QF1
#1PWPollen Wildcard
#8MMMontreal Move Hackers
October 2, 2026 / livestreamed simulator sumo
DuckFightClubDuck
Fight
Club
First rule of DuckFightClub: you don't quack about it.
Eight teams train MicroDuck policies, launch them into the simulator, and fight best of 3 until one program becomes the QuackDown Champion.
Side-card
Battle of the NerdsStanford vs. Berkeley / Oct 1The fighters
Real robot energy. Virtual damage.
MicroDuck is the visual muse; the arena action is simulator-native, policy-driven, and built for livestream drama.
The bracket
8 teams. No byes. One belt.
A tighter card keeps the stream moving: four quarterfinals, two semifinals, and one final. Every team starts on equal footing.
Quarterfinals
QF2
#4PDParis Duckworks
#5CSCMU Servo Squad
QF3
#2HFHugging Face Pond Ops
#7TTTokyo Torque Club
QF4
#3MWMIT WaddleWorks
#6OSOpen Source Outlaws
Semifinals
SF1
?Winner QF1
?Winner QF2
SF2
?Winner QF3
?Winner QF4
Final
QuackDown
?Winner SF1
?Winner SF2
Rules of the sim
Robot sumo without robot bruises.
The ring is a virtual circular fight surface with a high-contrast boundary, reproducible spawn positions, standard physics settings, and sponsor-visible broadcast overlays.
01
Every fight runs in the MicroDuck simulator, not with physical robots.
02
Each bout is best of 3 simulated rounds.
03
A round is won when the opposing policy drives, trips, or gets pushed out of the circle.
04
Submitted policies must run at event settings and use the approved control interface.
05
Referee reset only for simulator faults, deadlocks, or unrecoverable spawn states.
Training camp
Policies are the fighters.
Write the policy
Teams write the controller that decides how their MicroDuck moves, balances, commits, feints, and recovers inside the simulator.
MicroDuck RL repoTrain in simulation
Reinforcement learning turns scrimmage time into pushing, dodging, edge awareness, and last-second save behaviors.
MicroDuck simulatorFreeze the build
Final policies are submitted before QuackDown so the livestream can run fair, reproducible matches.
The title
QuackDown Champion.
The winner gets the Golden Beak Belt: a ridiculous, glorious simulator-wrestling prize for the policy that owns the ring.
Golden Beak Belt
Awarded on stream after the final best-of-3 match. The belt belongs to the team, but the bragging rights belong to the policy.
Register a teamSchedule
From policy lock to QuackDown.
Teams announced
The 8-team roster goes live with shields, walkout names, and policy teasers.
Open simulator scrimmage
Teams test movement, pushing, recovery, and ring awareness in public scrims.
Policy submission freeze
Final RL policies are locked for inspection, reproducibility, and match setup.
Bracket reveal
Every first-stage matchup and the QuackDown path are revealed on stream.
Battle of the Nerds
Stanford vs. Berkeley runs as a side-card simulator grudge match.
QuackDown main card
The livestream crowns the first QuackDown Champion and awards the Golden Beak Belt.
Sponsor the spectacle
The arena is virtual. The placements are loud.
Sponsors can own fixed placements inside the simulator scene or rotating livestream placements during walkouts, replays, bracket updates, and post-fight interviews.
Fixed: simulator back wallRotating: replay bugFixed: virtual apronRotating: walkout card
Virtual QuackDown ring
Title partner
Logo on the stream slate, bracket, virtual apron, and belt ceremony.
Bout partner
Own one match card, lower third, replay frame, and winner graphic.
Stream partner
Rotating placements for intermissions, scrimmage clips, and policy recaps.
FAQ
Common questions before the stream.
What is DuckFightClub?
A livestreamed simulator fight club where MicroDuck control policies enter a robot sumo bracket and try to win QuackDown.
Are real robots fighting?
No. The event is played in the MicroDuck simulator so teams can compete with policies, not fragile hardware.
What is a MicroDuck?
MicroDuck is Pollen Robotics' 25 cm open-source biped robot, built for makers to train, retrain, and deploy learned behaviors.
How does training work?
Teams write their own control policies and can use reinforcement learning to train ring control, pushing, dodging, and recovery in simulation.
How does the bracket work?
Eight teams enter a single-elimination chart. Everyone starts in the first stage, so no team gets a bye and every policy has to fight its way to the belt.
What are the fight rules?
Best of 3. Stay in the circle, force the other policy out, and keep the controller inside the approved simulator interface.
Will it be livestreamed?
Yes. QuackDown is built as a broadcast-first simulator event with match cards, replays, overlays, and sponsor placements.
Can people sponsor the arena?
Yes. Sponsors can appear on virtual arena walls, stream overlays, replay frames, walkout cards, and bracket segments.
Can spectators bet on matches?
There is no cash betting. Friendly side wagers can use Codex or Claude quota, bragging rights, or other non-cash dev-world tokens. DuckFightClub does not operate a betting platform, hold wagers, or settle disputes. Quack responsibly.