Telegram Nears 1 Billion Users Amid Crypto Game Craze

Amid the frenzy surrounding crypto games, Telegram’s popularity continues to surge. Pavel Durov announced that the messenger’s active user count has surpassed 950 million monthly.

“This is compared to 900 million in the spring. On the way to one billion!” he wrote. 

This trend is attributed to clicker games that offer cryptocurrency earnings by “tapping” the screen. It all began with the Notcoin project, which attracted users through an airdrop. 

In mid-May, the coin finally appeared on centralized exchanges, and by June, the app’s user base exceeded 40 million people. 

The highest demand for Notcoin was observed in Russia, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, the USA, Germany, and Iran. However, users from the latter were not given the option to withdraw funds. 

Riding on Notcoin’s popularity, another game with similar mechanics emerged — Hamster Kombat. 

Durov supported the “tapper,” announcing the release of its token HMSTR on the TON blockchain. The Bybit exchange opened a pre-market for the coin, and developers promised a second airdrop. 

By June, Hamster Kombat’s user base reached 100 million. According to Durov, 4-5 million new players join the project daily, making it “the fastest-growing digital service in the world.”

These clickers were followed by other imitators, including Yescoin, TapSwap, Catizen, PixelTap, W-Coin, and Musk Empire. 

Some of these games even began collaborating with each other. For instance, PixelTap and Musk Empire offered benefits for Notcoin holders.

Back in July, Notcoin developers partnered with the DeFi platform 1inch and the Sequoia-backed attestation protocol Sign to create a startup accelerator for Telegram and TON.