Casual game WatBird is preparing to introduce “millions of players” to the world of blockchain and Web3 on The Open Network (TON) with its upcoming WATCoin token launch in September.
Founded in 2015 and part of Animoca Brands since 2020, Web3 mobile gaming platform GAMEE has secured investment from TON Ventures and Pantera Capital and lined up a raft of partnerships, including OKX, Yescoin and Notcoin.
Those partnerships have seen GMEE launch “an initiative with Notcoin to reward $NOT holders with WatPoints,” and collaborate with Yescoin to “bring new WatPoint-earning missions to our players,” a GAMEE spokesperson said. Other link-ups include an initiative with Mocaverse to “help boost their community numbers on Telegram.”
Fronted by a “degen bird that has taken on a life of its own,” WatBird’s Wat Racer is a casual runner title available through the GAMEE mini app on Telegram. Players steer WatBird in a box cart to collect WatPoints—and can invite friends in order to upgrade their vehicle to a go-kart, car or even a Lambo.
Wat Racer. Image: GAMEE
That “community-first” approach has helped WatBird to rack up three million daily active users and onboard four million user wallets onto TON—putting it well on track to bring GAMEE’s community of 90 million Telegram gamers into the TON ecosystem.
“As a company that has always prided itself on introducing millions of players to the power of Web3, it’s a no-brainer that we should commit to a TON-based project,” a GAMEE spokesperson said in a recent interview. They added that, “The fact that it is so simple to set up and use crypto on TON means the biggest hurdle that stops many from venturing into Web3 has been easily overcome.”
GAMEE aims to “connect brands, gamers, and crypto projects through play,” introducing mainstream gamers to the benefits of blockchain, including “the opportunity to own and make decisions about their earned in-game assets and be rewarded for contributing to the success of these games.”
Image: GAMEE
That approach has come to the fore with WatBird, a GAMEE spokesperson said. “Not only is WatBird and his project a fun way for Web2 users to get on board with Web3, but it also serves as a way to reward participants with a fully earned asset tied to WatBird’s Wat Racer game,” they explained.
Through combining game mechanics across titles such as WatBird with benefits like the ability to stake its native GMEE token to earn extra in-game WatPoints, GAMEE shot to the #4 ranking in the most recent season of The Open League. Telegram’s long-term incentive program for TON teams, users, and traders, The Open League sees TON projects compete against each other for grants and prizes based on their metrics.
GAMEE ranked 4th in the TON Open League, end of Season 5, August 2024. Image: TON Open League
Now GAMEE’s preparing for the next phase of its expansion: the “exciting launch of WATCoin on TON, under the watchful eye of the WatBird character,” and the creation of the WatBird Universe.
“The community loves the crazy WatBird character running the show,” said GAMEE’s spokesperson, so the obvious next step is to make the character the center of a full-blown entertainment franchise.
The WatBird Universe will be based around a collection of interconnected mini games starring the “degen bird,” alongside digital collectibles, merchandise and community events—including competitions spanning multiple game systems and seasons.
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Source: https://decrypt.co/247197/gamees-watbird-gears-up-for-september-token-launch-on-the-open-network
