zkPoker has hit publish on its proposal to launch zkGame DAO via the Internet Computer’s SNS, and the call to vote is now officially live on the Network Nervous System. If the vote passes, it’ll set off a two-week countdown to the public sale of ZKG tokens, giving early supporters a window to claim their stake.
The team behind zkGame has spent the past month ironing out key parts of its launch plan, including open-sourcing its codebase and fixing user-reported bugs. They’ve run a full ICRC-1 tournament without hiccups, adjusted the token allocation for the public sale from 20% to 25%, and made changes to the whitepaper, including a clearer breakdown of capabilities based on funding outcomes.
Behind the buzz sits a straightforward goal: to build a decentralised gaming platform that’s transparent, fair, and secure. Their first focus? Poker. The decision wasn’t random. According to zkGame, poker remains underserved in the online gaming space, particularly when it comes to verifiably fair play. With blockchain’s transparent architecture and the Internet Computer’s on-chain capacity, zkGame believes it can finally fix what legacy poker platforms have been content to ignore.
They’ve already put two platforms into open beta: zkPoker and PurePoker. Both are fully on-chain, both have live wagering, and both operate under the umbrella of zkGame. Where they differ is in tone and target audience. zkPoker is aimed at users within the ICP ecosystem, with future upgrades planned to accommodate Ethereum, Solana, and other assets. PurePoker, by contrast, is for the Bitcoin crowd—leaning into native BTC support, a Bitcoin-focused user interface, and what the team calls “maximalist-friendly” UX.
That bifurcation is more strategy than gimmick. zkGame’s team has spent years observing the cultural divides within crypto. They argue that Bitcoin users often stick to their turf and aren’t easily swayed by cross-chain products. So rather than try to unify audiences under one poker roof, zkGame decided to build two. Each has its own approach, its own messaging, and in time, its own feature set. But both remain tied together under the same DAO structure and the same core tech.
The platforms themselves are built entirely on the Internet Computer, using canisters that will eventually be governed by the zkGame DAO. This decentralised shift means decisions around game rules, product expansion, and protocol tweaks will be subject to on-chain voting. The SNS—short for Service Nervous System—is Dfinity’s native DAO framework, and by joining it, zkGame hopes to cement its place as a user-led project rather than a company-led one.
This choice of the Internet Computer over other chains wasn’t made lightly. The zkGame team says they started blockchain-agnostic and only settled on the IC after months of research. The reason? No other chain allowed them to build a fully on-chain gaming experience without relying on bridges, off-chain servers, or other centralised components. They considered this trade-off unacceptable if the aim was a fully tamper-proof game logic and provably fair outcome.
The zkGame approach to poker isn’t about overhauling the rules—it’s about upgrading the environment. Every move, shuffle, and hand is handled by canister smart contracts, making it verifiable by anyone and impossible to manipulate. That’s the promise behind “zk” in zkPoker—zero-knowledge technology mixed with on-chain transparency. And now, with DAO governance within reach, they’re betting users will want a seat at the table.
Their marketing angle is less chest-thumping and more function-first. They aren’t promising instant riches or flashy tokenomics. Instead, they’re pointing to a working platform, existing players, a beta that has already processed wagers, and a roadmap that includes community features like “Clans” and upcoming games beyond poker, including chess and mahjong. These future releases will also fall under the DAO’s control, expanding the influence of early voters and token holders.
The structure of the sale is clear. If the vote passes, a two-week claiming period opens. Users who want in on ZKG will need to act within that window. The proposal already live on the NNS outlines the sale details, the DAO structure, and how the funds will support the next stages of development. By boosting the public sale allocation to 25%, zkGame says it’s aiming for a broader initial token distribution and more hands on deck in governance from the beginning.
For now, the team’s focus remains on the vote. They’ve asked supporters to head to the NNS front-end dapp and register their vote. It’s a small action that sets off a much larger transition—from startup to DAO, from beta to community-controlled project.
As of late May, all relevant code was made open source. This includes not just the front-end interface but the game logic itself—something zkGame says is critical for users to trust what happens under the hood. The open tournament they held after that update served as a kind of live-fire test. It passed without reported issues.
Meanwhile, the whitepaper has been updated to reflect both technical adjustments and new community-driven goals. Section 4.5 now includes clearer funding target outcomes, giving users a more transparent view of what different raise levels would unlock in terms of development.
The decision to push for a DAO was framed early on as inevitable. zkGame wants to step away from the patterns that plagued earlier blockchain gaming attempts—centralised controls, vague rules, and black-box logic. The Internet Computer’s ability to host all backend logic on-chain gives them what they consider a technical edge. The DAO structure finishes the picture by handing that logic to its users.
There’s no marketing blitz or celebrity hype. The gamble zkGame is making is quieter. They’re offering working code, open infrastructure, a live vote, and an invitation to help steer the project. Whether that’s enough to drive mass engagement remains to be seen, but the foundation they’re laying suggests they’re planning for the long haul.
If all goes well, the next two weeks will mark the transition from build phase to DAO phase. The poker table is ready. The cards are on-chain. Now it’s up to the players to decide how the game will be played.
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