Hamster Kombat to debut layer-2 network on TON after failed airdrop

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As a seasoned analyst with over two decades of experience in the tech and blockchain industry, I find Hamster Kombat’s decision to build a layer-2 network on TON intriguing yet challenging. The game’s rapid rise and fall is reminiscent of the dot-com boom and bust, and its current situation mirrors many early blockchain projects that struggled with scalability and sustainability.

As a passionate crypto investor, I’ve been keeping an eye on Hamster Kombat, the popular Telegram game that once ruled the roost. However, it seems like its popularity has taken a hit lately. Now, in an exciting turn of events, this game is venturing into blockchain development on TON, aiming to regain its former glory and appeal to a broader audience within the crypto space.

In simpler terms, the interactive game Hamster Kombat, played on Telegram and earning rewards with taps, is expanding its connection with blockchain technology. This time around, it’s launching a layer-2 network over The Open Network (TON), a decision made following a community vote that indicated support for creating a specialized network to broaden the applications of the Hamster Kombat token, known as HMSTR.

💫EXCITING NEWS: THE BLOCKCHAIN ARRIVES! 💫

— Hamster Kombat (@hamster_kombat) December 27, 2024

Table of Contents

Layer-2 networks on TON

2-tier networking structures are constructed above current blockchain systems with the aim of boosting transaction speeds and enhancing scalability. While Ethereum has already established several prominent 2-tier networks like Coinbase’s Base or Blast, TON is currently in the process of investigating similar technologies.

At this moment, there’s no evidence that the TON platform is currently running any active layer-2 network. However, it appears that the TON ecosystem is focusing on aligning with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) protocols. This move might be a strategic effort to attract liquidity and decentralized application (dApp) developers from Ethereum, encouraging them to build upon and integrate their projects into the TON infrastructure.

In July, a new project named the TON Applications Chain unveiled its intentions to build a layer-2 network on the TON platform. Instead of developing its own technology, though, TAC intends to utilize Polygon‘s layer-2 technology to accomplish this aim.

State of Hamster Kombat

The “Hamster Blockchain” originates from a decision made within the Hamster Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The idea put forward was to construct a network where the HMSTR token could be utilized as transaction fees, as stated in the proposal’s explanation.

On Friday, December 27th, the vote surpassed the necessary minimum of 1 billion HMSTR tokens. A total of 1.18 billion HMSTR tokens voted in favor, while only slightly more than 104,000 were cast against. It appears that over 60% of the votes supporting the initiative – approximately 737.3 million HMSTR tokens – came from a single address, which was traced to UQDz…hUCu.

In just five months following its launch in March, the game Hamster Kombat quickly became a hit, attracting millions of players.

Based on Hamster Kombat’s reports, an astounding 300 million individuals have registered to play the game. Out of this massive pool, approximately half – amounting to 131 million users – met the criteria to receive HMSTR tokens. However, more than 2.3 million players were identified as cheaters and therefore barred from receiving the tokens.

The creator of Telegram, Pavel Durov, positively endorsed the integration of the game with Telegram, commending its debut on TON as a means to extend blockchain advantages to a vast number of people.

Unclear roadmap

In contrast to expectations, Hamster Kombat saw a rapid decline after its token airdrop. The game failed to deliver financially satisfactory results, leading to a significant drop in the number of active monthly users. By early November, the user base had decreased by 86%, dropping from around 300 million to approximately 41 million, according to data from IntoTheBlock.

Several factors may have contributed to this decline:

  • Token performance: The HMSTR token’s value decreased by over 50% shortly after its launch, which may have led to diminished player interest and confidence. As of press time, the HMSTR token is priced at $0.003006, marking a 70% decline from its all-time high, which was reached at the time of the airdrop in late September. The token’s market capitalization, which once exceeded $552 million, is now at $194.57 million, showing a large decline of around 65% in just three months since the airdrop.
  • Competition: New games like Catizen, TapSwap, Paws Mini App, and Blum have joined the tap-to-earn trend, drawing attention away from Hamster Kombat.
  • Community sentiment: As crypto.news reported earlier, the community expressed dissatisfaction with the game’s development and unmet expectations, potentially contributing to the decline in user engagement.

Regarding the challenges at hand, it seems that the Hamster Kombat development team is steering the community’s attention towards building a layer-2 network on TON. However, there are still some essential aspects that need clarification such as the identity of the developers, the technology to be employed, and primarily, who will finance this grand endeavor.

The initiative’s explanation lacks sufficient detail, leaving a number of queries unaddressed. Furthermore, it seems that the planned layer-2 network is nowhere to be found on Hamster Kombat’s roadmap, which last appeared to have been updated in September.

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2024-12-27 20:08