Which guarantees do we have that Splinterlands won't move away after they have received the funding?

We certainly can't guarantee anything. We have no plans to move off of Hive whether or not we receive support from the DHF, but the reality of the situation is that we could be forced to if we have to sell the company or take in outside investment. If the DHF supports us, it reduces the chances of that happening, but it is always still a possibility.

You seem to bank on the next bullrun which would happen later this year, what if it won't come (yet)? What's the plan?

The plan is the same no matter what happens with the crypto market - try to build the best product we can and promote and market it as efficiently as possible. Obviously crypto market bullishness makes that easier and more likely to succeed, but the plan is the same in either case.

You speak about marketing, when I would ask such a sum, I would try to explain in detail what the plan for the money is. Why 500k, what are you gonna do exactly with the amount?

Our plan is to use the funding in whatever way we feel is best to grow the game and return to profitability so we will never again need to ask for help. Things change rapidly and opportunities come and go, so it's hard to say specifically what the funds will be use for beyond our general plan to improve the onboarding experience and begin running marketing and promotional campaigns.

The 500k number was based on looking at what we need for operating expenses, what we would need to hire a good marketing person/agency, and what we thought would be a reasonable ask for the DHF.