Showdown FAQ and AMA recap

Why is Showdown going on a summer break?

We know Showdown can be more – bigger, sharper, more rewarding – and the only way to get there is to put our heads down and build. We're pausing all game modes from 1 June to focus entirely on shipping a Beta we're proud to put our players' names on. This isn't a step back. It's a run-up.

Why can't you just build the improvements while keeping the game running?

We're a small team, and keeping a live product running consumes more resource than it might appear from the outside. Every feature we develop needs testing so we don't break something that's already working. Running the game in parallel with a major rebuild would mean delivering less by September, or delivering it at lower quality. We made a deliberate call: a focused break that lets us ship a Beta we're actually proud of, rather than patching things incrementally while trying to grow at the same time.

What did you learn from the Alpha phase overall?

The Alpha gave us the data and confidence we needed to know Showdown is a genuinely viable project. The core game loop is strong and, for players who get into it, genuinely addictive. What it showed us just as clearly is where we need to improve: onboarding, navigation, the overall polish of the client outside the game itself. Things like player profiles, menus, and the on-ramp for new players who don't already hold crypto. None of these are core game issues, but they matter enormously if we want to grow beyond our existing community.

What do I do with funds I have on Showdown?

Your funds are yours, full stop. The private wallet tied to your Showdown account has always been in your full custody. We don't have access to it. While game modes are paused, we'd suggest either withdrawing to a wallet you use day-to-day, or exporting your Showdown wallet into something like MetaMask or Rabby. Either works. If you want a hand with the process, ask us in Discord and we'll walk you through it.

What happens to my NFTs?

Your NFTs are in your Showdown wallet and will remain on MegaETH for now. You’re free to move them to any wallet. If we move to a new chain, we will provide a simple process for migrating them. We'll share full details on how that works when we have them. Stay tuned to Discord and X for announcements.

RE: Showpoints and NFTs -- will there be full continuity into Beta?

Yes, full continuity. Your Showpoints carry over and you'll have more to spend them on come September. The Showpoints buying mechanism paused when the MegaETH Terminal campaign ended but will resume with Beta. NFTs remain in your Showdown wallet regardless of which chain we launch on. If we do migrate chains, we'll provide a straightforward process for moving them across and will share full details well in advance.

What can I expect in Showdown Beta?

A lot. Highlights include an overhauled UI, improved onboarding, new cards, higher stakes gameplay, new tournament formats, a full launch of the Showdown store, and the potential teaser of a brand new class. We're also reading every suggestion our community makes this summer. The best ideas will make it into Beta.

The UI overhaul goes deeper than a visual refresh. The entire navigation is being rebuilt from the ground up, with the goal of making the moment you open the app feel as polished as the game itself. Think Hearthstone-level presentation. We're not there yet, but that's the benchmark we're building towards. Player profiles, avatars, menus: all of it is getting the love it needs.

We're launching a quest system in September designed to make daily activity more rewarding and give you clear goals to work towards. Think along the lines of: win five games with a specific class this week and earn Showpoints, or hit a points threshold for a reward. We're also bringing in-game statistics directly into the client – win rates, class performance, player rankings – so if you want to improve, the tools are right there rather than buried in external dashboards. Emotes are on the way too. And if you want to deposit without holding crypto already, Fiat on-ramps will be significantly smoother in Beta. That's finally becoming straightforward.

When will the summer break end? When does Beta launch?

Closed beta kicks off in August with our most active players, and we're targeting a full public Beta in September.

How can I test the Beta before it goes live?

We're running a closed beta in August with our most active players. If you've been grinding games, climbing leaderboards, or showing up consistently in the community, you're exactly who we want involved. We'll be reaching out to selected players directly as August approaches. Stay tuned to Discord for announcements.

What will happen to the game during the summer break?

From Monday 1 June, all game modes and access to the game have been disabled. You will not be able to play Showdown until we return for the Beta launch. In the meantime, Discord stays open in a stripped-back form, Telegram stays live, and X stays live. Expect teasers, previews, milestone updates and behind-the-scenes content throughout the summer.

What will happen to the community?

We're staying loud all summer. Discord stays open, Telegram stays live, X stays active. We want to hear your ideas for what you want to see in Beta: new modes, deeper progression, different formats, tournament structures. Drop your thoughts wherever you find us. We're reading everything.

Where can I get updates?

Discord, Telegram and X. We'll be sharing teasers, previews and milestone updates throughout the summer, so those are the best places to stay across everything on the road to Beta.

Where do you expect new players to come from in Beta?

A few directions. Players from whatever chain we launch on will be a significant source. We're also investing heavily in improving the Fiat on-ramp, which should finally open the door properly to traditional poker players who've wanted to try Showdown but found the crypto entry barrier too high. And we're building out influencer and streamer partnerships -- the spectator mode makes Showdown genuinely watchable, and we think it has real potential as an esport. The goal is for September to feel like a proper launch with momentum, not just a continuation of the Alpha.

What is the long-term roadmap beyond Beta?

Beta launches in September. From there, we'll be improving the product continuously through the beta phase, with a full release targeted roughly 12 to 15 months out, potentially around Christmas 2027. Between now and then, you can expect a public fundraising round and, at some point tied to player growth milestones, a token generation event. The plan is a KPI-based TGE: as the player pool grows and hits certain thresholds, the token gets created. Think of it as a similar path to how MegaETH approached their own launch.

Will there be an Android app?

Yes. The Android app is planned for Beta. That said, mobile optimisation is a gradual process. The iOS app launched but still needs work, and Android will follow a similar path of incremental improvement through the beta phase rather than arriving fully polished on day one.

Are there plans for in-game replays and hand history?

The back-end infrastructure for hand history already exists and we can track every card played and every outcome. The challenge is building a good user-facing product around it. A proper replay feature probably won't be ready for Beta, but it is firmly on the roadmap and will be in place before the full launch.

Will there be in-game emotes and chat?

Emotes are coming relatively soon. They fit the poker feel well and aren't a heavy lift. In-game chat and tournament chat are planned features on the road to full launch. The order of priority will be determined as Beta progresses, but everything you'd expect from a fully-featured release will be there before the end of the 15-month road to launch.

Why build on blockchain at all? Doesn't that create security risks?

The decision to build on Web3 is deliberate and we think it works in players' favour. The most important point: we are not custodians of your money. You hold your funds in your own wallet. Given how many platforms – in poker and in crypto more broadly – have failed their users when they held funds centrally, we think that matters. Beyond that, crypto onboarding is genuinely faster: no ID verification, no lengthy sign-up process, just start playing. Longer term, it also allows us to reward the community in ways that wouldn't be possible with a traditional company structure -- skin in the game, token allocation, and so on. We're not adding Web3 elements where they don't belong, but where they serve the player and the game, we think they're the right call.

What's happening with on-ramps and off-ramps for fiat?

This is a known weakness and one we're fixing before September. Getting Fiat money into Showdown will be significantly easier in Beta, via services like Moonpay, Coinbase, and similar on-ramp providers. Getting money out already works via crypto withdrawal, which is one click, but we know that's still an extra step compared to what players expect. Improving off-ramps further is part of the longer road to full launch, including eventually exploring the kind of regulated entity structure that would allow direct bank withdrawals. It's a complex regulatory path but it's the direction we're heading.

Did the discontinuation of MegaETH Terminal have an impact on Showdown?

The ending of Terminal was as much a surprise to us as it was to our players. During the Terminal campaign, we saw an influx of new registrations, and we expected some of those players to move on once the MegaETH points programme ended. But we were genuinely pleased to see how many stayed simply because they enjoy the game. We saw many encouraging signs in our player numbers and cash game volumes even after the campaign ended, and we value those players enormously.

Will Showdown still be on MegaETH? If not, why not?

We are exploring our options for which chain we’ll launch on with Showdown Beta. Look for further announcements in the coming weeks. Our goal is to ensure the chain we build on gives us access to the best possible opportunities to grow Showdown into the game we believe it has the potential to be.

What is the relationship between Showdown and MegaETH going forward?

We're genuinely grateful for everything MegaETH made possible. The Terminal campaign brought a huge number of new players to Showdown, and that relationship matters to us. That said, the early end of the Terminal campaign was unexpected and had an impact on our plans. We're currently exploring our chain options for the Beta launch and haven't made a final decision. Whatever we decide, it will be based on giving Showdown the best possible chance of success. That means the right technology, a stable ecosystem and the best experience for players. We'll share more when we have something to announce.

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