A Telegram-based game reaching 200 million players is preparing to launch its own cryptocurrency.

Hamster Kombat, a Telegram-based crypto game, continues to attract great interest in Iran. According to the Associated Press on Monday, local users are flocking to the game ahead of the upcoming token launch.

Hamster Kombat stands out as a simple game played by clicking the screen. Players manage a fictional crypto exchange as a hamster CEO and have the chance to earn tokens with the rewards they earn in the game.

According to the announcement made by the developers on Monday, the game has reached 200 million players so far. This represents a significant proportion, considering that there are a total of 900 million Telegram users. The game had 150 million players on June 14th.

Criticism from the Iranian government

However, this situation is not welcomed by the Iranian government. While Iranians in the country struggle with high inflation, unemployment, and Western sanctions, playing the game in hopes of winning crypto rewards on their phones, government officials see it as an inappropriate influence of the West.

Iranian Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Habibollah Sayyari said to the state news agency IRNA, "One of the characteristics of the enemy's soft war is the 'Hamster' game." According to the Associated Press, Sayyari claimed that Western powers are trying to distance Iranians from the presidential elections.

Token launch approaching

The developers of Hamster Kombat stated that they plan to launch a token on The Open Network (TON) in July.

The game follows in the footsteps of Notcoin, a similar 'click' game that was released earlier this year and attracted 35 million players. Notcoin launched its own NOT token on TON in May.

After its release, Notcoin reached a market value exceeding 2 billion dollars within weeks.