The crypto and NFT gaming space is busier than ever lately, what with prominent games starting to release, token airdrops piling up, and a seemingly constant array of other things happening at all times. It’s a lot to take in!
Luckily, Decrypt’s GG is all over it. And if you need a quick way to get caught up on the latest moves around crypto video games, we’re happy to present This Week in Crypto Games.
Our weekend roundup serves up the biggest news from the past week, along with a few other tidbits you might have missed. We also showcase a few of our original stories from the week.
Biggest news
Hamster Kombat + Trump: Viral clicker game Hamster Kombat served up a reference to last weekend’s failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump. The game’s new “Fight fight fight” special card reimagines the iconic photo of a bloodied Trump defiantly raising his fist, albeit with smiling cartoon hamsters.
It’s a recreation of the immediately iconic shot captured by Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci at Trump’s Philadelphia rally. The Trump stand-in is still bleeding from the ear and raising his fist, the Secret Service protectors are clutching him, and the American flag has been replaced with one showing the game's logo.
Viral Telegram Game ‘Hamster Kombat’ References Trump Assassination Attempt
Telegram tap-to-earn game Hamster Kombat has gone viral, reportedly racking up a quarter of a billion players who are eager to get a cut of the upcoming token launch. And in the latest crossover with real-world events on Wednesday, Hamster Kombat served up a reference to last weekend’s failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump. The game’s new “Fight fight fight” special card reimagines the iconic photo of a bloodied Trump defiantly raising his fist, albeit with smiling cartoon hamsters....
Pixelverse token + airdrop: On Thursday, crypto gaming franchise Pixelverse launched its PIXFI token on Ethereum, though a future launch on The Open Network (TON) is also expected. The crypto gaming project, which has rapidly gained prominence in part due to the success of its PixelTap game on Telegram, revealed plans for rewarding players with an airdrop.
PixelTap players and users of the Pixelverse dashboard will receive "common" to "legendary" NFTs based on their engagement levels. Then, holders of rare NFTs and above will receive tokens via the airdrop. Those who choose to immediately withdraw their PIXFI tokens will only receive 10% of the total allotment, with 90% being recycled into the ecosystem. Continued play and engagement, meanwhile, will boost players' claim amount.
‘Pixelverse’ Reveals Telegram Game Airdrop and TON L2 Plans as PIXFI Launches
Pixelverse, a crypto gaming franchise that has rapidly gained recent prominence in part due to the success of its PixelTap game on Telegram, launched its PIXFI token on Thursday—and revealed plans for rewarding players with an airdrop. PIXFI is currently trading at a price of around $0.024, as of this writing, though price trackers vary on whether it’s up or down since launch due to the extreme volatility of newly launched tokens. CoinGecko calls it up 17% so far, while CoinMarketCap frames it a...
Notcoin perks: The game that ignited the Telegram crypto gaming craze, Notcoin (NOT), is now teaming up with rising games in the scene that it created—and Notcoin players who have reached a certain account level can get exclusive benefits.
Pixelverse’s PixelTap and the Elon Musk-themed Musk Empire both announced team-ups with Notcoin on Wednesday. Pixelverse will offer staking rewards for NOT token holders, along with Pixelverse-themed quests. Meanwhile, Musk Empire is offering special missions for Notcoin players, particularly those with Gold or Platinum levels.
‘Notcoin’ Players Get Exclusive Perks in Telegram Games ‘Pixelverse’ and ‘Musk Empire’
Notcoin, the game that ignited the Telegram crypto gaming craze, is now teaming up with rising games in the scene that it created—and Notcoin players who have reached a certain account level can get exclusive benefits. Pixelverse’s PixelTap and the Elon Musk-themed Musk Empire both announced team-ups with Notcoin on Wednesday. PixelTap’s collaboration comes just one day before creator Pixelverse launches its PIXFI token on The Open Network (TON), which will yield rewards for players—though detai...
Ubisoft free mint: Ubisoft, the storied video game publisher behind the Assassin’s Creed and Just Dance franchises, rolled out a free NFT mint last week for its first original blockchain-based game, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles.
Launched on Oasys, a gaming-centric network, the mint let players collect a total of 75,000 in-game champion figurines. The collection minted out amid anticipation for the upcoming game launch.
Gaming Giant Ubisoft Launching Free NFT Mint for ‘Champions Tactics’
Ubisoft, the storied video game publisher behind the Assassin’s Creed and Just Dance franchises, is rolling out a free NFT mint this week for its first original blockchain-based game, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles. Set to take place on Oasys, a gaming-centric network, the mint will let players collect a total of 75,000 in-game champion figurines. It will be a completely free mint with no gas fees for users, though holders of the existing Warlords NFTs will get first dibs and can claim m...
ICYMI
- Dr. Disrespect’s former game studio gave the first update to its shooter Deadrop since the streamer was booted from the company.
- The makers of mobile game Land Before War announced plans to migrate from Ethereum scaling network Polygon to Xai.
- Mocaverse revealed a Mario Kart-inspired racing game, Cosmic Royale, to launch this year.
- A Pudgy Penguins character was added to PixelTap as a fighter.
- Pluto Studio, the developer behind Telegram game Catizen, secured investment from The Open Platform (TOP) as Catizen hits 25 million players.
‘Catizen’ Studio Secures Funding as Telegram Game Hits 25 Million Players
The Open Platform (TOP), a prominent developer in The Open Network (TON) blockchain ecosystem, announced today that it has made a strategic investment in Pluto Studio, the developer behind the rising Telegram-based crypto game, Catizen. Catizen has seen surging growth alongside other major Telegram crypto games, with Pluto also announcing on Monday that the game has now attracted some 25 million players. Pluto declined to disclose the amount of the investment. The game is built around simple puz...
- Planet Mojo is now building on Coinbase’s Base network.
- Zeebit announced that it is launching a “degen playground” on Solana (via the Sonic layer-2) with casino classics and PVP games.
- Competitive shooter Splitgate 2 was announced last week, but no word yet on whether it will support Bitcoin earnings, like the original did via an update in late 2023.
GG spotlight
Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read:
What Is ‘X Empire’? The Telegram Tap-to-Earn Elon Musk Game and Airdrop Details
Millions of players have tapped on Elon Musk’s face over the past few weeks, thanks to the new hit Telegram game, X Empire—or Musk Empire, as it was originally called. Looking for a way to differentiate X Empire from the mountain of tap-to-earn games on Telegram such as Hamster Kombat and Catizen, the development team swapped out cute pet visuals for a cartoon image of Elon Musk that you need to tap to rack up piles of in-game cash. The number of players suggests that this approach is working, w...
‘Hamster Kombat’ Mini Game Puzzle Guide: What Are Keys and How to Earn Them
Hit Telegram-based crypto game Hamster Kombat continues to expand ahead of its planned airdrop on The Open Network, and the latest addition is a daily puzzle mini game and the mysterious keys tied to it. Added on July 19, the puzzle mini game refreshes daily and challenges you to move red and green candlestick indicators—like those seen on crypto price charts—to claim a key before time runs out. And the keys could prove to be valuable or useful indeed. As millions more players flood into Hamster...
You Can Earn Bitcoin By Playing These Free Games
Bitcoin jumped back above $90,000 earlier Tuesday, regaining upward momentum after recent volatility. And earlier this year, BTC set a new record price of nearly $109,000 as President Trump took office. If you’re keen on stacking satoshis however you can, then here’s one way that won’t cost you anything but time: You can earn Bitcoin by playing a bunch of free games. Decrypt’s GG has been covering the rising trend of free-to-play mobile games and apps that offer up small bounties of Bitcoin for...
Edited by Andrew Hayward
