Author: Stella L (stella@footprint.network)
In 2024, the large-scale adoption of blockchain games was unexpectedly catalyzed by Telegram. As various public chains rushed to layout this instant messaging platform with a massive user base, a core question emerged: Can this user acquisition strategy truly bring sustainable growth, or is it just creating a fleeting data bubble?
The Rise of the Telegram Gaming Wave
The Telegram gaming revolution began with Notcoin's simple "tap-to-earn" mechanism, which quickly proved the platform's immense potential as a Web3 entry point. This success triggered a chain reaction across the entire blockchain ecosystem.
The initial simple game experiments on TON have evolved into a full-fledged competition. Aptos seized the opportunity, and its Telegram game Tapos pushed the daily on-chain transaction volume to over 50 million in August. This breakthrough achievement triggered a domino effect, with public chains such as Sui, Core, Starknet, and Matchain launching their own Telegram game-related projects.
This wave soon caught the attention of mainstream cryptocurrency exchanges. Binance was the first to list multiple Telegram game tokens, including Hamster Kombat and Catizen. Other exchanges quickly followed suit, eager to claim a share of this emerging track.
Since the second half of 2024, institutional capital has also begun to pour in. Notably, Binance Labs made a strategic investment in Catizen game publisher Pluto Studio. Animoca Brands' mobile gaming subsidiary GAMEE (developer of WatBird) completed two consecutive funding rounds in August, highlighting the growing confidence of institutional investors in Telegram game-related projects.
The Layouts and Effectiveness of Major Public Chains
In 2024, multiple blockchain networks launched Telegram games, achieving varying degrees of success in user acquisition and retention. By analyzing the specific data of Core, Sui, and Matchain, we can understand the immediate effects and long-term sustainability of this strategy.
Core: A New Attempt in the Bitcoin Ecosystem
The Core blockchain is a Bitcoin-driven, EVM-compatible Layer 1 public chain. In late September 2024, the social game TomTalk was launched on Core, allowing users to earn points through chat activities in its Telegram mini-program.
According to Footprint Analytics data, TomTalk had a significant impact on Core. As of November 12, the platform had accumulated 729,000 users (unique wallet addresses) and generated 757,000 on-chain transactions. During the peak period from October 28 to 31, the DAU (daily active users) reached 80,000, accounting for 14.3% of Core's total DAU, and the daily transaction volume accounted for 7.6% of the total.
Source: TomTalk Daily and Cumulative Transaction Volume
However, after experiencing an initial peak, TomTalk's data has shown a significant cooling trend. As of November 12, the game's daily active users have stabilized at around 14,000, with daily transaction volume maintaining a similar level, and its Telegram mini-program has 16,000 monthly active users. This cooling trend highlights the challenge of maintaining user engagement.
Sui: The Continuously Rising Dark Horse
Sui is a Move-based public chain known for its high-performance transaction processing. On September 25, BIRDS was launched on Sui, cleverly combining Memecoin elements with GameFi features.
BIRDS' data performance is impressive. As of November 12, it has attracted a cumulative 751,000 unique wallet users and generated 17.7 million transactions. More impressively, BIRDS' influence in the Sui ecosystem has been continuously growing, with its daily active users increasing from 9.1% to 34.0% (as of November 12) and its transaction volume share rising from 4.3% to 13.5%.
Source: BIRDS Daily Active Users
Most notably, unlike the general declining trend of other Telegram games after launch, BIRDS has maintained a stable upward trajectory. Its Telegram mini-program has a monthly active user base of 6.2 million, while its daily active users on the Sui chain in November averaged 243,000, indicating a huge user conversion potential and ample room for future growth.
Matchain: A Dramatic Rise
Matchain, a decentralized AI blockchain focused on data and identity sovereignty, has exhibited the most dramatic effects in Telegram game integration since its mainnet launch in August 2024.
Matchain's gaming segment, starting from a mere 78 daily active users in September, has surged to a daily average of 550,000 active users in October, driven by games like LOL, Jumper, and Digiverse. The daily transaction volume also skyrocketed from 127 to 565,000 during the same period.
From October 9 to 13, Matchain experienced its most glorious moment, with the daily active users of its gaming segment exceeding 2 million and reaching a historical high of 3.3 million on October 12. Although the data subsequently declined, it stabilized at 615,000 users by the end of October and resumed growth in November, reaching 769,000 daily active users. This growth trajectory demonstrates the immense potential of blockchain games based on Telegram for user acquisition.
Source: Matchain Gaming Segment Data
Matchain's development trajectory may be the best example of the potential for Telegram games to drive blockchain adoption - from a negligible level of activity to consistently maintaining hundreds of thousands of daily active users within just two months. However, the stabilization process after its rapid ascent also highlights the challenge of maintaining growth momentum after the initial user acquisition.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Telegram Games
Telegram games have demonstrated remarkable efficiency as a blockchain user acquisition channel. Compared to traditional Web3 channels, which often have customer acquisition costs exceeding $10, or even centralized exchanges with costs as high as $40-50, Telegram games have reduced the cost to under $0.1. More importantly, these users generally have a basic understanding of cryptocurrencies, lowering the barrier for them to become active Web3 participants.
However, this seemingly perfect user acquisition strategy still faces several key challenges. First, the current user base is highly concentrated in Telegram's stronghold markets, such as Eastern Europe, Africa, and South Asia. Second, most projects face a significant drop in user retention rates after the initial launch period. Additionally, the large presence of studio and bot activities requires projects to invest significant effort to ensure a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.
Future Outlook
As the early dividend period comes to an end, the Telegram ecosystem needs to be strategically deployed. The key to success lies in creating a viral marketing tool combination, designing a sustainable growth mechanism, establishing a comprehensive user behavior analysis system, and continuously optimizing the customer acquisition funnel and retention strategy.
The Telegram game phenomenon is not just a short-term trend, but a paradigm shift in the way blockchain users are acquired. Those public chains or other types of Web3 projects that can effectively solve the retention problem while maintaining efficient customer acquisition advantages will occupy a dominant position in the next stage of large-scale Web3 adoption.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is for industry research and exchange only and does not constitute any investment advice. There are risks in the market, and investments need to be made cautiously.
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About Footprint Analytics
Footprint Analytics is a comprehensive blockchain data analysis platform that simplifies complex analysis for enterprises and projects in the Web3 ecosystem. It provides customized solutions, eliminating the need for extensive professional knowledge and infrastructure maintenance. The platform provides tools aimed at helping to gradually build and manage long-term community growth, emphasizing sustainable growth and user loyalty. By combining powerful analytics tools and community management tools, Footprint Analytics enables projects to effectively utilize blockchain data for decision-making and growth strategies, covering areas such as GameFi, Non-Fungible Token, and DeFi.
