Splinterlands Token Buyback Starts With 20,000 USDC

On the 6th of September 2026, the SPS DAO said it had started buying back Splinterlands tokens with 20,000 USDC of DAO revenue. Most of it, 18,000 USDC, bought 52,664,689.772 DEC, the game’s main in-game currency. ^[2] The DAO said the remaining 2,000 USDC bought 590,488.0443 SPS. ^[1] SPS fell 0.9% from the close of the 5th of September 2026 to the close of the 6th of September 2026, from $0.003790 to $0.003756. The wider gaming market, the Gaming Token Index – Composite, was unchanged to the nearest tenth of a percent over the same days.

20k USDC was used to begin the token buyback program in accordance with the restructuring proposal. ^[1]

the SPS DAO, the 6th of September 2026

1. 1. 15 July 2026. Splinterlands Drops Glint Bombs and Binder Upgrades
2. 2. 7 September 2026. About 13 hours remain in the 8 Year Anniversary event
3. 3. 8 September 2026. Most TCG cards spend their lives sitting in a box
4. 4. 15 September 2026. A new modifier, Adrenaline, has been added to the game
5. 5. 29 September 2026. You voted for it
6. 6. 30 September 2026. Due to concerns about available liquidity bots, Brackets 1, 2, and 4 are disabled for this season · The Visions of Verico Mystery Cards are revealed!

Splintershards: daily closes and the levels it turned at: data table

Date	Splintershards	Floor	Ceiling
2026-07-04	0.0030	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-05	0.0030	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-06	0.0029	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-07	0.0029	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-08	0.0029	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-09	0.0029	0.0029	0.0029
2026-07-10	0.0029	0.0028	0.0029
2026-07-11	0.0029	0.0028	0.0029
2026-07-12	0.0029	0.0028	0.0029
2026-07-13	0.0029	0.0028	0.0029
2026-07-14	0.0029	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-15	0.0028	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-16	0.0028	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-17	0.0028	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-18	0.0028	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-19	0.0028	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-20	0.0028	0.0028	0.0030
2026-07-21	0.0028	0.0028	0.0031
2026-07-22	0.0028	0.0028	0.0031
2026-07-23	0.0027	0.0027	0.0031
2026-07-24	0.0028	0.0027	0.0031
2026-07-25	0.0028	0.0027	0.0031
2026-07-26	0.0028	0.0027	0.0031
2026-07-27	0.0028	0.0028	0.0031
2026-07-28	0.0028	0.0028	0.0032
2026-07-29	0.0028	0.0028	0.0032
2026-07-30	0.0028	0.0028	0.0032
2026-07-31	0.0028	0.0028	0.0032
2026-08-01	0.0028	0.0028	0.0032
2026-08-02	0.0029	0.0029	0.0032
2026-08-03	0.0029	0.0029	0.0032
2026-08-04	0.0030	0.0029	0.0033
2026-08-05	0.0030	0.0029	0.0033
2026-08-06	0.0030	0.0030	0.0033
2026-08-07	0.0030	0.0030	0.0033
2026-08-08	0.0031	0.0030	0.0033
2026-08-09	0.0031	0.0030	0.0033
2026-08-10	0.0031	0.0031	0.0033
2026-08-11	0.0033	0.0031	0.0034
2026-08-12	0.0034	0.0031	0.0034
2026-08-13	0.0034	0.0031	0.0034
2026-08-14	0.0034	0.0032	0.0034
2026-08-15	0.0034	0.0032	0.0034
2026-08-16	0.0033	0.0032	0.0035
2026-08-17	0.0033	0.0032	0.0035
2026-08-18	0.0033	0.0033	0.0035
2026-08-19	0.0033	0.0033	0.0035
2026-08-20	0.0034	0.0033	0.0035
2026-08-21	0.0036	0.0033	0.0036
2026-08-22	0.0036	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-23	0.0035	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-24	0.0035	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-25	0.0035	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-26	0.0034	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-27	0.0036	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-28	0.0035	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-29	0.0035	0.0034	0.0036
2026-08-30	0.0035	0.0034	0.0037
2026-08-31	0.0035	0.0034	0.0037
2026-09-01	0.0035	0.0034	0.0037
2026-09-02	0.0035	0.0034	0.0037
2026-09-03	0.0038	0.0034	0.0037
2026-09-04	0.0036	0.0034	0.0038
2026-09-05	0.0038	0.0034	0.0038
2026-09-06	0.0038	0.0034	0.0038
2026-09-07	0.0037	0.0034	0.0038
2026-09-08	0.0038	0.0034	0.0039
2026-09-09	0.0037	0.0034	0.0039
2026-09-10	0.0037	0.0034	0.0039
2026-09-11	0.0037	0.0034	0.0040
2026-09-12	0.0037	0.0034	0.0040
2026-09-13	0.0037	0.0034	0.0040
2026-09-14	0.0038	0.0034	0.0041
2026-09-15	0.0037	0.0034	0.0041
2026-09-16	0.0037	0.0034	0.0041
2026-09-17	0.0039	0.0034	0.0041
2026-09-18	0.0040	0.0034	0.0042
2026-09-19	0.0039	0.0034	0.0042
2026-09-20	0.0040	0.0034	0.0042
2026-09-21	0.0041	0.0034	0.0043
2026-09-22	0.0040	0.0034	0.0043
2026-09-23	0.0040	0.0034	0.0043
2026-09-24	0.0041	0.0034	0.0044
2026-09-25	0.0042	0.0034	0.0044
2026-09-26	0.0043	0.0034	0.0044
2026-09-27	0.0044	0.0034	0.0044
2026-09-28	0.0044	0.0034	0.0044
2026-09-29	0.0044	0.0034	0.0044
2026-09-30	0.0044	0.0034	0.0044
2026-10-01	0.0044	0.0034	0.0044

What we have published before

• We covered “Splinterlands Drops Glint Bombs and Binder Upgrades” on the 15th of July 2026 ^[3].
• We covered “Splinterlands Kicks Off Survival Mode Stress Test” on the 10th of June 2026 ^[4].

What the token actually does

SPS, short for Splintershards, is the governance token of Splinterlands. ^[5] Players stake it, which means locking it up, to vote on the proposals that decide how the DAO spends its treasury. Stakers also receive vouchers every day to spend in the game’s shop. ^[6] Splinterlands is a free-to-play digital collectible card game where players build decks and summon creatures for automated battles.

What people are saying

Community

The July plan drew replies under the DAO’s proposal from the 9th to the 15th of July 2026. A voter named shaggoth wrote that they supported it, while admitting it was not perfect. Another objected that it bundled several major changes into a single vote. ^[7]

Reducing the daily burden, limiting the development scope, and creating potential support for DEC and SPS gives the ecosystem a better chance of surviving and stabilising. ^[7]

shaggoth, replying to the SPS DAO proposal, the 15th of July 2026

This should not be one single proposal. This should be broken into several proposals as it covers many distinctly different topics. ^[7]

fatjimmy, replying to the SPS DAO proposal, the 13th of July 2026

Performance

In the three months to the 1st of October 2026, SPS rose 51.9%, while the wider gaming market fell 5.8%.

• Over the day to the 1st of October 2026 the token rose 1.0%. The wider gaming market rose 1.8%.
• It ranked 115th of the 208 gaming tokens that gained over the day. The closest move to it was MYTH, up 1.0%.
• It trades 99.6% below its all-time high, set in July 2021. The wider gaming market sits 94% below its own.

Splintershards and Gaming Token Index – Composite, day by day: data table

Date	SPS	Gaming Token Index – Composite
2026-07-02	100.0	100.0
2026-07-03	101.6	94.3
2026-07-04	102.7	99.3
2026-07-05	102.5	99.5
2026-07-06	101.8	96.1
2026-07-07	100.3	98.7
2026-07-08	98.7	92.9
2026-07-09	98.7	99.2
2026-07-10	99.3	99.7
2026-07-11	100.1	97.5
2026-07-12	101.1	98.2
2026-07-13	98.9	96.0
2026-07-14	99.6	96.9
2026-07-15	98.4	97.7
2026-07-16	98.0	95.5
2026-07-17	95.2	93.0
2026-07-18	96.3	91.8
2026-07-19	95.0	92.0
2026-07-20	97.2	92.8
2026-07-21	97.6	94.8
2026-07-22	95.8	93.7
2026-07-23	95.0	96.2
2026-07-24	95.2	97.2
2026-07-25	96.1	98.9
2026-07-26	97.8	100.5
2026-07-27	96.4	94.6
2026-07-28	95.5	97.1
2026-07-29	95.0	97.8
2026-07-30	98.2	98.7
2026-07-31	98.4	101.2
2026-08-01	97.2	102.6
2026-08-02	99.3	95.4
2026-08-03	100.8	93.2
2026-08-04	102.1	89.0
2026-08-05	104.0	90.5
2026-08-06	102.7	88.6
2026-08-07	104.2	89.9
2026-08-08	106.6	96.1
2026-08-09	107.1	104.0
2026-08-10	107.7	86.2
2026-08-11	114.9	81.5
2026-08-12	116.5	82.4
2026-08-13	116.1	79.8
2026-08-14	116.3	77.4
2026-08-15	116.3	74.8
2026-08-16	114.6	74.8
2026-08-17	113.6	74.0
2026-08-18	112.7	72.8
2026-08-19	115.5	74.9
2026-08-20	117.6	78.4
2026-08-21	122.8	84.0
2026-08-22	122.7	83.9
2026-08-23	120.6	83.8
2026-08-24	121.1	83.0
2026-08-25	120.0	81.4
2026-08-26	118.9	81.4
2026-08-27	123.9	83.3
2026-08-28	119.6	82.2
2026-08-29	120.1	82.5
2026-08-30	120.8	82.3
2026-08-31	121.2	81.2
2026-09-01	121.2	80.9
2026-09-02	122.0	80.9
2026-09-03	129.7	83.9
2026-09-04	125.9	82.0
2026-09-05	130.9	83.7
2026-09-06	129.7	83.7
2026-09-07	129.0	84.9
2026-09-08	130.8	84.8
2026-09-09	126.8	83.6
2026-09-10	128.0	80.5
2026-09-11	129.3	81.1
2026-09-12	128.6	82.0
2026-09-13	129.3	83.1
2026-09-14	129.6	83.5
2026-09-15	128.6	80.0
2026-09-16	129.0	79.4
2026-09-17	133.0	82.2
2026-09-18	138.1	86.7
2026-09-19	135.7	88.3
2026-09-20	137.1	87.6
2026-09-21	141.7	93.0
2026-09-22	138.8	94.5
2026-09-23	138.3	92.2
2026-09-24	141.7	94.5
2026-09-25	145.6	97.3
2026-09-26	149.6	97.8
2026-09-27	153.4	99.1
2026-09-28	151.8	94.6
2026-09-29	150.5	96.0
2026-09-30	150.3	92.5
2026-10-01	151.9	94.2

SPS against Gaming Token Index – Composite: data table

Window	SPS	Gaming Token Index – Composite
1 year	-40.25%	-72.53%
6 months	-8.92%	-10.94%
3 months	+51.87%	-5.82%
1 month	+25.28%	+16.38%

Splintershards against the biggest movers in its group: data table

Token	Return
SPS	+1.0%
GMRT	+4,636.5%
SWEAT	+187.0%
XETA	+118.6%
SLX	+87.3%
CAH	+68.0%

More on the story

The buyback came out of a plan the DAO voted on in July 2026. On the 6th of July 2026, Dave McCoy wrote to players on the Splinterlands blog. As CEO of Steem Monsters Corp, the company behind the game, he said it would cut staff to operate within a smaller budget. ^[8] On the 9th of July 2026, the DAO proposed cutting the company’s daily funding from $5,500 to $2,000. Money left over after the DAO’s own needs would go to reserves and to buybacks. ^[7] The DAO said on the 3rd of August 2026 that the proposal had passed. ^[9] Under the same plan, Splinterlands ended players’ option to burn SPS in exchange for DEC. ^[10] On the 16th of September 2026, the DAO’s treasury report said its holdings were up about $313k in value over the month. About 81% of those holdings were in DEC and SPS. It said more DEC was flowing out of the treasury that month because no major sale was running. ^[11]

When survivability is at stake, a project must address its overhead directly and firmly. ^[8]

Dave McCoy, CEO of Steem Monsters Corp, on the Splinterlands blog, the 6th of July 2026

References

1. ↑ “SPS DAO August 2026 Invoice from Splinterlands Team” (the SPS DAO, the 6th of September 2026) Source
2. ↑ “Dark Energy Crystals (DEC)” (the Splinterlands documentation) Source
3. ↑ “Splinterlands Drops Glint Bombs and Binder Upgrades” (our own coverage, the 15th of July 2026)
4. ↑ “Splinterlands Kicks Off Survival Mode Stress Test” (our own coverage, the 10th of June 2026)
5. ↑ “Splintershards (SPS)” (the Splinterlands documentation) Source
6. ↑ “Staking Splintershards” (the Splinterlands documentation) Source
7. ↑ “SPS Governance Proposal – Amend SMC Contract and Define Strategy” (the SPS DAO and replies, from the 9th of July 2026) Source
8. ↑ “Building the Future of Splinterlands: A Message from the CEO” (Steem Monsters Corp CEO Dave McCoy, on the Splinterlands blog, the 6th of July 2026) Source
9. ↑ “SPS DAO July 2026 Invoice from Splinterlands Team” (the SPS DAO, the 3rd of August 2026) Source
10. ↑ “Splinterlands Continues to Ship! Weekly Update Live!” (Splinterlands, on X, the 28th of July 2026) Source
11. ↑ “SPS DAO Treasury Report 9/15/26” (the SPS DAO, the 16th of September 2026) Source

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