What Is Catizen? #CatizenTapTap
Catizen is a play-to-earn game (P2E) that can be played via Telegram mini-apps, similar to Notcoin or Hamster Kombat. The game was launched by developer Pluto Studio in March and is embedded within the messaging platform. To start playing, you simply launch the Telegram bot.
The game demands more involved gameplay, known as swipe-to-play, as opposed to “clicker games” – where users furiously tap their smartphone screens – which can be set to run automatically.
The Catizen player runs a cat café where visitors come to check out the felines. They make money when a cat is picked by a patron and are rewarded with vKitty, an in-game currency.
The key to the gameplay is to swipe same-level cats into one higher-level cat, which can earn more points when picked up.
Starting with one basic-level cat, the player receives more during the game. They can also use vKitty deposits to buy some supercats that will fast-track their quest for points.
Catizen Tokenomics and Airdrop Controversy
According to its website, Catizen says a total of 40 million people play the game, with an average 4.1 million daily active users. Since its launch, the project claims to have generated $27 million in revenue from one million users making in-game purchases.
During its airdrop, eligibility was based on performance. Players were categorized into seven leagues, including “Silver League” and “Gold League,” depending on their vKitty earnings. On Sept. 19, 15.2 million users qualified for the CATI airdrop.
But more than half of the community – over 20 million – fell into the Bronze League and didn’t qualify for the airdrop. And when those who qualified finally got their tokens, many felt cheated about not getting enough to make up for the time spent playing the game.
“Rank 6,054 out of 36 million players but got only 39 CATI,” one player complained on X. “How can someone call this fair distribution? We need transparency about the token allocation.”
