The TON blockchain is getting ready for a massive load test as the Web3 game Hamster Kombat starts minting its HMSTR tokens. Starting September 26, 2024, at 110:00 UTC, the blockchain will be facing high traffic as Hamster Kombat’s 100 million active users are going to be onboarded.
This is the first such event for TON. TON Status Telegram channel advised the validators to be prepared for any actions that may be necessary within an hour. Hamster Kombat, which announced that it has gained 300 million users since its release in March 2024, will issue tokens through a large airdrop, which can cause an overload on the system.
The TON team has devised Mintless Jettons technology to ensure effective distribution and enable instant transactions with minimal fees.
Airdrop Only Reaches 43% of Players
The airdrop of Hamster Kombat will send tokens to only 43% of its users. This has caused controversy among the community. Of the 300 million players, only 131 million have met the airdrop requirement, causing dissatisfaction among the remaining players.
The game had earlier announced an airdrop in July. However, the airdrop was delayed to September and this made many players unhappy. Despite increasing discontent, some players have even said they will not play the game anymore and will skip Season 2.
The backlash escalated after the game company stated that 2.3 million accounts had been banned for cheating. So fewer people are allowed to play the game.
To create scarcity and increase the value of the token, Hamster Kombat has decided to lock 11.25% of the distributed tokens for ten months. However, it is uncertain how the market will receive this.
Binance and Other Exchanges Support HMSTR Token
The HMSTR token listing is happening on the same day as airdrop day. This has generated much interest from players and investors. Binance also has backed the project and introduced the “$HMSTR Super Earn” program that provides high Annual Percentage Rates (APR) on locked products.
The program begins on September 26. It allows the users to earn more in comparison to the usual options. Moreover, participants can get a share of 100 million HMSTR tokens.
Within two months since inception, Binance’s Launchpool recorded $14 billion locked-in value as investors scramble to benefit from the airdrop. The HMSTR token will also be available on other major exchanges like INDODAX, where trading begins at 17:30 UTC.
Despite a debate on the eligibility of the airdrop, support from exchanges shows the market’s interest in the HMSTR token.
TON Blockchain Faces Potential Outages
During the airdrop, TON blockchain informed users of possible downtimes because of the huge load from Hamster Kombat’s coin minting. It instructed the validators to pay close attention to their hardware from September 26 to 29 and be ready for actions that may have to be taken at short notice.
The blockchain will be under tremendous pressure during this period. Analysts will be keen to see if it will perform optimally without any disruption to the game and its players. Nevertheless, TON has experienced high traffic from other projects like Catizen, Rocky Rabbit, and Wat Bird in earlier this month.
However, Hamster Kombat’s airdrop is going to be the biggest onboarding event in the history of the blockchain. It will challenge its ability to accommodate massive Web3 implementations.
That said, the HMSTR token launch and its airdrop have created controversy among the Hamster Kombat community. Some gamers have complained that the airdrop was indeed a waste of their time due to some essential concerns regarding the eligibility of the game and the waiting time.
Others are excited about the new earning opportunities provided by the game and its expanding ecosystem, including the planned introduction of NFTs and a dedicated advertising network set to launch in December 2024.
