TLDR
- TON blockchain gaming has grown rapidly, with around 20% of Telegram users now playing games.
- Hamster Kombat claims to have over 300 million users and is planning a large token airdrop.
- Notcoin recently completed a $1 billion token airdrop and is expanding its ecosystem.
- Binance has added Hamster Kombat ($HMSTR) to its platform, signaling potential future listing.
- Hamster Kombat has launched 3 new mini-games within its tap-to-earn game.
The Open Network (TON) blockchain has seen explosive growth in its gaming ecosystem over the past year.
According to Inal Kardan, TON Foundation’s Gaming Lead, around 20% of Telegram’s 950 million monthly active users are now playing at least one blockchain game per month, up from just 1% in December 2023.
Leading this surge is Hamster Kombat, a tap-to-earn game that claims to have amassed over 300 million users.
The game’s popularity has caught the attention of major cryptocurrency exchanges, with Binance recently adding Hamster Kombat’s token ($HMSTR) to its platform. This move has fueled speculation about a potential listing on the exchange.
Hamster Kombat’s developers are preparing for what they describe as “the largest airdrop in the history of crypto.”
While the exact date of the token generation event (TGE) remains uncertain due to technical challenges, the project’s whitepaper indicates that 60% of the token airdrop will be dedicated to players.
In a recent development, Hamster Kombat launched three new mini-games within its main game, fulfilling a promise made in their updated whitepaper.
This expansion aims to create a gaming platform that combines Web2 and Web3 experiences, supporting the utility of the $HMSTR token.
The success of Hamster Kombat follows in the footsteps of Notcoin, another popular game on the TON blockchain.
Dear CEOs 🐹,
As we mentioned in our updated Whitepaper, we are building a gaming platform combining web2 and web3 games that will support and extend the utility of the $HMSTR token!
🎮 Starting today, we will be adding new games so that you have a variety of choices and can…
— Hamster Kombat (@hamster_kombat) August 6, 2024
In May, Notcoin completed a $1 billion token airdrop, distributing 80 billion NOT tokens. The game’s creators have since launched additional features and a new game to maintain user engagement.
Kardan believes that the future of gaming on TON and Telegram lies in “mid-core” games, which offer more complexity than casual games like Hamster Kombat and Notcoin, but are less demanding than console games. He expects more such games to launch on the platform in the coming months.
Despite the excitement surrounding these games, questions remain about the sustainability of their business models.
Kardan notes that current monetization strategies focus on traffic rather than in-app purchases, a model that may need to change after token generation events.
The rapid growth of blockchain gaming on Telegram has introduced millions of users to Web3 concepts. However, concerns about bot activity persist, with Kardan admitting that the exact percentage of bot users is unknown.
As Hamster Kombat prepares for its token launch, the game continues to evolve. The recent addition of new mini-games and hints about a second season demonstrate the project’s commitment to long-term growth. However, some community members have expressed disappointment over the delayed airdrop.
