Hamster Kombat, launched on 25 March, is one of the latest additions to Telegram's line-up of tap games, allowing players to earn cryptocurrency through daily engagement.
Riding the wave of success from other Telegram games, there's been a surge in crypto games on the platform, each promising potential airdrops to players.
Hamster Kombat has already achieved remarkable pre-launch success, amassing over 150 million users ahead of its debut on The Open Network (TON) scheduled for July.
This represents a 50% increase from the previous week, when the game's developers announced reaching the milestone of 100 million users.
To put this in perspective, nearly one in five Telegram users has signed up for the game, which incentivises participants to expand a fictional hamster cryptocurrency exchange by offering real cryptocurrency rewards.
The game has also seen significant social media growth.
Over 40 million people subscribe to the Hamster Kombat announcements channel on Telegram, making it the platform's most popular channel by a wide margin.
Additionally, the game's YouTube channel boasts approximately 25 million subscribers, while its Twitter account has 8.9 million followers.
Each of these accounts has experienced substantial growth within just one week, underscoring the game's rapid rise in popularity and the strong interest it has generated across various social media platforms.
Hamster Kombat builds on the core screen-tapping mechanics of Notcoin, taking it in an intriguing new direction by placing you as the CEO of a burgeoning crypto exchange—and you're a fuzzy hamster.
To clarify, Hamster Kombat is a Telegram bot that transforms you into the CEO of a virtual crypto exchange.
In this role, you can earn Hamster Kombat coins (HMSTR) by completing quests, inviting friends, mining, and undertaking various tasks suggested by the bot.
Upon launching the Hamster Kombat bot, you'll select an exchange that generates passive income based on your in-game mining activity.
This added layer of strategy enhances the simple yet addictive tapping gameplay, providing depth that keeps players engaged.
Within the game, you have a limited amount of energy for collecting coins by tapping on your device's screen.
This energy is renewable and can be manually adjusted.
The game features 10 levels, and you must earn a specific amount of coins to advance to the next level.
The more coins you earn through tapping or mining, the faster you progress.
As startups climb the ranks, players earn a higher "profit per hour," translating to more in-game currency.
This game masterfully blends fun and strategy, allowing players to earn virtual coins through inviting friends, completing various tasks, engaging with the Hamster Kombat Telegram community, mining, and boosting energy levels.
One unique aspect of Hamster Kombat is the daily combo feature.
By discovering the correct combination of three cards in your exchange, you are rewarded with five million in-game Hamster coins.
These cards can be bought or upgraded to earn the reward, with the combination changing every 24 hours, offering the opportunity to earn 5 million coins daily.
The game also introduces features like the "Daily Cipher" mode, launched on 5 June, which uses Morse code to unlock bonus coins, adding variety and enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
On that note, the daily cipher word is FORK.
The promise of future token airdrops and potential financial rewards motivates players to actively participate and accumulate in-game coins.
Hamster Kombat is seamlessly integrated into Telegram, requiring no additional downloads.
Players can invite friends and family to join, enhancing the social aspect and earning more crypto coins together.
As players accumulate points, they will eventually receive rewards in the form of tokens through airdrops, making the game not just a fun activity, but also a potential financial opportunity.
In short, there are four key features:
Daily Rewards and Special Tasks: Players are encouraged to log in daily and complete a variety of tasks—such as following accounts, watching videos, and joining groups—to earn points and rewards. This include the daily cipher.
Frequent Giveaways: Regular giveaways maintain excitement and motivate continuous participation.
In-Game Social Sharing: Players can invite friends to join the game, expanding their in-game network and earning additional rewards for each new recruit.
Upgradeable Hamsters: Players can use their rewards to upgrade their hamsters, enhancing their performance and earning potential. By levelling up their hamsters, players unlock higher scoring combos and earn more coins per click.
You might wonder why Hamster Kombat is such a big deal if it's just a game.
While it is a game, it offers an exciting opportunity for an airdrop.
Players who accumulate coins in the game could be eligible for an airdrop during the Token Generation Event (TGE).
The coins will be converted to tokens at a rate determined by the administrators, positioning players advantageously.
The team clarified that the "airdrop will depend on the profit per hour and some other activity parameters" that will be revealed later and "NOT the coin balance.”
That means the airdrop will be based on how many coins your hamster is earning per hour, and not on the total coins, meaning your total coins will be worthless, use them to boost your profit-per-hour as much as possible.
The airdrop aims to boost Toncoin usage and significantly increase the number of users and transaction volume within the TON ecosystem.
To kick off the airdrop campaign, Hamster Kombat introduced its first challenge on 8 June 2024, requiring players to link their TON wallets to the game.
Successfully completing the tasks listed will qualify players for the airdrop when the Hamster Kombat token launches in July.
The anticipated launch of the Hamster Kombat coin (HMSTR) on the TON network adds another layer of excitement.
TGE stated as July on their website's roadmap
How will the airdrop work then?
While specific details have not yet been released, the team has clarified that, unlike Notcoin, it won't be a direct conversion from in-game coins to on-chain tokens.
Players are advised to "play wisely."
According to BingX, the airdrop guide is pretty simple:
1. Open the link https://t.me/hamster_kombat_Bot/ which will automatically redirect to Telegram.
2. Click "Play in 1 click" to start.
In the meantime, the best strategy is to play frequently and stay tuned for updates as we approach the anticipated airdrop.
Following the TGE, users will be able to trade the token on exchanges.
Given the game's massive popularity, it is expected to be listed on multiple exchanges at launch.
For now, players should connect their wallets to the game and wait for the listing.
Gate.io has launched pre-market trading for HMSTR.
The announcement also reveals that HMSTR will have a maximum supply of 10 billion tokens.
This special over-the-counter (OTC) trading service allows investors to buy and sell new tokens at anticipated prices and quantities before the tokens are officially listed.
It's important to note that these pre-market prices are based solely on traders' proposals and may not reflect the final price of Hamster Kombat.
Additionally, the digital currency platform Kucoin has announced the presale listing of HMSTR in its pre-launch market.
HMSTR will also be available for pre-market trading on Bitget, enabling users to trade the token before it becomes available for spot trading.
According to an investigation by The Bell, a Russian independent media outlet, one of the co-founders of Hamster Kombat is Eduard Gurinovich, a prominent Russian IT entrepreneur known for founding CarPrice, an online platform for vehicle sales.
The Bell, citing anonymous sources familiar with the game’s developers, also suggested that Telegram itself benefits from Hamster Kombat, potentially using it to boost messenger promotion and drive traffic.
His socials are: Linkedin, Instagram, Threads
Eduard Gurinovich is recognised as a venture investor and was featured in Forbes' 2019 "30 under 30" list.
His company, CarPrice, gained acclaim as one of Europe's most talked-about startups, accumulating approximately $42 million in investments.
After stepping down as CEO of CarPrice in 2017, Gurinovich invested in multiple startups including Dbrain, R-Set, and blizkie.ru.
He also launched his blockchain project, Expload, facilitating earnings through tournaments, quests, and item sales.
In 2018, Gurinovich established the Mytime blockchain platform, innovatively rewarding users with cryptocurrency for their engagement with various companies.
This platform aims to streamline interactions between users and businesses, eliminating intermediaries and delivering mutual benefits.
Despite Hamster Kombat not disclosing a game studio or corporate parent, an investigation by Ukrainian media outlet Ain revealed that Hamster Kombat is registered by RU-CENTER Group, a major Russian registrar of domain names and hosting services affiliated with local media group RBK.
StratcomCentreUA said:
“Russian companies are obliged to store users' internal data on servers and provide them to security forces on demand, and this poses a threat to Ukrainians. Their personal data can be used for unknown purposes."
The game has also attracted attention from scammers, with Russian cybersecurity firm F.A.C.C.T. reporting attempts to hijack player accounts through fake Hamster Kombat bots.
Researchers commented on their findings:
"The scammers couldn't miss such a fat hamster."
Nevertheless, the announcement of TON as the blockchain for Hamster Kombat marks a significant milestone that has energised players.
This partnership signals a move towards legitimacy, providing the game with the necessary technological foundation to launch its own cryptocurrency token.
Hamster Kombat has experienced rapid growth in recent months, evidenced by a surge in user numbers and social media followers.
With these advancements, the outlook appears promising for both players and the upcoming token launch.
In contrast to Tapswap, whose development team operates anonymously, the Hamster Kombat team is transparently "doxxed," meaning their identities are publicly known.
This transparency is reassuring, indicating the team's commitment to the project's success and their accountability to the community.
While the game offers an enjoyable avenue to potentially earn tokens, Coinlive noted that it's essential to recognise the inherent volatility of cryptocurrencies.
Conducting thorough research and understanding the associated risks is crucial for potential investors.
It's clear that this Telegram-based game has captured the interest of millions, with considerable anticipation surrounding its future developments.
X Empire is set to follow in the footsteps of Hamster Kombat and other big Telegram games with its upcoming token launch and airdrop.
WenJunThe Hamster Kombat airdrop, featuring the HMSTR token, is set to launch on September 26, alongside a Binance listing. The event, which promises substantial rewards, is expected to draw significant attention, though concerns about network strain persist.
Huang BoOn September 12, Binance announced that Binance Launchpool launched the 58th project - Hamster Kombat (HMSTR), a cryptocurrency exchange CEO simulator P2E game built on the Telegram mini-program platform.
JinseFinanceHamster Kombat (HMSTR) achieved a major milestone on Tuesday with its listing on Bybit, following a recent listing on OKX. This has sparked optimism and speculation that the Telegram-based game could soon be listed on Binance.
CatherineOKX will list Hamster Kombat’s HMSTR token on September 26, featuring an airdrop of 60% of the supply to active players. The token supports the game’s blockchain economy.
HafizHamster Kombat’s airdrop has been rescheduled to September 2024, with a total value of $10 billion. The eligibility criteria focus on user engagement and activity, with a subsequent token listing anticipated later in the year.
Huang BoHoldCoin is a new play-to-earn game that challenges players to hold a button to earn in-game currency, differentiating itself from competitors with its endurance-based gameplay. However, the project raises concerns due to its anonymous team, suspicious social media activity, and potential red flags about its legitimacy and airdrop promises.
JoyWenJunHamster Kombat 在 72 天内拥有 1.16 亿用户，提供动态仓鼠战斗和即将在 TON 区块链上发布的 TGE 代币。
ZeZhengHamster Kombat has amassed 116 million users within 72 days, offering dynamic hamster battles and the upcoming release of the TGE token on the TON blockchain.
ZeZheng