Are your hamsters fighting now? Not exactly, but while the Hamster Kombat title may be a bit misleading, this Telegram-based tapping game has quickly become a dominant leader in the for-profit gaming space by expanding into... Not a currencyWinning model.

Hamster Kombat had over 300 million players before launching the HMSTR token and airdrop to online players Open network (TON) in late September 2024. It became one of Launching the biggest gaming codes of the yearbased on the peak value.

But Hamster Kombat doesn't stop there. The developers are now planning a “HamsterVerse” of games with additional Airdrop rewards, as well as a dedicated network and expansion beyond the Telegram ecosystem. Here's everything you need to know.

What is Hamster Kombat?

Similar to Notcoin, Hamster Kombat had players tapping away to earn coins in the native Telegram app (or “widget”) – which means to play the game, simply open a chat on Telegram.

The basic concept of Hamster Kombat is similar to that of Notcoin, with some of the richer game mechanics layered on top of it. In short: it's a click-to-win game mixed with a cryptocurrency exchange simulator.

In Hamster Kombat, you are the CEO of a startup cryptocurrency exchange, and your mission is to grow the exchange to new heights never before seen... in the world of hamsters. To do this, you must click on a picture of a cartoon hamster to earn coins, and then use those coins to buy upgrades for your exchange.

How to play Hamster Kombat

Originally, Hamster Kombat started out in a way familiar to Notcoin users, with players tapping on the screen in the Telegram app to earn in-game coins.

Once players have some coins, they can start using them to upgrade their exchange in the game's "Coins" tab. This tab displays all the types of upgrades players can purchase (with in-game coins only) for their exchange, and includes things like adding new coins or features to their fantasy exchange, or bogus marketing efforts.

Each upgrade you purchase for your exchange earns you more coins passively. For example, it costs 250 coins to add a Bitcoin pair to your trading platform, but it then earns you 40 coins per hour. In other words, these additions paid off quickly and helped move your exchange forward.

Hamster Kombat concluded its first season of play in September before the token launch. Currently, as of this writing, the game is on hold "Clincher" season. Where players can earn in-game diamonds before the next full second season. The diamond will reportedly give players some sort of advantage next season.

What is HMSTR?

What is the benefit of earning in-game coins? Similar to Notcoin, Hamster Kombat also incentivized players with a token drop, attracting hundreds of millions of players in the process.

Hamster Kombat went live on September 26 on the open network (TON), the same date the HMSTR token was created and launched on major exchanges. The HMSTR token was originally targeted for July, but ultimately failed to reach the expected time. The team attributed the delay to the challenge of dropping a token for such a huge player base.

HMSTR reached a market peak of approximately $646 million on the launch date, although the value of the token has declined sharply since then. Due to the sheer size of the player base, many users have complained about small allotments of $10 or less, which is a hassle. Some players call them "dust". Fellow Telegram game Catizen, which launched its token the previous week, I witnessed similar complaints.

What's next?

Hamster Kombat has Participate in a long roadmap It runs until 2025 and includes more rewards, more gameplay, and plans to spread beyond Telegram.

Following the current "season break" that was expected to last just a couple of weeks (but has since extended to several months), Hamster Kombat plans to launch a full new season of gameplay, with plans to pay it off with another airdrop next summer. Season 2 will shift the focus of the game to that of the game Managing a video game development company and platform, rather than operating a cryptocurrency exchange.

The developers shared a trailer for the new season in October and told Decryption It was scheduled to be released by the end of October, but that estimate came and went.

In late December, the Hamster Kombat team revealed plans to launch a broader "HamsterVerse" initiative that will include three games, including the aforementioned Season 2 gameplay. All games will use the HMSTR code. Hamster Kombat has since welcomed 30,000 players into closed beta testing for the HamsterVerse.

Also in December, Hamster Kombat launched a DAO, or Decentralized Autonomous Organization — essentially a pool that allows HMSTR token holders to vote on proposals that might benefit or expand the ecosystem. One of the first things they voted on was a Custom Layer 2 Hamster Series It will be built on TON, which is what the developers are now working on.

Hamster Kombat will also continue to integrate other third-party games, evolving into a platform for different titles. Furthermore, Hamster Kombat is planning to launch a Progressive Web App (PWA) for the game which will be playable across iOS, Android, and desktop devices without running the Telegram mini app.

Furthermore, developers plan to integrate with desktop games, introduce NFTs into Hamster Kombat, and purchase and burn (or destroy) HMSTR tokens over time in an attempt to boost the price by cutting off the supply of the token.

“Telegram will always be an important part of Hamster Kombat and its product ecosystem. We are still looking to expand in order to attract audiences who have not yet joined Telegram,” the team said. Decryption In September. “Ultimately, we see it as a positive development for both Hamster Kombat and Telegram itself as a widget platform, because it will bring additional exposure.”

Additional reports by Reza Jafari

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on June 2, 2024 and was last updated with new details on January 2, 2025.