Telegram-Based Games? TikTok Now Has Games Too

Tap-to-earn gaming has surged in popularity this summer, particularly with Telegram-based mini apps drawing over 300 million players.

Now, a Solana-based project is aiming to replicate that success on TikTok with the launch of SonicX, a tap-to-earn game designed for the Gen Z-dominated platform.

Built on Sonic SVM, a layer-2 gaming chain atop Solana, the project seeks to collaborate with content creators and run TikTok ads that users can click to access the game directly within the app.

Similar to Telegram's mini apps, TikTok's in-app browser will enable gamers to start earning points with a simple social login.

SonicX Integrates into TikTok

The game follows the familiar tap-to-earn model, where players tap to collect rings, purchase upgrades for passive progress, and invite friends to climb the leaderboards, all while hoping for an anticipated but unconfirmed token airdrop.

The game's design echoes the aesthetic of the iconic Sonic The Hedgehog series, though it lacks any official affiliation with Sega.

Uniquely, every tap is recorded as an on-chain transaction.

Chris Zhu, CEO and co-founder of Sonic SVM, noted:

“We talk about bringing a billion users when we don't even have a million oftentimes, and I think a million is a low bar. Even with just 1% of the entire TikTok population, we are at 10 million users. So I think that's not a dream anymore.”

TikTok, with 1 billion monthly active users and projected to reach 2.35 billion by 2029, offers a vast audience compared to Telegram's 950 million active users, which has been the current hub of the tap-to-earn trend.

Sonic SVM, a Solana layer-2 network and publisher of 67 crypto games, chose TikTok to launch SonicX, leveraging the team's expertise in the platform's ecosystem.

Zhu, who has experience at Bytedance (TikTok's parent company), sees TikTok as an untapped market with greater advertising reach.

He explained:

“Gen Alpha, Gen Z are already trading meme coins and looking at this content on [TikTok]. There's a very shitty experience when it comes to advertising on top of Telegram. That being said, we think TikTok will be one of the largest traffic pools, if done right.”

SonicX to Challenge Notcoin?

Players are drawn to tap-to-earn games for the potential to convert their in-game achievements into token rewards, and SonicX is no exception, with the promise of its upcoming Sonic token.

However, the game avoids officially promoting this to sidestep regulatory hurdles.

This strategy mirrors other tap-to-earn titles, but SonicX faces an additional challenge: navigating TikTok's advertising restrictions.

If these restrictions tighten, Sonic SVM could lose its key distribution channel.

Notcoin, the pioneer of the Telegram tap-to-earn model, has evolved by partnering with other projects, aiming to become the "Netflix" of viral, social games.

SonicX seeks to replicate this success on TikTok, with a vision to integrate other tap-to-earn games into the Sonic SVM ecosystem, primarily through social tasks like following a TikTok account in exchange for rewards.

Zhu, the game's developer, refers to this as "decentralised advertising," a method popular in Telegram-based games.

SonicX positions itself as a growth strategy for the larger Sonic SVM gaming ecosystem, showcasing its scalability with every on-chain click.

But the real question remains: can SonicX replicate Notcoin's success, or will it fade into obscurity like so many before it?