Hamster Kombat ($HMSTR) has become the subject of backlash within the broader crypto community following its unfair token distribution event (TGE). Launched on the Open Network around March 2024, Hamster Kombat has initially promised to heavily incentivize active members of its community for their participation in its tap-to-earn gaming concept. The reward mechanic attached to the project helped it lure the attention of many airdrop seekers.
How Hamster Kombat lured the attention of many players
At its peak, Hamster Kombat boasts a staggering 300 million players, raising speculations that it could be the next Notcoin. Hamster Kombat’s popularity also extended to its social media platforms, with a large following on YouTube and Twitter. In fact, its YouTube channel alone has more than 23 million subscribers. More so, not less than 8 million followers are glued to its Twitter handle.
In essence, Hamster Kombat promised a mixture of fun and exclusive rewards to capture the imagination of many players. At its core, the game entrusted players with the position of the CEO of a top crypto exchange, allowing them to make strategic decisions in return for unique in-game coins.
Specifically, players were offered daily rewards for upgrading their hamsters using special event rewards, participating in in-game social sharing & referral programs, and completing special tasks like following accounts, watching videos, joining groups, and lots more.
Failed Promises
Meanwhile, initially, the project told users that virtually all the aforementioned tasks are crucial. They were also told to focus more on increasing their “Profit Per Hour.” Later on, the team integrated the key concept without providing detailed information about it. Meanwhile, players became worried after discovering they could only unlock some cardsif they had a specific number of referrals.
Earlier, Hamster Kombat only described its referral program as a normal metric that would not pose a threat to users’ earning big sums. However, community members were surprised to discover that they couldn’t unlock some cards since they didn’t have a certain number of referred persons.
Eventually, $HMSTR ended its Season one campaign and told community members to look forward to its September 26 listing. As soon as the season ended on September 20, the system converted all the points accumulated by players into $HMSTR. Surprisingly, Hamster Kombat dashed the hopes of its players who expected a fair and transparent airdrop. First, it excluded more than 2.3 million people from the scheme, labeling them as cheaters.
For those who were said to be qualified for the airdrop, the token given falls short of their expectations. While most of the active players expected tens of thousands in token rewards, they got between 100-1,000, sparking community outrage. Since its TGE came up, Hamster Kombat has been trending on social media platforms, especially Twitter for negative reasons. Players alleged unfair gaming mechanics and disqualifications.
Players seek justice, fair treatment
Meanwhile, rather than addressing the incident, the Hamster Kombat team chose to introduce an “Interlude Season”. This marks its transition from season 1 to season 2. This insensitive effort further makes the community members more frustrated, with most of them describing its TGE as the worst airdrop ever in the crypto town. It is apparently looking like the project only capitalized on the strength of its community to gain huge engagement, becoming the largest channel on Telegram, and in return, left them disappointed.
As Season 2 approaches, players are seeking justice and mobilizing themselves for a boycott of the game. The hashtag #JusticeForHamsterPlayers is going viral online, with many calling for a complete review of the Season 1 TGE. Meanwhile, the project plans to launch on top-tier exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and OKX. If these potential listings result in a parabolic price action for $HMSTR, community members will definitely see their airdropped tokens yield some gains.
However, it is crucial that the team review the distribution process to reflect the fair treatment that was initially promised. Otherwise, this may mark the end of the game.