying to be confrontational, just wanting to understand here

8

Hey Lanzer, unfortunately not.

We expected to kick off the project earlier, but there were some delays due to KYB issues and administrative factors beyond our control.

April 9th was the earliest we could realistically get things moving. :wink:

Apologies if we caused any confusion—after seeing the screenshot you shared, we realized we should’ve clarified that the success metric for Milestone #0 was receiving the retainer fee. Our official Kickoff always hinges on that release.

It still hasn’t come through, but we know it’s on its way.
That said, we didn’t want to hold up the project any longer.

I hope our honest explanation helps clear things up. :blush:

3 Likes
9

Yes I think that clears it up, thank you both.

So Milestone #1 completed April 8th, and Milestone #2 is April 9th

Correct?

10

No. :slight_smile:

Milestone #0 is completed.
Milestone #1 just started.

1 Like
11

Ah. Well okay then. That clears it up. Thanks :slight_smile:

1 Like
12

:green_circle: Update – Milestone 1: Discovery Phase in Progress

Hey everyone!

We wanted to share a quick update on the progress of the UGC Platform project for The Sandbox DAO.

Over the past few days, we officially kicked off the discovery phase. From the product and design side, we’ve been fully focused on connecting directly with creators, players, and active DAO members. We’ve chatted with amazing contributors like Lanzer, The Pickaxe Master, KCL, Sebga, and others to better understand their expectations, frustrations, and hopes for the future of UGC.

We’re truly grateful for their time and insights, and of course, we remain open to more feedback and ideas.

APIs & Technical Landscape — Current Limitations

On the technical side, we’ve been exploring every possible avenue to access valuable data that would help us build a meaningful platform. We’ve investigated the only public API currently available (Sandbox API) and have analyzed smart contracts to understand what’s accessible.

We’ve reached out to delegates and core team members to request extended API access, and they have very kindly answered our inquiries. However, given The Sandbox team’s current roadmap priorities and limited direct technical communication, we’re moving forward under the assumption that additional APIs won’t be available in the short term. Currently, our access to key data remains restricted, meaning we must primarily rely on publicly available sources and, when necessary, web scraping. Although this situation isn’t ideal, it enables us to start delivering immediate value while highlighting the importance of deeper integration in the future.

What’s Next?

Understanding the uncertainty and challenges around future API availability, we will proceed as if these are not available. Therefore, we’ve carefully adjusted our strategy to ensure we continue meeting key project objectives while providing immediate value to The Sandbox community. With this in mind, we’ve decided to think outside the box and move forward

Our solution is based on current technical feasibility

A functional, lightweight, no-login platform designed to immediately increase visibility for UGC experiences.

Key features will be:

  • AI-Powered Discovery: Smart Search (GPT-style): Interprets natural language, understands user intent, and suggests relevant experiences, for example, typing “fun multiplayer RPG” or “games with more rating” would return a curated list with fallback suggestions if exact matches aren’t found.
  • Experience cards featuring core information (image, title, author, category, views).
  • Sponsored Experience Slot.
  • Alternative methods of support for creators include direct wallet donations and sharing on social media.

This version is 100% technically feasible today, and it aligns with what was proposed at the beginning of the project: a platform, distinct from the one managed by The Sandbox, that allows showcasing experiences to more players and opens a new window of opportunity for creators.

A gift for the community

Given that we’re still fully committed to our original idea of building a platform that includes real data and helps creators make better decisions using key metrics. While we can’t access the APIs we hoped for, we’ll continue working with our design team to present a version that highlights the potential for growth apart from the viable technically. In this version we will showcase the features that could be unlocked with more access to the APIs. In fact, we’ll use it as a spearhead to push conversations with Sandbox and help accelerate the release of public APIs for creators.

The final design documentation and files will showcase:

  • AI-Powered Discovery: Smart search using natural language with real time data (e.g., “most played today”, “experiences with highest rewards”), with fallback results and discovery sections like Top Developers and Live Experiences.
  • Experience Pages: Rich content per UGC experience cover image, trailer, description, gameplay stats (CCU, visits, rating), and a direct “Play” button linked to The Sandbox.
  • Support Creators: Option to support creators via donations and future perks, building stronger creator-player relationships.
  • Creator Profiles: Public portfolio with metrics (visits, DAU, rating), social links, and experience highlights. Logged-in users getting access to advanced dashboards and reward tools.
  • Player Accounts: Logged-in players creating alerts, getting notifications, and access extra features.
  • Monetization Tools: Donation system for creators, social sharing rewards for players, and potential DAO revenue via sponsorship banners.

Our goal with this version is to spark interest from The Sandbox team by clearly showing the opportunities ahead and laying the groundwork for future scaling with expanded data access.

We’ll continue sharing updates, learnings, and community insights. If you’re a creator, player, or SIP author, we’d love your input and feedback to shape this platform.

Let’s keep building by the community, for the community.
The WakeUp Labs Team

6 Likes