Hamster Kombat Token Slides Post-Listing, Strengthening Airdrop Controversy
Hamster Kombat Token’s Multi-Exchange Debut
Hamster Kombat (HMSTR), a Telegram-based tap-to-earn game, recently launched its token across several major centralized exchanges, including Binance, KuCoin, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, Gate.io, MEXC, and Bitfinex. This launch coincided with an extensive airdrop, distributing tokens to 131 million eligible user accounts.
The launch marked the conclusion of "Season 1" on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, generating significant excitement within the crypto community. The token began trading on September 26, with on-chain claims opening at 10 UTC, followed by the official trading start at 12 UTC. Anticipation ran high ahead of the listing, driving engagement with both the project and associated platforms.
Immediately following its exchange debut, HMSTR traded at approximately $0.008529, reflecting a market capitalization of $549 million. This was a decline from its price high of $0.013 on some exchanges. Market analysts suggest that the token’s price could oscillate between $0.004 and $0.01 in the coming days.
Influencer Ajay weighed in, projecting a range of $0.005 to $0.01, while expressing skepticism about the token’s market cap reaching the $1 billion mark. On the other hand, airdrop analyst Gautam Gupta forecasted a price between $0.008 and $0.009 but voiced concerns over the project's long-term viability, citing a lack of utility and inexperienced development team.
Even though the token experienced a decline in value upon debut on exchanges, projects within the ecosystem still demonstrate support for Hamster Kombat. For example, Tonkeeper, a widely used non-custodial wallet in the TON network, has integrated HMSTR tokens from the game. Through Tonkeeper's Battery feature, users can settle TON transaction fees using HMSTR.
Airdrop Distribution Details and Tokenomics
The total supply of HMSTR is set at 100 billion tokens, with a community-focused distribution plan. Before the token's exchange launch, 75% (75 billion tokens) was allocated for community distribution, with 60% of this amount (60 billion tokens) handed out to 131 million eligible accounts during the airdrop.
Of the airdropped tokens, players can claim 88.75% of their allocation immediately, making roughly 53.25 billion tokens accessible right away. The remaining 6.75 billion tokens are vested and will be unlocked 10 months post-listing, around July 2025. Another 15% of the total supply (15 billion tokens) is reserved for "Season 2" distribution, signaling ongoing community involvement. The distribution approach has been highlighted for its "extremely even" nature, where 80% of the airdrop is determined by each player's profit-per-hour rate.
Hamster Kombat Faces Airdrop Backlash
Security and anti-cheat measures took center stage following the token launch, with only 43% of the total user base qualifying for the Season 1 airdrop, sparking widespread frustration. The remaining 57% were disqualified for various reasons, leading to a strong backlash from players.
As part of a rigorous anti-cheat operation, Hamster Kombat banned 2.3 million users for violations like bot usage and multi-account interactions. One notable case involved a user linking over 400 accounts to a single Binance address, while another flagged player invited nearly 2,000 ‘friends’ using questionable methods. Developers emphasized the importance of integrity, even committing to passing cheaters' IP addresses and contact details to authorities in line with Telegram's new policies.
In an effort to maintain fairness, Hamster Kombat announced that 50% of tokens from disqualified accounts would be redistributed to honest players, while the remaining 50% would be burned. This decision resulted in the confiscation of 6.8 billion tokens, half of which were reallocated to legitimate participants. The burn mechanism potentially enhances the token’s scarcity, which could positively influence its market value.
However, the community's response was mixed, with many players expressing dissatisfaction over disqualification despite claiming to have played fairly. Web3 influencer Keyur Rohit voiced concerns on social media, stating that honest players were unjustly punished while some cheaters slipped through. Akshay G, another disqualified player, echoed these sentiments, describing his disqualification as both unfair and infuriating.
The change in eligibility criteria also sparked anger among players. Initially, on June 6, Hamster Kombat had set Points Per Hour (PPH) as the main qualification for airdrop eligibility. However, the team altered the requirements in July, prioritizing “key” collection, resulting in the disqualification of many players by the time the snapshot was taken on September 21. Crypto commentator Pushpendra Singh questioned the rationale behind this change, highlighting the inconsistency between earlier statements and the final eligibility requirements.
Hamster Kombat Unveils Ambitious 2025 Roadmap
Despite the controversy, Hamster Kombat outlined a detailed roadmap, signaling ongoing development and expansion. Plans include using advertising revenue to buy back tokens for redistribution and integrating NFTs as in-game assets by November. To grow its ecosystem further, the game aims to launch in new regions, eyeing a broader international user base. The upcoming "Season 2" is expected to incorporate both the existing metagame and third-party games, with a Progressive Web App (PWA) also in development to support desktop, Apple, and Android users.
Hamster Kombat’s rapid rise in popularity has been notable, claiming over 300 million users within its first 81 days, making it one of the fastest-growing games in the Web3 space. Player engagement remains high, with participants actively involved in collecting in-game assets like diamonds.
However, the airdrop controversy unfolded against the backdrop of a similar incident involving Catizen, another Telegram-based game. Catizen faced community backlash for reducing its Season 1 community token allocation, diverting a portion of the tokens to Binance Launchpool stakers.
The large-scale airdrop also posed technical challenges for The Open Network (TON) blockchain. The TON Core team acknowledged potential "technical pressures and unforeseen issues" but reaffirmed their dedication to building solutions that support mass adoption. Despite these efforts, analysts remain concerned about the project's long-term sustainability, noting the possibility that the current hype may fade, potentially affecting the token's market performance.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
