Prize Pool & Distribution

Blitz distributes $LORDS to players at the end of every game based on their final rank. The system adapts to lobby size, the ratio of entry fees to sponsored prizes, and how many players actually score — so payouts stay fair whether there are 2 or 24 players in a match.

Prize Pool Composition

The total prize pool comes from two sources:

Fee Split

Before the prize pool is formed, the collected entry fees are split:

• 70% → prize pool (distributed to winning players)
• 15% → Lordship Protocol (veLORDS ecosystem support)
• 15% → development fund (core team operations)

Any sponsored amount is added on top of the 70% player share, so sponsorship always increases the prize pool without reducing the ecosystem or development allocations.

Example: 106 players × 250 $LORDS entry = 26,500 $LORDS collected. After the 70/15/15 split, 18,550 $LORDS goes to the prize pool. Add 15,000 $LORDS in sponsorship → 33,550 $LORDS total prize pool.

Who Wins?

Not every player receives a prize. The number of winners is calculated dynamically based on several factors:

1. Registered player count (N) — total players who entered
2. Scoring players (C) — players who finished with points > 0
3. Entry-fee-to-pool ratio — how much of the pool is sponsored vs. player-funded
4. A small-lobby adjustment — prevents tiny games from paying out to nearly everyone

Winner Count Formula

The system computes a base winner ratio rb that sets a floor for how many players can win:

rb(N) = 1 − (1.03 × min(1, N/1000)^0.13)

This ratio is clamped between 2% and 60% of the lobby. Larger lobbies push rb lower (fewer proportional winners), while small lobbies keep it higher.

A sponsorship factor A then expands the winner pool when sponsors contribute:

A = 1 − (F / P)^0.5

Where F is total entry fees (after the 70/15/15 split) and P is the full prize pool. More sponsorship → higher A → more winners.

A small-game weight gw further adjusts for lobby size:

gw = 0.05 + 0.95 × (20 / (N + 20))²

These combine into a final winner ratio r:

r = clamp(rb + 3.3 × A × gw × (rcap − rb), 0.02, rcap)

Where rcap = 0.5 + 0.5 × A. The winner count W is then:

W = min(ceil(N × r), C)

The winner count can never exceed the number of players who actually scored.

Prize Calculation

Once the winner count is known, prizes are distributed using a geometric decay model. Higher-ranked players receive proportionally more, with the curve controlled by a single parameter s.

The Decay Parameter (s)

s(N) = 0.3 + 0.64 × (1 − N^(−0.7))

• Small lobbies → lower s → steeper curve (1st place gets a larger share)
• Large lobbies → higher s → flatter curve (prizes spread more evenly)

s approaches but never exceeds ~0.94 even at very large player counts.

Rank Weights

Each winning position i (starting from 1) receives a weight:

weight(i) = s^(i − 1)

  1st → 1,  2nd → s,  3rd → s²,  4th → s³,  …  Wth → s^(W−1)

The total weight sum is the geometric series:

Σ = (s^W − 1) / (s − 1)

Individual Prize

Each winner's prize is their normalized weight times the prize pool:

prize(i) = (weight(i) / Σ) × P

Players ranked beyond position W receive 0 $LORDS. If multiple players share the same rank (tied scores), their combined prize for that rank range is split equally among them.

NFT Rewards

In addition to $LORDS, players may receive NFT rewards:

Loot Chests

• Game Reward Chests — any player who finishes with ≥ 500 Victory Points automatically receives a Loot Chest NFT upon claiming their prize, regardless of whether they are in the winner pool.
• Series Chests — additional Loot Chests are allocated across a game series and distributed proportionally based on each player's registered points relative to the total. The number of series chests grows as more games are played in the series.

See Loot Chests for details on chest contents.

Claiming Prizes

Prize distribution is permissionless — anyone can submit the ranked player list to trigger payouts. The process:

1. The game ends and points registration closes
2. A caller submits the ordered player list (highest score first) along with a trial ID
3. The contract verifies ordering, calculates prizes, and finalizes rankings
4. Players (or anyone on their behalf) call the claim function to transfer $LORDS and mint any earned NFTs

If only one player registered for a game, they receive a full refund of their entry fee with no fee split applied.