Telegram games such as “Hamster Kombat” and “Notcoin” paved the way for a new era of web3 gaming

According to the gaming director at TON, approximately 20% of Telegram’s 950 million global users were regularly engaging in gaming activities.

User acquisition has been the most significant obstacle in the web3 gaming industry for an extended period. Subsequently, the introduction of mini-games on the Telegram messaging platform in 2024 suggested that web3 gaming may have reached a turning point.

Telegram has reported that it has 950 million subscribers worldwide. The messaging platform experienced a surge in gaming with the introduction of clicker games that promised to recompense participants with token rewards. In August, blockchain gaming chief Inal Kardan informed The Block that “approximately 20%” of Telegram users were participatory in gaming.

Games published within Telegram utilize the blockchain network known as TON, or The Open Network.

Many consider the mini-game “Notcoin” to be the title that initiated the surge of game development within the TON ecosystem, primarily as a result of the success of its airdrop. Following the project’s inception in January, the “Notcoin” team implemented a $1 billion token airdrop in May, distributing 80 billion NOT tokens.

Speaking at The Block’s Emergence crypto conference in Prague, Martin Masser, chief business development officer at Ston.Fi, stated, “‘Notcoin’ was the one to sort of say this is how simple it is, anyone can do it.” “That was the initial iteration, and now everyone is building upon it.”

Built on the TON blockchain, Ston.Fi is a decentralized automated market maker.

Other popular titles, such as “Hamster Kombat,” “Yescoin,” and “Catizen,” followed the lead of “Notcoin.” However, none of these titles have achieved token performance levels comparable to “Notcoin.” According to The Block Price Page, the “Notcoin” token had a market capitalization of approximately $700 million as of December 18.

The expansion of gaming on Telegram undoubtedly had a beneficial effect on the TON blockchain. According to TonStat data, the number of accounts on the TON network increased from approximately 4 million to 128 million within a year. Furthermore, the market capitalization of toncoin, the native token of the blockchain, increased by more than 100%, reaching $14 billion as of December 18, as reported by The Block Price Page.

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