Telegram, a popular messaging platform, is set to launch a blockchain game app store by the end of July. This initiative, led by Telegram founder Pavel Durov, aims to integrate blockchain technology with gaming, offering a new mini-app store for developers and users.
Telegram currently has more than 900 million monthly active users (as of June 2024).
Each month, about 360 million users engage with Telegram’s Bots and Mini Apps.
According to Telegram Apps Center (tApps Center), about 300 Mini Apps have been launched on Telegram, the main categories including games.
2024 can be regarded as a milestone for Telegram, with click-to-earn games on the platform gaining widespread popularity and attracting hundreds of millions of users. Significant contributors to this success include Notcoin, Catizen, Yescoin, and Hamster Kombat. These pioneering applications feature straightforward gameplay and the potential to provide users with income.
Hamster Kombat, for instance, attracted 239 million users within 81 days, demonstrating the potential of blockchain games to provide supplementary income for players. Although Hamster Kombat’s in-game coins are not exchange-traded blockchain tokens, the developers intend to launch a tradeable digital asset for the game in 2024.
The new app store will feature a range of blockchain games, making it easier for developers to reach Telegram’s vast user base. The integration with Telegram will allow users to access and play blockchain games directly within the app. This move is expected to drive significant adoption of blockchain gaming, leveraging Telegram’s existing infrastructure and user-friendly interface.
1. Benefits for Telegram Developers
For developers, this app store presents an opportunity to tap into Telegram’s extensive user network. The platform promises a streamlined process for game submission and monetization, ensuring that developers can focus on creating engaging content without worrying about complex backend processes.
Additionally, blockchain integration will provide enhanced security and transparency, addressing common concerns in the gaming industry.
2. User Experience
Users will benefit from a curated selection of blockchain games, accessible directly from the Telegram app. The seamless integration means that players can discover, download, and play games without leaving the messaging platform. This convenience is expected to boost user engagement and retention, making blockchain games more accessible to a broader audience.
Telegram will enhance its efforts to combat scammers who seek to defraud newcomers in the cryptocurrency sector. Shortly, Telegram will display the registration month and primary country for public accounts, akin to Instagram. Furthermore, they will permit organizations to utilize their mini apps to issue labels for channels, thereby creating a decentralized marketplace for third-party verification.
“The Telegram ecosystem is too free, and many phishing links — or bot forms — are spread through message groups, airdrops, and other deceptive methods to lure away users’ TON wallets in batches.”
- Yu Xian, founder of SlowMist
3. Industry Impact
The introduction of a blockchain game app store by Telegram is likely to significantly impact the gaming and blockchain industries. Telegram is positioning itself at the forefront of this emerging market by providing a dedicated platform for blockchain games. This move could encourage other messaging platforms to explore similar integrations, further driving the adoption of blockchain technology in gaming.
"2024 will go down in history as the year when hundreds of millions of people became familiar with blockchain. We’re proud that Telegram is at the epicenter of this societal transformation.
To keep the fire going, this month, we will introduce a mini app store and an in-app browser with support for Web3-pages."
- Pavel Durov
Telegram’s launch of a blockchain game app store represents a significant step forward in the integration of blockchain technology with gaming. By providing a dedicated platform for developers and users, Telegram is poised to drive the adoption of blockchain gaming and set new standards in the industry.
The information provided in this article is for reference only and should not be taken as investment advice. All investment decisions should be based on thorough research and personal evaluation.
