Hamster Kombat, the popular “tap-to-earn” game on Telegram, recently released details regarding the results of Season 1’s airdrop, setting the stage for the token launch scheduled for September 26. However, contrary to the initial excitement, the announcement has sparked a wave of disappointment and frustration within the player community.
Controversy Over Token Distribution
According to the latest update, players will not be able to claim their entire accumulated HMSTR tokens immediately. Specifically, only 88.75% of the tokens will be unlocked at once, while the remaining 11.25% will be locked and subjected to a 10-month vesting period, with full withdrawal only possible by July 2025. This unexpected change has left many feeling “deceived,” as this vesting detail had never been mentioned previously.
Moreover, several players have voiced disappointment after months of participation, only to receive a few dozen to a few hundred HMSTR tokens. This number pales in comparison to the initial promise of distributing 600 million tokens to the community. The situation worsened with the projected listing price of HMSTR expected to be around $0.001, meaning that after 4-5 months of effort, many participants would end up with less than $10.
Related: What is Hamster Kombat? Information about HMSTR Token
Sudden Changes to Airdrop Criteria, Eliminating a Large Number of Players
Frustration further escalated as many players were disqualified from the airdrop due to last-minute rule changes. Initially, the project emphasized the importance of the Points Per Hour (PPH) metric, which rewarded consistent participation. However, just before the snapshot was taken, Hamster Kombat introduced a new anti-fraud system based on key collection, despite previously assuring players that keys were not required to claim the airdrop. As a result, many loyal players who couldn’t meet this new requirement were disqualified, despite spending months boosting their PPH.
Notably, some players who used multiple accounts or automated tools to collect keys still qualified for the airdrop, fueling a sense of unfairness. User X, with the handle @Airdropakd, expressed:
Many honest players were unfairly disqualified from the airdrop. Hamster Kombat needs to reconsider this decision; you are treating the community unjustly.
According to the project’s announcement, out of over 300 million players, only 131 million qualified, with 2.3 million banned for “cheating.” However, some sources suggest that up to 65% of players were disqualified from receiving HMSTR tokens, further igniting outrage in the community.
To make matters worse, the project did not provide any concrete evidence, apart from a brief statement claiming, “Cheating is bad,” which only added to the frustration and opposition from genuine players.
