Recently, the Telegram ecosystem has rapidly developed, becoming a hot topic in the Web3 space. With 900 million users, the communications giant Telegram has quietly introduced mini-apps and bot development features. Currently, Telegram mini-apps can fully replace most websites, supporting seamless authentication, integration payments through 20 payment providers (including Google Pay and Apple Pay), and more customized features like automatic news dispatch and the popular Catizen mini-game. Additionally, Telegram has developed the Ton blockchain, facilitating convenient blockchain transactions. This “traffic + payment” approach, similar to WeChat, has propelled Telegram’s rapid growth.
Users in mainland China are already very familiar with WeChat mini-programs. Nowadays, mini-programs have penetrated all aspects of daily life. For example, when ordering a Luckin Coffee, the store often suggests placing the order through the mini-program for a better price. Similarly, with the Maoyan and Taopiaopiao mini-programs on WeChat, buying movie tickets is as easy as pulling down the WeChat interface. Recently, with the rise of GPT, the leading AI assistant Kimi has also joined WeChat mini-programs, allowing users to ask Kimi questions anytime, anywhere, by simply pulling down the WeChat page, making work and study more convenient. The internet era has evolved from the initial web versions to a flourishing variety of apps, and now to a market dominated by major platforms like WeChat, Alipay, TikTok, and Meituan. As these internet giants monopolize the market, individual shops gradually move online on each platform, with each platform containing numerous mini-programs, dazzling to the point of overwhelming.
Against this backdrop, this article will delve into the development history and current status of Web2 and Web3 mini-programs. First, we will review the development trajectory of WeChat mini-programs, analyzing the reasons for their success and their existing ecosystem. Then, we will introduce the rise of Telegram mini-apps, exploring their integration with Web3 technology and their applications in the blockchain field. Finally, we will look ahead to the future trends of mini-programs, discussing how they will continue to change our way of life and lead the next era of the internet.
The origin and development of mini apps have been a process driven by several major companies, with WeChat mini apps being the earliest and most typical representative. The origin of mini apps can be traced back to 2013 when Baidu proposed the concept of “light applications,” defining a type of full-featured app that does not require downloading and can be used immediately upon search, with a user experience comparable to that of native apps and the searchability and intelligent distribution characteristics of web apps. However, light applications did not achieve the expected success. Subsequently, Google introduced the concept of PWA (Progressive Web App) in 2016, which also did not gain widespread application in China. Ultimately, WeChat mini apps, with the massive user base of WeChat and strong platform support, successfully led the trend of mini app development. Today, mini apps have become an indispensable part of the mobile internet field, providing new possibilities for users and developers.
In summary, the reasons why WeChat mini apps are favored by developers and users are mainly due to their advantages in convenience, cost, user base, marketing capabilities, application scenario adaptability, and avoiding platform dividends. These advantages have made mini apps the preferred platform for many businesses and individual developers, and also make users more inclined to use mini apps instead of downloading traditional apps.
Recently, Telegram introduced a new feature that allows ‘Mini Apps’ to run within its application. Similar to WeChat Mini Apps, this enables it to provide users with a flexible interface similar to that of a website, allowing for various operations to be performed directly within Telegram, such as playing small games and electronic payments. This feature is similar to the bots that have been running in Telegram for some time but offers a more advanced user experience.
Specifically, Telegram Mini Apps have the following characteristics:
In addition, Telegram’s Mini Apps also collaborate with TON, enhancing the functionality of Mini Apps through the TON Chain. TON’s Mini Apps provide a convenient entry point for Web2 users to easily step into the Web3 world. In fact, the TON blockchain was initially promoted by Telegram but was canceled in 2019 due to the intervention of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Despite this, the community and other development teams continued to advance the project, forming the current TON blockchain. Although TON is not directly related to Telegram, Telegram founder Pavel Durov and his team have repeatedly supported the project, emphasizing the business relevance between the two.
Specifically, the cooperation between TON (The Open Network) and Telegram’s Mini Apps can bring multiple benefits to the latter:
WeChat Mini Apps are a lightweight application platform launched by Tencent in 2017, allowing users to use various applications within WeChat without the need to download and install them. Initially, Mini Apps mainly provided basic tools and service functions, gradually expanding to e-commerce, gaming, social networking, education, and other fields. With the continuous improvement of functions and the diversification of user needs, WeChat Mini Apps have introduced a wealth of development tools and interfaces, and integrated powerful features such as WeChat Pay, quickly becoming an important part of China’s mobile internet ecosystem. Its openness and convenience have attracted a large number of developers and enterprises, promoting the rapid development and popularization of Mini Apps. Although WeChat Mini Apps and Telegram Mini Apps are both small applications embedded in social platforms, they have significant differences in many aspects:
WeChat Mini Apps
Telegram Mini Apps
WeChat Mini Apps
Telegram Mini Apps
WeChat Mini Apps
Telegram Mini Apps
Telegram’s Mini Apps are currently very popular, and more importantly, they have now become a bridge between Web2 and Web3. Their vast user base provides a significant foundation for this. The freedom and lack of censorship make their user profiles more aligned with the group that accepts Web3, as the most Web3-like Web2 software, a large proportion of its huge user base are Web3 enthusiasts or potential Web3 users. As analyzed above, the low development cost of Mini Apps, ease of use and dissemination, make the TG ecosystem very easy to spread. And Ton’s native support further lowers the threshold for on-chain interactions. In this section, we will introduce some popular applications in the current TG ecosystem, and through case studies, we will introduce how they have introduced Web2 users to Web3.
NotCoin is a “click-click-click” game on the TG Mini App. Its main operation is very simple: users just need to keep clicking the screen to get in-game coins when they have energy. On the basis of the traditional GameFi Play2Earn, NotCoin proposed the Tap2Earn concept, where users can make money just by clicking the screen. In addition, NotCoin also has skill enhancement, task systems, team cooperation, points leagues, and inviting new users and other features. From the official launch on January 1, 2024, to the token launch on Binance on May 16, NotCoin attracted more than 35 million players, with more than 5 million daily active users.
As a simple TG Mini App game, NotCoin, with the huge TG user base and simple operation method, greatly reduced the user threshold. At the same time, the fission mechanism in the game made its spread very fast. In terms of the token economy system, the project side only retained 5% of the tokens, and there is no VC reservation, 78% of the remaining 95% is allocated to all game users. This kind of community project without VC, and the practice of allocating most of the tokens to community users, is very politically correct in the current environment and is highly praised by community users. In the end, NotCoin was listed on Binance on May 16, with a market value of up to 2 billion US dollars.
NotCoin successfully attracted a large number of users and subtly transformed a large part of the users into Web3 users. The project side airdropped most of the tokens to the players, and under the premise of such a large number of players, this airdropping covered a large number of users. During the airdropping phase, users have two choices: transfer the tokens to Binance or to the TG wallet. No matter which one the user chooses, it brings new players to the Web3 world. Users who choose to transfer the airdropped tokens to Binance may become virtual currency traders, while users who choose to transfer the airdropped tokens to the TG wallet become players on the Ton chain.
NotCoin’s success not only relies on the multi-faceted support of TG but also on the support of Binance. Binance has long been committed to introducing Web2 users to inject fresh blood into Web3. Looking back at the controversial Binance LaunchPad projects EDU and HOOK in 2023, they are both non-Web3 native projects, which are asset tokenization education platforms and Web3 learning platforms, respectively. Binance has occupied a certain market share among Web3 users, but facing high customer acquisition costs, it hopes to introduce more Web2 users to Web3, expand the entire market volume, and contribute to its own user base. Therefore, Binance noticed NotCoin as early as the end of February and carried out joint activities with it. In the end, NotCoin successfully landed on the Binance LaunchPool.
From Binance’s perspective, the TG user and Web3 user profiles are highly consistent, and the quality of TG users is relatively high. Therefore, Binance chose to let NotCoin go online on its platform. NotCoin is a successful example. As a TG mini-game, it attracted tens of millions of users in just over four months and transformed these users into virtual currency traders or blockchain users through airdropping.
Catizen comes from a team with extensive experience in Mini Apps. The team has more than 5 years of experience in the development and operation of WeChat Mini App games and Facebook games. Compared with other games, this game is more mature in terms of gameplay. In the game, players play as the owner of a cat shop, and the cats will automatically receive customers to obtain revenue. The revenue depends on the number and level of the cats in the shop. Players can use coins to buy new cats and obtain higher-level cats by synthesizing two cats of the same level to earn higher per-second revenue.
Catizen, with its cute painting style and addictive business game attributes, has gained more than 20 million users in three months, with a daily active user (DAU) of 2.5 million. Through excellent user payment guidance in the game and potential airdropping expectations, Catizen has exceeded 12 million US dollars in TG in-app revenue. This achievement is very eye-catching, especially for traditional GameFi, which lacks external revenue and has a strong Ponzi attribute, while Catizen has made more than 10 million US dollars in revenue in three months, which has solved the problem of no external source of revenue to a certain extent.
Catizen not only attracted tens of millions of players but also guided players to bind the TG wallet and achieve on-chain contract interaction in the game. There are some options in the game, and users can obtain in-game revenue through smart contract interaction, which is carried out on the Ton chain without payment, only paying gas fees. For example, the occasionally appearing puppies can give players a 500% revenue for a period of time. If it is obtained for free, it is only 1 minute, and if it is obtained through contract interaction, it can be obtained for 4 minutes. Catizen’s clever in-game incentive mechanism has made it have more than a million on-chain users, and these users have carried out smart contract interactions on Ton through Catizen. Catizen’s guidance may be because it has accepted investment from Ton.
Catizen has achieved eye-catching results in many aspects, not only attracting a large number of users and bringing high revenue to the project side, making Web3 games profitable, but also guiding a large number of users to enter the Ton chain and become Web3 players. In terms of airdropping, although Catizen is not as generous to users as NotCoin, the initial plan allocated 20% to the team and 8% to VC, only 35% to users, but it has continuously increased the airdropping ratio to 43%.
Hamster Kombat is similar to NotCoin, but it is far from just an imitator. Compared with the simple gameplay and settings of NotCoin, Hamster Kombat is more complex in terms of background settings and gameplay. The game is set in a virtual currency exchange where players act as the boss, gaining points by consuming energy and clicking on the screen. The game also adds business elements, where players can upgrade the exchange by consuming coins, such as improving employee levels, marketing, and making compliance investments, to gain more revenue.
This background setting allows players to experience the game from the perspective of a virtual currency exchange CEO, increasing their understanding and identification with virtual currency. In addition, Hamster Kombat also combines the task system with watching video tasks, leading to its own YouTube channel. Players watch two videos every day, which introduce blockchain knowledge and blockchain news.
Hamster Kombat has performed very well, and by the end of June, the game has more than 200 million users. At the same time, its official YouTube channel has more than 30 million subscribers, and the average number of video views exceeds 20 million. The game’s airdropping mechanism requires users to first bind their TG wallet, which effectively guides users into the Web3 world.
From the perspective of a Web3 guide, Hamster Kombat has succeeded in many aspects. First, it has attracted a large number of users and made them register and bind the TG wallet through the airdropping mechanism. Second, in terms of user education, the game allows players to act as the CEO of a virtual currency exchange, enhancing their understanding of virtual currency. Through daily video uploads and task systems, the game encourages players to learn about Web3 knowledge and pay attention to Web3 news, making them subtly accept these concepts. Acceptance and learning are the prerequisites for joining Web3, and Hamster Kombat has successfully achieved this.
Relying on the high potential of Web3 customers on TG, and the seamless integration of payment and on-chain interactions in Mini Apps, convenient mobile terminal semi-centralized applications, TG provides a new entry point for the Web3 world. From the data, the popularity of TG Mini Apps has brought rapid user growth to Ton, and since the beginning of 2024, the number of active wallets has grown from one million to more than ten million in seven months, ten times the increase. Similarly, this is also reflected in the transaction gas fee, with the daily consumption of Ton on the chain increasing from an average of 1000 Ton last year to tens of thousands of Ton per day now.
TG’s Mini Apps are more like a hybrid model of Web2 and Web3, neither completely centralized nor completely decentralized. In terms of payment methods, there are both centralized legal currency in-app purchases and on-chain transfers and interactions, and the chain wallet is also divided into custodial abstract account wallets and external wallets. In terms of operations, some operations are centrally processed, and asset-related parts are processed on the chain. The profit model is also a mix, including Web2 advertising fees, in-app purchase fees, and Web3 NFT minting fees and transaction fees, etc. In the TG ecosystem, blockchain is more like a supplement to Web2, rather than the core role in the native Web3.
Although TG Mini Apps have performed very well recently, bringing a large amount of fresh blood to the Web3 world and attracting many users to be active on the Ton chain. However, in the long run, the TG ecosystem is different from BTC, Ethereum, Solana, etc., which serve finance through blockchain technology, the TG ecosystem is more like serving other fields through technology. This is an exploration and attempt of blockchain technology in more applications, but it is different from the current mainstream Web3 dominated by finance.
This difference comes from several levels. First, the users are different. In the financial ecosystem, users are mainly investors, while in the TG ecosystem, most users are consumers, and the number of investors is less than that of consumers, and the average consumption ability of investors is higher. The second is the difference in applications. Mainstream chains such as ETH and Solana mainly focus on financial aspects, including DeFi, Oracle, etc., and even GameFi and SocialFi focus on the financial aspect, eventually becoming a capital pool. The larger volume of these chains provides a certain guarantee for financial security and liquidity. In the TG ecosystem, the popular projects are mainly games, gambling, payments, etc., which rely more on the number of users and usage time.
The above figure shows the TVL ranking. Even though Ton’s TVL has soared to \$700 million, it is still a big gap compared to ETH’s more than \$50 billion and Solana and BSC’s \$4 billion or so. Therefore, we believe that the TG ecosystem is not taking business away from existing Web3 projects, but opening up a new path, transforming Web2 users into Web3 users. Its application scenarios are different from traditional Web3. The TG ecosystem is more like a WeChat Mini App that enhances applications through payment functions, while ETH, Solana, and other ecosystems are more like Alipay that enhances finance through technology. At present, the TG ecosystem is still in the early stage, and there will definitely be more practical applications appearing in the TG ecosystem in the future, not limited to games, and ultimately becoming a super App like WeChat. The development of the Ton chain will be more inclined to the payment means and auxiliary of applications. Whether the TG ecosystem will involve more in the financial field still depends on the response of the traditional old chains.
Recently, the Telegram ecosystem has rapidly developed, becoming a hot topic in the Web3 space. With 900 million users, the communications giant Telegram has quietly introduced mini-apps and bot development features. Currently, Telegram mini-apps can fully replace most websites, supporting seamless authentication, integration payments through 20 payment providers (including Google Pay and Apple Pay), and more customized features like automatic news dispatch and the popular Catizen mini-game. Additionally, Telegram has developed the Ton blockchain, facilitating convenient blockchain transactions. This “traffic + payment” approach, similar to WeChat, has propelled Telegram’s rapid growth.
Users in mainland China are already very familiar with WeChat mini-programs. Nowadays, mini-programs have penetrated all aspects of daily life. For example, when ordering a Luckin Coffee, the store often suggests placing the order through the mini-program for a better price. Similarly, with the Maoyan and Taopiaopiao mini-programs on WeChat, buying movie tickets is as easy as pulling down the WeChat interface. Recently, with the rise of GPT, the leading AI assistant Kimi has also joined WeChat mini-programs, allowing users to ask Kimi questions anytime, anywhere, by simply pulling down the WeChat page, making work and study more convenient. The internet era has evolved from the initial web versions to a flourishing variety of apps, and now to a market dominated by major platforms like WeChat, Alipay, TikTok, and Meituan. As these internet giants monopolize the market, individual shops gradually move online on each platform, with each platform containing numerous mini-programs, dazzling to the point of overwhelming.
Against this backdrop, this article will delve into the development history and current status of Web2 and Web3 mini-programs. First, we will review the development trajectory of WeChat mini-programs, analyzing the reasons for their success and their existing ecosystem. Then, we will introduce the rise of Telegram mini-apps, exploring their integration with Web3 technology and their applications in the blockchain field. Finally, we will look ahead to the future trends of mini-programs, discussing how they will continue to change our way of life and lead the next era of the internet.
The origin and development of mini apps have been a process driven by several major companies, with WeChat mini apps being the earliest and most typical representative. The origin of mini apps can be traced back to 2013 when Baidu proposed the concept of “light applications,” defining a type of full-featured app that does not require downloading and can be used immediately upon search, with a user experience comparable to that of native apps and the searchability and intelligent distribution characteristics of web apps. However, light applications did not achieve the expected success. Subsequently, Google introduced the concept of PWA (Progressive Web App) in 2016, which also did not gain widespread application in China. Ultimately, WeChat mini apps, with the massive user base of WeChat and strong platform support, successfully led the trend of mini app development. Today, mini apps have become an indispensable part of the mobile internet field, providing new possibilities for users and developers.
In summary, the reasons why WeChat mini apps are favored by developers and users are mainly due to their advantages in convenience, cost, user base, marketing capabilities, application scenario adaptability, and avoiding platform dividends. These advantages have made mini apps the preferred platform for many businesses and individual developers, and also make users more inclined to use mini apps instead of downloading traditional apps.
Recently, Telegram introduced a new feature that allows ‘Mini Apps’ to run within its application. Similar to WeChat Mini Apps, this enables it to provide users with a flexible interface similar to that of a website, allowing for various operations to be performed directly within Telegram, such as playing small games and electronic payments. This feature is similar to the bots that have been running in Telegram for some time but offers a more advanced user experience.
Specifically, Telegram Mini Apps have the following characteristics:
In addition, Telegram’s Mini Apps also collaborate with TON, enhancing the functionality of Mini Apps through the TON Chain. TON’s Mini Apps provide a convenient entry point for Web2 users to easily step into the Web3 world. In fact, the TON blockchain was initially promoted by Telegram but was canceled in 2019 due to the intervention of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Despite this, the community and other development teams continued to advance the project, forming the current TON blockchain. Although TON is not directly related to Telegram, Telegram founder Pavel Durov and his team have repeatedly supported the project, emphasizing the business relevance between the two.
Specifically, the cooperation between TON (The Open Network) and Telegram’s Mini Apps can bring multiple benefits to the latter:
WeChat Mini Apps are a lightweight application platform launched by Tencent in 2017, allowing users to use various applications within WeChat without the need to download and install them. Initially, Mini Apps mainly provided basic tools and service functions, gradually expanding to e-commerce, gaming, social networking, education, and other fields. With the continuous improvement of functions and the diversification of user needs, WeChat Mini Apps have introduced a wealth of development tools and interfaces, and integrated powerful features such as WeChat Pay, quickly becoming an important part of China’s mobile internet ecosystem. Its openness and convenience have attracted a large number of developers and enterprises, promoting the rapid development and popularization of Mini Apps. Although WeChat Mini Apps and Telegram Mini Apps are both small applications embedded in social platforms, they have significant differences in many aspects:
WeChat Mini Apps
Telegram Mini Apps
WeChat Mini Apps
Telegram Mini Apps
WeChat Mini Apps
Telegram Mini Apps
Telegram’s Mini Apps are currently very popular, and more importantly, they have now become a bridge between Web2 and Web3. Their vast user base provides a significant foundation for this. The freedom and lack of censorship make their user profiles more aligned with the group that accepts Web3, as the most Web3-like Web2 software, a large proportion of its huge user base are Web3 enthusiasts or potential Web3 users. As analyzed above, the low development cost of Mini Apps, ease of use and dissemination, make the TG ecosystem very easy to spread. And Ton’s native support further lowers the threshold for on-chain interactions. In this section, we will introduce some popular applications in the current TG ecosystem, and through case studies, we will introduce how they have introduced Web2 users to Web3.
NotCoin is a “click-click-click” game on the TG Mini App. Its main operation is very simple: users just need to keep clicking the screen to get in-game coins when they have energy. On the basis of the traditional GameFi Play2Earn, NotCoin proposed the Tap2Earn concept, where users can make money just by clicking the screen. In addition, NotCoin also has skill enhancement, task systems, team cooperation, points leagues, and inviting new users and other features. From the official launch on January 1, 2024, to the token launch on Binance on May 16, NotCoin attracted more than 35 million players, with more than 5 million daily active users.
As a simple TG Mini App game, NotCoin, with the huge TG user base and simple operation method, greatly reduced the user threshold. At the same time, the fission mechanism in the game made its spread very fast. In terms of the token economy system, the project side only retained 5% of the tokens, and there is no VC reservation, 78% of the remaining 95% is allocated to all game users. This kind of community project without VC, and the practice of allocating most of the tokens to community users, is very politically correct in the current environment and is highly praised by community users. In the end, NotCoin was listed on Binance on May 16, with a market value of up to 2 billion US dollars.
NotCoin successfully attracted a large number of users and subtly transformed a large part of the users into Web3 users. The project side airdropped most of the tokens to the players, and under the premise of such a large number of players, this airdropping covered a large number of users. During the airdropping phase, users have two choices: transfer the tokens to Binance or to the TG wallet. No matter which one the user chooses, it brings new players to the Web3 world. Users who choose to transfer the airdropped tokens to Binance may become virtual currency traders, while users who choose to transfer the airdropped tokens to the TG wallet become players on the Ton chain.
NotCoin’s success not only relies on the multi-faceted support of TG but also on the support of Binance. Binance has long been committed to introducing Web2 users to inject fresh blood into Web3. Looking back at the controversial Binance LaunchPad projects EDU and HOOK in 2023, they are both non-Web3 native projects, which are asset tokenization education platforms and Web3 learning platforms, respectively. Binance has occupied a certain market share among Web3 users, but facing high customer acquisition costs, it hopes to introduce more Web2 users to Web3, expand the entire market volume, and contribute to its own user base. Therefore, Binance noticed NotCoin as early as the end of February and carried out joint activities with it. In the end, NotCoin successfully landed on the Binance LaunchPool.
From Binance’s perspective, the TG user and Web3 user profiles are highly consistent, and the quality of TG users is relatively high. Therefore, Binance chose to let NotCoin go online on its platform. NotCoin is a successful example. As a TG mini-game, it attracted tens of millions of users in just over four months and transformed these users into virtual currency traders or blockchain users through airdropping.
Catizen comes from a team with extensive experience in Mini Apps. The team has more than 5 years of experience in the development and operation of WeChat Mini App games and Facebook games. Compared with other games, this game is more mature in terms of gameplay. In the game, players play as the owner of a cat shop, and the cats will automatically receive customers to obtain revenue. The revenue depends on the number and level of the cats in the shop. Players can use coins to buy new cats and obtain higher-level cats by synthesizing two cats of the same level to earn higher per-second revenue.
Catizen, with its cute painting style and addictive business game attributes, has gained more than 20 million users in three months, with a daily active user (DAU) of 2.5 million. Through excellent user payment guidance in the game and potential airdropping expectations, Catizen has exceeded 12 million US dollars in TG in-app revenue. This achievement is very eye-catching, especially for traditional GameFi, which lacks external revenue and has a strong Ponzi attribute, while Catizen has made more than 10 million US dollars in revenue in three months, which has solved the problem of no external source of revenue to a certain extent.
Catizen not only attracted tens of millions of players but also guided players to bind the TG wallet and achieve on-chain contract interaction in the game. There are some options in the game, and users can obtain in-game revenue through smart contract interaction, which is carried out on the Ton chain without payment, only paying gas fees. For example, the occasionally appearing puppies can give players a 500% revenue for a period of time. If it is obtained for free, it is only 1 minute, and if it is obtained through contract interaction, it can be obtained for 4 minutes. Catizen’s clever in-game incentive mechanism has made it have more than a million on-chain users, and these users have carried out smart contract interactions on Ton through Catizen. Catizen’s guidance may be because it has accepted investment from Ton.
Catizen has achieved eye-catching results in many aspects, not only attracting a large number of users and bringing high revenue to the project side, making Web3 games profitable, but also guiding a large number of users to enter the Ton chain and become Web3 players. In terms of airdropping, although Catizen is not as generous to users as NotCoin, the initial plan allocated 20% to the team and 8% to VC, only 35% to users, but it has continuously increased the airdropping ratio to 43%.
Hamster Kombat is similar to NotCoin, but it is far from just an imitator. Compared with the simple gameplay and settings of NotCoin, Hamster Kombat is more complex in terms of background settings and gameplay. The game is set in a virtual currency exchange where players act as the boss, gaining points by consuming energy and clicking on the screen. The game also adds business elements, where players can upgrade the exchange by consuming coins, such as improving employee levels, marketing, and making compliance investments, to gain more revenue.
This background setting allows players to experience the game from the perspective of a virtual currency exchange CEO, increasing their understanding and identification with virtual currency. In addition, Hamster Kombat also combines the task system with watching video tasks, leading to its own YouTube channel. Players watch two videos every day, which introduce blockchain knowledge and blockchain news.
Hamster Kombat has performed very well, and by the end of June, the game has more than 200 million users. At the same time, its official YouTube channel has more than 30 million subscribers, and the average number of video views exceeds 20 million. The game’s airdropping mechanism requires users to first bind their TG wallet, which effectively guides users into the Web3 world.
From the perspective of a Web3 guide, Hamster Kombat has succeeded in many aspects. First, it has attracted a large number of users and made them register and bind the TG wallet through the airdropping mechanism. Second, in terms of user education, the game allows players to act as the CEO of a virtual currency exchange, enhancing their understanding of virtual currency. Through daily video uploads and task systems, the game encourages players to learn about Web3 knowledge and pay attention to Web3 news, making them subtly accept these concepts. Acceptance and learning are the prerequisites for joining Web3, and Hamster Kombat has successfully achieved this.
Relying on the high potential of Web3 customers on TG, and the seamless integration of payment and on-chain interactions in Mini Apps, convenient mobile terminal semi-centralized applications, TG provides a new entry point for the Web3 world. From the data, the popularity of TG Mini Apps has brought rapid user growth to Ton, and since the beginning of 2024, the number of active wallets has grown from one million to more than ten million in seven months, ten times the increase. Similarly, this is also reflected in the transaction gas fee, with the daily consumption of Ton on the chain increasing from an average of 1000 Ton last year to tens of thousands of Ton per day now.
TG’s Mini Apps are more like a hybrid model of Web2 and Web3, neither completely centralized nor completely decentralized. In terms of payment methods, there are both centralized legal currency in-app purchases and on-chain transfers and interactions, and the chain wallet is also divided into custodial abstract account wallets and external wallets. In terms of operations, some operations are centrally processed, and asset-related parts are processed on the chain. The profit model is also a mix, including Web2 advertising fees, in-app purchase fees, and Web3 NFT minting fees and transaction fees, etc. In the TG ecosystem, blockchain is more like a supplement to Web2, rather than the core role in the native Web3.
Although TG Mini Apps have performed very well recently, bringing a large amount of fresh blood to the Web3 world and attracting many users to be active on the Ton chain. However, in the long run, the TG ecosystem is different from BTC, Ethereum, Solana, etc., which serve finance through blockchain technology, the TG ecosystem is more like serving other fields through technology. This is an exploration and attempt of blockchain technology in more applications, but it is different from the current mainstream Web3 dominated by finance.
This difference comes from several levels. First, the users are different. In the financial ecosystem, users are mainly investors, while in the TG ecosystem, most users are consumers, and the number of investors is less than that of consumers, and the average consumption ability of investors is higher. The second is the difference in applications. Mainstream chains such as ETH and Solana mainly focus on financial aspects, including DeFi, Oracle, etc., and even GameFi and SocialFi focus on the financial aspect, eventually becoming a capital pool. The larger volume of these chains provides a certain guarantee for financial security and liquidity. In the TG ecosystem, the popular projects are mainly games, gambling, payments, etc., which rely more on the number of users and usage time.
The above figure shows the TVL ranking. Even though Ton’s TVL has soared to \$700 million, it is still a big gap compared to ETH’s more than \$50 billion and Solana and BSC’s \$4 billion or so. Therefore, we believe that the TG ecosystem is not taking business away from existing Web3 projects, but opening up a new path, transforming Web2 users into Web3 users. Its application scenarios are different from traditional Web3. The TG ecosystem is more like a WeChat Mini App that enhances applications through payment functions, while ETH, Solana, and other ecosystems are more like Alipay that enhances finance through technology. At present, the TG ecosystem is still in the early stage, and there will definitely be more practical applications appearing in the TG ecosystem in the future, not limited to games, and ultimately becoming a super App like WeChat. The development of the Ton chain will be more inclined to the payment means and auxiliary of applications. Whether the TG ecosystem will involve more in the financial field still depends on the response of the traditional old chains.