TL; DR
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The Telegram-based game ‘Hamster Kombat’ just reached 300 million users – but once the airdrop hits, we bet the user base will fade away (the solution: copy Hamster Kombat’s growth/retention mechanics, but make the game fun).
Full story
Web3 mobile gaming needs its ‘Zombie Run moment’.
If you’ve ever used an Apple Watch, you’re familiar with this experience:
You get the thing → it starts setting random daily exercise goals → you eventually get tired of it bothering you → you start ignoring its cues.
The problem here is: these devices are trying to game things that give us no value in the moment (only future promises of better health).
Long-term health is extremely valuable, but guilt from a snobbish $500 device isn’t a fun incentive to stay active in the long term.
One app, Zombie Run, has found a solution for this:
Create a story with active tasks that take place in the real world. The app literally tells an audio-based post-apocalyptic zombie story (with you in the middle) as you practice.
For example:
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“Today’s objective: gather supplies at a location 2 miles away”…
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As you walk, zombies may appear in the story – time to run!
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Do you have the supplies? Cool, you’ve unlocked the next episode, which starts tomorrow.
Why are we telling you this?
Hamster Kombat, the Telegram-based game, is similar to the Apple Watch of web3 games. It’s extremely popular… but we doubt its performance will keep users’ attention long-term.
It goes like this:
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You open the game, click three buttons with different titles and earn points depending on the varying combination of titles you choose.
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Maintain a daily streak? Unlock new features and earn more.
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Do you invite friends to play? Unlock new features and earn more.
And all of this is wrapped up in a future promise that users will one day be able to redeem their points for crypto (much like the Apple Watch’s future promise of better health).
It’ll work in the short term, but once the payouts start rolling in, our guess is: the glorified to-do list called Hamster Kombat will struggle to retain users.
This is the opportunity for you builders:
Take the growth/retention mechanisms behind Hamster Kombat, combine them with a factual game that users will get consistent, real-time value (fun) from, and launch it on Telegram.
Need some statistics to get you inspired?
Hamster Kombat launched in March. It just reached 300 million users. That’s a third of Telegram’s global user base (900 million).
Imagine what would happen if you made a game that was actually fun to play!?
