Hamster Kombat, a leading NFT-based play-to-earn game, has sparked controversy with a recent update to its token distribution portal ahead of its highly anticipated $HMSTR airdrop, scheduled for September 26, 2024. The game, which has garnered a massive following, is now facing backlash from its community, with many players voicing concerns over what they see as an unfair token distribution.
Hamster Kombat Prepares for Major Token Airdrop Launch
The fast-growing Hamster Kombat, which combines gameplay with cryptocurrency and NFT mechanics, has quickly gained popularity, drawing parallels to the viral Notcoin clicker game that attracted over 300 million users within five months of its release in March 2024. In the Telegram-based game, players participate in mining the Hamster token—$HMSTR—by managing a virtual cryptocurrency exchange.
In Hamster Kombat, players take on the role of a CEO hamster, strategically working to scale their startup by investing in marketing, purchasing licenses, hiring talent, and developing new products. The game is a mix of entertainment and strategy, where players can also earn $HMSTR tokens by participating in in-game battles.
Each $HMSTR token represents a non-fungible token (NFT) that can be bought, sold, or traded on the game’s marketplace. Players can accumulate up to five million NFT tokens in the game by investing in daily upgrades. The team recently announced the token’s launch on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, raising anticipation with the promise of potential rewards for participants.
On August 28, 2024, the Hamster Kombat team confirmed the token generation event (TGE) and scheduled the $HMSTR airdrop for September 26, 2024. At the time, the team revealed that 60% of the total token supply would be distributed via airdrop to game participants. A Hamster Kombat spokesperson claimed that this would be the largest airdrop in cryptocurrency history.
Hamster Kombat Faces Community Backlash
Despite the excitement, Hamster Kombat is currently the focus of heavy criticism, especially on X (formerly Twitter). Many players are unhappy with the uneven distribution of tokens, with some receiving small amounts such as 100, 300, or 5000 $HMSTR. Additionally, 12% of the tokens were locked, a detail that the Hamster Kombat team did not disclose in advance, causing frustration among the gaming community.
