Telegram nears 1B users amid Hamster Kombat, Notcoin hype

July 23, 2024
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Telegram nears 1B users amid Hamster Kombat, Notcoin hype

Photo credit: Token2049/Wachsman

Telegram’s explosive growth in gaming popularity has propelled its user base to a staggering 950 million monthly active users.

“Telegram reached 950 million monthly active users — up from 900 million in the spring. On track for ONE BILLION,” Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, announced to his channel’s 4.1 million subscribers on July 23.

The rapid growth of Telegram’s user base was likely accelerated by the increased interest in cryptocurrency games on the platform and the rise of The Open Network (TON).

The recent surge in gaming activity on Telegram was sparked by Notcoin, a tap-to-earn game offering players massive amounts of in-game currency with the promise of future blockchain-based rewards. In January, the game acquired 20 million users within 26 days of launch, surpassing the peak monthly active user count of 2.78 million achieved by Axie Infinity, another popular blockchain-based game, in 2022.

In May, Notcoin players were allowed to convert their in-game earnings into TON’s native token. As of writing, TON has more than $17 billion in market capitalization, per CoinGecko.

Meanwhile, Hamster Kombat, another tap-to-earn game, further fueled Telegram’s gaming popularity, amassing 100 million users by June. According to Durov earlier this month, the game had drawn 239 million players “in just three months.” 

Following the success of Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, numerous other games have emerged on Telegram, including Yescoin, TapSwap, Catizen, PixelTap, W-Coin, and Musk Empire. Some of these games have fostered collaborations, with PixelTap and Musk Empire extending special benefits to Notcoin holders.

Telegram doubles down on blockchain

Although Durov himself called it quits on the TON blockchain amid regulatory woes in 2020 — leaving the growth of the network to a community of independent developers — Telegram pushes its Web3 agenda.

On July 19, Durov announced the messaging app’s upcoming launch of a mini app store and an in-app browser with Web3 support. He also detailed measures to combat scams by displaying registration details for public accounts and enabling decentralized verification through mini-apps.

In April, Durov unveiled plans for further integration with the TON blockchain, including tokenizing features, sharing ad revenue with users, and onboarding Tether’s stablecoin.

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