How Catizen is Revolutionizing Web3 Gaming on TON: Insights from a Leading Telegram-Based Platform
The Future of Web3 Gaming: How Catizen is Pioneering Success on TON
The Open Network (TON) is rapidly emerging as a key player in the crypto landscape, and Catizen is at the forefront of this revolution by engaging gamers through Web3. According to TONStat, the TON ecosystem boasts over 10.78 million activated wallets—a staggering 1400% increase over the past year—and a peak of 5 million monthly active wallets in the last six months.
TON’s unique integration with Telegram offers its projects unparalleled access to Telegram’s 900 million users, making the TON ecosystem one of the most visible in the blockchain space. With this significant audience, TON presents a golden opportunity for major projects to thrive.
Unlike other blockchains that are still in the adoption phase, TON has a well-established user base and a potential 890 million new users just a few clicks away. As the ecosystem expands, the challenge for projects is clear: how to turn this vast user base into high-quality, engaged users.
Catizen, the only project in the TON ecosystem to publicly share its on-chain performance data, provides crucial insights into achieving this goal.
What is Catizen?
Catizen is a casual gaming platform integrated with Telegram, featuring a variety of cat-themed mini-games. Launched by PlutoVision Labs on TON in 2024, Catizen has quickly captured the attention of gamers and cat enthusiasts, consistently topping the TON ecosystem’s The Open League (TOL) for the past three seasons.
Similar to the success of mini-games on China’s WeChat, where over a billion users engage in gaming and generate significant revenue, Catizen has achieved substantial traction on Telegram. Despite Telegram’s lower popularity compared to WeChat, Catizen’s viral success has attracted major investments from Web3 leaders like The Open Platform (TOP), HashKey Capital, and Binance Labs.
Catizen’s Approach to Building a High-Quality User Base
Building a high-quality user base and converting free-to-play players involves more than just airdrops. While airdrops can attract initial interest, sustainable growth requires more sophisticated strategies.
Catizen moves beyond traditional meme economics and large rewards by focusing on long-term engagement. By continuously adding new games and refining traditional revenue models through Web3, Catizen transforms the IAA (In-App Advertising) + IAP (In-App Purchases) model into an IAB (In-App Blockchain) + IAP approach.
Unlike Web2 giants that spend billions on user acquisition through ads, Catizen educates users on blockchain interactions, guiding them to connect their wallets and transition smoothly into Web3. This model not only educates users but also incentivizes participation through engaging gameplay and on-chain rewards.
Since its launch in March, Catizen has attracted 25 million players, with 1.5 million actively engaging on-chain. In just three months, the platform converted 500,000 players into paying users, with half of them new to Web3 wallets. Catizen has generated $15.8 million in revenue through various cryptocurrencies, showcasing an impressive average revenue per user (ARPU) of $30—far surpassing the typical $0.15 ARPU of crypto projects.
The Path Forward
Catizen’s success demonstrates a new model for merging Web2 and Web3 experiences. By leveraging Telegram’s user base and the benefits of the TON ecosystem, Catizen aims for sustainable growth. The team plans to introduce more mini-apps and continue expanding their ecosystem, setting a benchmark for how to engage and convert gamers in the Web3 space.
Through transparency, innovative gameplay, educational efforts, and novel revenue strategies, Catizen is paving the way for the next generation of Web3 gaming and providing a valuable blueprint for future projects.
