Hamster Kombat airdrop failed: Key reasons behind community outrage

On September 26, 2024, the Hamster Kombat game launched the trading of its native cryptocurrency, the HMSTR token, on several major exchanges. What was expected to be an exciting milestone for the project soon turned into a source of widespread dissatisfaction. Many in the crypto community expressed frustration, calling it "one of the worst airdrops in crypto history." The discontent stemmed from several issues, including last-minute rule changes that disqualified participants, unexpected delays in token distribution, disappointing token values, and technical glitches that made trading difficult.These factors combined to tarnish what was supposed to be a significant event for the project.


One of the primary sources of frustration stemmed from the unexpected disqualification of many participants just before the airdrop. Hamster Kombat introduced a new "anti-cheat" system designed to prevent users from artificially boosting their points per hour to earn more tokens. Unfortunately, this sudden rule change led to the banning of several participants who had been focusing on maximising their token earnings. The timing of this change led many to believe it was designed to benefit influencers, who appeared to receive redirected tokens. This perceived favouritism sparked outrage throughout the community.

Originally scheduled for July 2024, the airdrop was delayed due to technical complications, leading to frustration among eager participants. The event was rescheduled for September, but right before the airdrop, the developers announced that only 88.75% of the tokens would be distributed immediately. The remaining 11.25% was delayed until July 2025. This unexpected change in the distribution schedule further alienated the community, prompting calls for a boycott of the event.

The HMSTR token's initial trading price was set at $0.01, which was below the community’s expectations. Almost immediately after launch, the price began to drop, leaving investors disappointed. Many in the crypto space had been given the impression that the token would debut at a significantly higher value, with some influencers and YouTubers speculating a price between $0.10 and $0.50. The rapid decline in value led to harsh criticism, with one X user stating, "Where are those YouTubers and influencers who gave the community false hope of $0.10 or $0.50? Hamster Kombat has turned out to be the worst airdrop in crypto history. It's almost 50%-60% down now."

Another major issue was the difficulty in trading the tokens after the launch. Many participants received small amounts of HMSTR, which were too insignificant to meet the minimum transaction thresholds required by major exchanges such as Binance. The minimum trade value on Binance is $5, making it impossible for many users to sell their tokens. Frustration over this limitation was exacerbated by accusations that a large portion of the airdropped tokens had been allocated to influencers and YouTubers for their referrals. Crypto influencer, Crypto with Khan, expressed the community's anger, stating, "Hamster Kombat has cheated the community. They have allocated a large portion of airdrops to YouTubers and influencers for referrals. They've implemented vesting without informing the community."

Technical problems during the token launch further compounded the community's grievances. The introduction of the HMSTR token coincided with network overloads in Wallet, the crypto custodial wallet integrated with Telegram. These issues made it difficult for users to access or trade their tokens, adding to the frustration and dissatisfaction that had already permeated the Hamster Kombat community.
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