Catizen’s recent CATI coin airdrop has sparked backlash from players. The distribution of rewards has left many unhappy after they have been grinding and participating in the Telegram-based game for nearly nine months.
High-level players who spent more time in the game received fewer tokens than expected, while some lower-level players received higher rewards. Catizen, which was designed to incentivize farming efforts through in-game mechanics, is now under scrutiny, with many questioning the transparency and fairness of the airdrop process.
Player reactions and complaints
The Catizen coin airdrop quickly became a hot topic among the gaming community, with numerous complaints appearing on social media. One prominent participant, “Crypto with Khan,” voiced his displeasure.
One user complained that the money he earned from the Catizen airdrop was not commensurate with the effort he put in.
Despite being ranked 6,054 out of 36 million players, he only received 39 CATI tokens, much lower than expected for someone of his rank. Other players also expressed their disappointment, sharing that he received 47.13 CATI, despite only reaching level 51.
Another user, who reached level 32 and received 91.39 CATI tokens, shared a post highlighting inconsistencies in the Catizen token airdrop.
What further fueled the outrage was that players who spent months playing the game, achieving high levels and rankings, received similar or lower rewards in the Catizen airdrop than others who invested less time or effort.
Some users speculated whether Catizen used different criteria for this airdrop.
For example, Kashif Rajpoot, who played for just four days, received 27.42 tokens in the Catizen airdrop. Users speculate that the Catizen airdrop team decided to distribute tokens based on daily activity.
Such discrepancies have led players to question the criteria used to distribute airdrops. Many feel the system is flawed, favoring certain players while ignoring the long-term commitment of others to the game.
As the complaints increased, the hashtag ‘#CatizenScam‘ started trending on social media platforms. The community voiced concerns that the reward distribution was not transparent and fair. Such speculations could certainly lead to scam allegations against the project and the Catizen airdrop if the team does not address them immediately.
The growing frustration could damage trust in the game's token distribution model and development team, as many players feel the game does not appreciate their efforts.
Catizen Airdrop Allocation Issues
The underlying problems with airdrops go beyond individual complaints.
The Catizen development team initially promised to distribute 43% of the total token supply to the community through an airdrop. However, as the distribution date neared, they revealed that only 34% would be distributed to players, while 9% would be allocated to Binance's Launchpool.
The team also split the remaining tokens into two seasons, with the first season (S1) receiving only 15% of the total supply. These changes surprised many players, as the project's whitepaper did not announce the split airdrop seasons.
Adding to the controversy is the change in reward criteria. Initially, players expected the airdrop to be based on in-game metrics like CATI speed and fish consumption. However, players began to notice that the distribution ended up favoring those who had invested financially in the game.
The team awarded Master level players who did not spend 30-40 tokens, while Gold level players who invested around $10 received 40-60 tokens. This discrepancy led to accusations that the team shifted its focus from rewarding dedicated players to prioritizing financial returns. Other criticisms arose from the team's token supply allocation.
While the community saw its share decrease, the team still maintained 35% of the total supply for themselves and the project fund, more than the 15% allocated for the first airdrop season. This decision may have led to speculation of a possible carpet-pulling scam.
These issues have tarnished the project’s image, leaving many players now questioning the developer’s long-term intentions and whether future airdrops will follow the same buggy pattern.
