Catizen, a Telegram-based gaming ecosystem, aims to ditch the clicker craze in favor of sustainable, blockchain-integrated games that keep players coming back.
The Open Network (TON) ecosystem, which has over 900 million monthly active users (MAUs), has grown substantially this past year.
The surge in activity has been attributed to a rise in interest in blockchain applications, including decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and mainly — gaming.
Enter clicker games, which require players to click (or tap) their screens to accrue rewards. Due to their simplicity and accessibility, these fast-paced games have surged in popularity on Telegram.
Clicker games have drawn millions of players to Telegram but often suffer from short lifespans due to poor monetization strategies and a lack of long-term sustainability.
Improving player incentivization could help offer users more meaningful rewards and enjoyable gameplay mechanics. By introducing regular content updates and long-term progression systems, user engagement could be more sustained, and players encouraged to invest more time in the games.
The cat’s out of the bag
Catizen, a Telegram-based gaming bot, is a capable example of a project overcoming the boom-and-bust cycle of clicker games.
Building its ecosystem to support multiple chains and platforms —starting with Telegram— the team envisions leading the change in the current Telegram and TON ecosystem with Catizen at the core of its cat-inspired community.
The cat-themed platform has surpassed one million paying users and has generated over $25 million in total revenue. Catizen boasts 36 million users, with seven million using the platform daily.
Exchange the world, Heal the world 🌏@binance @ton_blockchain @0xMantle https://t.co/4SHgUsjSsh pic.twitter.com/mvttpYoZor
— Catizen (@CatizenAI) September 13, 2024
Unlike traditional clicker games, Catizen continuously works to release new games and features that attract both more casual Web2 players and those who consider themselves Web3-savvy players. The progressive approach to Telegram gaming helps to stabilize long-term engagement and the flow of new players by addressing existing sustainability issues.
Catizen showcased its vision with the launch of Bombie in August. The memecoin-focused game offers a simple and accessible gameplay experience for onboarding Web2 users into the Catizen Ecosystem. With straightforward mechanics and a 100% token release model, Bombie has attracted over 1.3 million users.
Catizen is also launching its native CATI token on a number of crypto exchanges, including Binance, Bybit and OKX. Players can use CATI for in-game purchases and token-based activities, as well as as a core currency across applications to maintain player engagement and a decentralized economy.
🪙 $CATI Token: Your Gateway to the Catizen Ecosystem!
— Catizen (@CatizenAI) September 15, 2024
Hello, Catizens!
The $CATI token isn't just for governance—it's packed with five powerful use cases:
🪙 Discounts on Game center purchase: Use $CATI to purchase all in-game items at 30% off the regular price—our best deal… pic.twitter.com/OBO2l2VcH5
The gaming hub aims to become a fully-fledged Mini App Center within the Telegram ecosystem through Mini Apps, launchpool platforms, and short videos. Powered by the CATI token, users will be incentivized further to engage with Catizen’s ecosystem and help create a decentralized marketplace that captures the full value of in-game assets.
Expanding Web3 gaming on Telegram
Catizen has successfully upgraded its business model, marking a milestone for the Web3 gaming platform on Telegram and continues its expansion into the Telegram and TON ecosystem.
A major new feature driving Catizen’s growth is its stake-to-earn functionality, which allows users to stake their CATI tokens directly within the bot to mine tokens from prominent centralized exchanges (CEXs). The staking feature, which now boasts over one million participants, is an innovative example that enables users to stake project tokens and earn CEX tokens in return.
With a total prize pool of $1 million USD, including $200,000 worth of CEX tokens from five exchanges — Bitget Token (BGB), GateToken (GT), MX Token (MX), KuCoin Token (KCS) and HashKey Platform Token (HSK) — this initiative has further incentivized engagement in the Telegram gaming and staking ecosystem.
As it continues this expansion, ahead of the CATI token launch in Q4, Catizen’s games like Bombie and its Vanilla Trading Bot are attracting even more users to its already seven million DAUs. By integrating gamification strategies and continuous update rollouts for its games, Catizen is setting up to create new development trends on Telegram for all its users.
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