Taking Gaming to the Next Level on Telegram: Not Games' Revolutionary Approach
Imminent telegram gaming surge fueled by revitalizing timeless games: Insights from 'Notcoin' pioneers
The meteoric rise and subsequent fall of Notcoin's tap-to-earn phenomenon on Telegram last year marked the beginning of the end for this gaming model. Now, a year later, the brains behind Notcoin are revitalizing classic video games through their Not Games platform, aiming to spark a new wave of Telegram gaming.
Sasha Plotvinov, one of the co-founders of Notcoin, revealed to Decrypt that he believes the demand for tap-to-earn games didn't significantly increase after Notcoin's release, despite an exponential growth in the number of games available. This rapid expansion of the market is what Sasha and his brother, co-founder Vladimir Plotvinov, believe led to the genre's rapid demise.
Beyond saturation, the tap-to-earn games suffered from monotonous gameplay loops that required users to mindlessly tap their screens to earn in-game points. The ultimate goal was often an underwhelming token airdrop. It's no surprise, then, that the siblings believe the future of Telegram gaming lies in focusing on the gameplay itself, instead of token reward schemes.
Reminiscing about classic games that were popular due to their sheer enjoyment, Sasha explained that the aim is to replicate those mechanics in a new format, while also incorporating a crypto economy. In an interview at this year's Token2049 in Dubai, Sasha expressed that they want to avoid the "pay-to-win" mechanics that often plague such games.
To create a sustainable economy, the developers plan to utilize The Open Network (TON) to establish an open marketplace where players can trade skins and cosmetics. Sasha is inspired by the massive success of Counter-Strike's skin market, which is estimated to be worth $4.2 billion.
So why Telegram, rather than traditional app stores? It's all about convenience. As Vladimir explained, playing a classic game on other platforms requires downloading an app, whereas on Telegram, users can simply open the web app and start playing in a matter of seconds.
The ease of use on Telegram also facilitates virality, a factor that played a significant role in the rise of tap-to-earn games. Uliana Salo, head of design and product lead for Not Games, believes that reinvented classics can leverage this social aspect of Telegram.
Not Games' debut project is a reinvention of the classic in-browser game Agar.io, called VOID. With more games on the horizon, Not Games aims to position itself for a level of potential success similar to that of WeChat, which boasted 500 million users playing in-app games each month in 2024.
The Plotvinov brothers never anticipated Notcoin's viral success, and they learned from that experience that it's better to launch good ideas quickly, adapt based on user feedback, and stay agile. This flexible approach is the foundation upon which Not Games is being built.
Originally reported by Andrew Hayward, updated to clarify the launch status of Not Games.
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- Despite an exponential growth in tap-to-earn games after Notcoin's release, Sasha Plotvinov believes the demand for such games didn't significantly increase.
- The Plotvinov brothers, co-founders of Not Games, plan to utilize The Open Network (TON) to establish an open marketplace for trading skins and cosmetics in their games.
- The ease of use on Telegram facilitates virality, a factor that played a significant role in the rise of tap-to-earn games.
- Not Games aims to position itself for a level of potential success similar to WeChat, boasting 500 million users playing in-app games each month in 2024.
- The future of Telegram gaming lies in focusing on gameplay itself instead of token reward schemes, according to Sasha Plotvinov.
- To avoid the "pay-to-win" mechanics that often plague such games, Sasha and his team want to replicate the mechanics of classic games in a new format while incorporating a crypto economy.
