Hamster Kombat, a game built on Telegram’s blockchain TON, claims to have over 140 million users eagerly awaiting its upcoming airdrop.
Rapid Growth and Mainstream Appeal
Hamster Kombat, a “tap-to-earn” game, boasts nearly 150 million total users. The team behind the game states that it reached 100 million users faster than popular apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. Additionally, the game claims to have over 20 million YouTube subscribers and 36 million Telegram subscribers.
Skepticism Over User Numbers
Despite these impressive statistics, some industry experts are skeptical. Dovey Wan, founder of Primitive Ventures, suggests that the rapid growth may be due to “industrial farming.” She believes the game should be called “tap-to-fake” rather than “tap-to-earn,” implying that the numbers might be inflated by users creating multiple accounts to exploit rewards.
Wan’s comments highlight a broader concern about the authenticity of user numbers in decentralized apps (dApps) and blockchain projects, especially when incentives encourage artificial account creation and interactions.
The Rise of Click-to-Earn Games
Click-to-earn games have gained popularity thanks to mini-apps on Telegram, with Hamster Kombat following the success of Notcoin. Notcoin launched on May 16 with a market capitalization of around $700 million, which surged to $2.6 billion by June 4. This success has drawn airdrop farmers and increased active wallet addresses on TON, even surpassing Ethereum’s daily active addresses at one point.
Upcoming Token Generation Event
Hamster Kombat is preparing for its token generation event (TGE) in July, which has contributed to its growing attention. The game, currently operating off-chain, allows users to join by signing up through the game channel on Telegram and tapping a hamster to collect coins. Players can earn coins, level up their accounts, mine more coins, and refer friends for bonuses. Eventually, users can claim on-chain tokens by connecting a TON-compatible wallet.
Conclusion
While Hamster Kombat’s user numbers are impressive, they serve as a reminder to critically evaluate dApp and blockchain usage metrics, especially when incentives might skew the data. The upcoming TGE in July will be a significant event for the game and its community.
