Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Praises Catizen’s $16 Million In-App Revenue Success

On July 23, Pavel Durov, CEO of instant messaging platform Telegram, shared a post praising Catizen, one of the viral tap-to-earn games on his platform.

He noted its significant impact on the blockchain community and charitable contributions, highlighting the game’s popularity and success in the Telegram ecosystem.

Catizen’s In-App Purchase Success Attracts Major Investments

Durov mentioned that the game has already earned $16 million from in-app purchases. Furthermore, he noted that Catizen had donated 1% of these earnings to rescue stray cats.

“Catizen introduced millions of people to blockchain, because it uses TON-based smart contracts for its in-game rewards. Their team also built tools for other developers to easily launch their games on Telegram and TON. Well done, Catizen team,” he wrote.

Read more: Tap-to-Earn: What to Know About the Crypto GameFi Trend

Durov’s post was released following an important announcement from Pluto Studio, the developer of Catizen. Earlier this week, Pluto Studio announced that it had secured investments from notable investors, including Binance Labs and Hashkey Capital, though the amount remains undisclosed.

Yi He, Co-Founder of Binance and Head of Binance Labs, expressed excitement about supporting projects like Pluto Studio. She thinks such projects can potentially onboard billions of users into Web3.

“We look forward to backing more visionary builders who aim to create products designed for mass adoption,” she affirmed.

Last week, BeInCrypto reported that Catizen also raised an undisclosed amount from The Open Platform, a major player in TON ecosystem. These investments signal strong confidence in Catizen’s future growth and sustainability as a Telegram tap-to-earn game.

As of July, Catizen had reached over 26 million players, with 1.5 million of them on-chain. With Telegram’s user base recently surpassing the 950 million mark, there is significant room for growth for Catizen’s players as well.

The distinguishing feature of Catizen from other tap-to-earn games is its unique gameplay. Instead of just tapping the screen, Catizen’s players can swipe to group cats in their cat café to level them up.

Players control the café, where customers come to spend time with their kitties in exchange for cash. When customers pick up a level one kitty, players receive some vKITTY, the in-game currency.

In addition to Catizen, other games, such as Hamster Kombat, Tapswap, and Notcoin, are notable examples of successful tap-to-earn projects. These Telegram mini-apps have driven substantial growth within TON ecosystem by offering engaging mechanics and real rewards.

Read more: What is Notcoin (NOT)? A Guide to the Telegram-Based GameFi Token

Durov also has a history of showing interest in tap-to-earn games. In May, he publicly supported Notcoin, the pioneer tap-to-earn game on Telegram. Additionally, in early July, Durov praised Hamster Kombat, highlighting the game’s rapid user growth.