Hamster Kombat, a Telegram-based clicker game, recently announced the disqualification of over 2.3 million players for suspected cheating, sparking significant controversy among its community.
This figure is equivalent to the population of Rome, and many users expressed frustration over the harsh penalties, particularly those who invested months into farming rewards.
The game’s developers put in strict anti-cheat measures after noticing some suspicious behaviors. For example, one player linked over 400 accounts to a single Binance address, while another invited nearly 2,000 flagged “friends.” They also tracked user activities, finding accounts that logged in at the same time every day or repeatedly clicked on the same spot.
In total, 6.8 billion tokens have been confiscated from these alleged cheaters. The developers stated that 50% of the reclaimed tokens would be redistributed to honest players, while the other 50% would be burned.
However, the disqualification announcement left many players bewildered and frustrated. Numerous users took to social media to express their disappointment, especially those who had dedicated significant time to farming keys and accumulating rewards.
Critics, including Web3 analyst Crypto Pioneer, questioned the basis for the exclusions, particularly the reliance on the detection of a “key generating bot” as the primary criterion. Many accounts reportedly received warnings but were not permanently banned, confusing the status of these users.
Some players received a “Cheating is Bad” achievement badge, yet there was no clear information about what this meant for their standing in the game or the final token distribution.
Furthermore, Crypto with Khan, a crypto educator, noted that while average players worked hard to improve their Point Per Hour (PPH) metrics, token distribution was disproportionately biased toward referrals and influencers, escalating tensions within the community.
As the controversy unfolded, Hamster Kombat entered an “Interlude Season,” allowing players to earn extra rewards, particularly diamonds, which are expected to play a critical role in the game’s next phase.
While HMSTR remains unlisted, its futures contract was trading on OKX for $0.009279 at the time of writing. The price has dropped about 95% in one month, with the contract selling for as much as $0.010 at one time.
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