Hamster Kombat Takes the Crown?
While MrBeast, a hugely popular YouTuber, recently boasted about his channel's impressive 16 million subscriber gain in a month, Hamster Kombat has emerged as a potential contender for the title of fastest-growing channel.
In a surprising reply to MrBeast's post, Hamster Kombat revealed that their YouTube channel had garnered a staggering 22.7 million subscribers during the same timeframe.
This unexpected surge has sent shockwaves through the online community, sparking curiosity about the game and its meteoric rise.
With 24.7 million subscribers currently subscribed, the Hamster Kombat YouTube channel is experiencing phenomenal growth.
Prior to this, MrBeast's fans have started raising doubts about Hamster Kombat's subscriber explosion.
They were suspicious of Hamster Kombat's subscriber surge, wondering if they were real people or bots.
Hamster Kombat gained a massive number of subscribers in a short time, exceeding MrBeast's peak growth.
Their subscriber to view ratio is much higher than MrBeast's, suggesting they might be using referral links on Telegram to inflate their numbers.
Beyond YouTube, Hamster Kombat continues to make waves across social media platforms.
Its X account boasts a substantial following of 8.6 million, reflecting a widespread interest that extends beyond its core gaming audience.
What is Hamster Kombat All About?
Hamster Kombat is the latest craze in Telegram gaming, taking after the wildly successful Notcoin clicker game with over 150 million players.
In Hamster Kombat, you take the reins as the CEO of a fictional crypto exchange, aiming to climb the industry ladder.
You'll achieve this by strategically investing in marketing, licenses, talent, and new products for your exchange.
The game offers a fun blend of clicker gameplay and strategic investment.
There's also the exciting promise of a future token launch and airdrop on The Open Network (TON), adding a layer of potential real-world rewards for dedicated players.
This combination has made Hamster Kombat a popular choice among crypto gaming enthusiasts.
Why is Hamster Kombat So Popular?
Several factors contribute to Hamster Kombat's explosive popularity.
First, the game leverages the "fear of missing out" (FOMO) prevalent in the crypto space.
The promise of an airdrop with tradable tokens incentivizes players to actively participate and accumulate in-game coins.
This airdrop, similar to those offered by Notcoin and Tapswap, could potentially unlock substantial value for early adopters.
Second, Hamster Kombat boasts a massive and engaged social media presence, with over 39 million subscribers on Telegram, 24.7 million YouTube subscribers, and 8.6 million followers on X.
This fuels the game's popularity by keeping it at the forefront of crypto conversations.
Finally, unlike Notcoin's launch delays, Hamster Kombat assures players of uninterrupted gameplay during and after the token launch.
This, coupled with Notcoin's success story, creates a sense of optimism and keeps players hooked.
New features like the "Daily Cipher" mode using Morse code to unlock bonus coins add another layer of fun and keep players hooked.
For today, 19 June, the morse code is DAPP.
So, who's behind this viral game?
The Masterminds Behind Hamster Kombat
Investigations by The Bell have uncovered the identities of the creators behind the viral game Hamster Kombat.
The findings suggest that Russian IT entrepreneur Eduard Gurinovich, founder of CarPrice and CarMoney, is one of the key individuals involved in the game's development.
Further scrutiny reveals that a Cyprus-based company, Arenum Ltd, is linked to the game's registration.
The email address [email protected], used during the registration process, is traced back to this company.
Notably, Arenum Ltd's list of shareholders includes Gurinovich, as well as other prominent Russian entrepreneurs, Alexander Zelenshchikov and Alexander Pasechnik.
Eduard Gurinovich
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduard-gurinovich
Gurinovich is a notable venture investor who gained recognition in Forbes' 2019 "30 under 30" list.
He founded CarPrice, a startup highlighted among Europe's top 100 startups, securing approximately $42 million in investments.
Transitioning from CEO of CarPrice in 2017, Gurinovich turned his focus to investing in startups such as Dbrain, R-Set, and blizkie.ru.
He also launched Expload, a blockchain platform enabling users to earn from gaming activities.
In 2018, Gurinovich initiated Mytime, a blockchain solution aiming to streamline transactions between users and businesses, leveraging cryptocurrency.
Alexander Zelenshchikov
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexzelenshikov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexander.zelenshikov
Zelenshchikov currently serves as a Co-Founder at Arenum since 2019.
Previously, he held the role of Chief Product Officer at Expload from 31 October 2017, until 2019. Expload is known for its blockchain platform, MyTime, which converts users' time spent on online services into cryptocurrency rewards.
Before Expload, Alexander was a Co-founder at CopyThat from September 2014 to 2017. He also has prior experience at Nival Network.
Alexander Pasechnik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexander.pasechnik.75
Pasechnik is currently a Co-founder at Arenum, a position he has held since 2018, according to his Facebook. Previously, from 2015 to 2017, he was a Co-founder at Masterzen.ru.
Evgeny Zavalov
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evgeny-zavalov-2971801aa
Zavalov is the Chief Product Officer of Arenum.
Viacheslav Tarasov
Vyacheslav, currently serving as Chief Technology Officer at Arenum, has a diverse background in computer science and engineering.
For over six years, he lectured on operating systems at a university while maintaining a passion for C++ and parallel computing.
Previously, he played a pivotal role in the Prisma project, specialising in adapting it for emerging NPU Kirin chips, requiring proficiency in Android for machine learning tasks and technologies like GPGPU, OpenGL, OpenCL, and Vulcan for parallel computing.
Russian Roots, But Why Concerning?
Investigative reports, primarily from Ukrainian sources, traced the game's roots back to Moscow. The official website is registered there, and troublingly, lacks any information about the developers.
Hamster Kombat's domain registration data indicates that it is based in Russia. (Source: Gridinsoft)
This lack of transparency is further complicated by a 2015 Russian law requiring all user data to be stored locally and accessible to law enforcement upon demand.
This means that Russian security services could potentially access any data Hamster Kombat collects on its users.
The game itself raises further concerns.
It lacks a privacy policy, and while it only requires username and phone number for registration, there's nothing stopping it from collecting more data – from contact lists and device galleries to real-time location updates.
Source: Gridinsoft
Why the Alarm Bells Are Ringing?
While user data collection is common among many tech companies, the Ukrainian media is particularly wary due to the ongoing war with Russia.
A massive advertising push for Hamster Kombat in Ukrainian Telegram communities just after launch has fueled fears that user data could be used for purposes beyond entertainment.
This isn't entirely outlandish.
While unlikely to reveal military bases like some Pokemon GO conspiracies, the data collected by Hamster Kombat could still be valuable.
To Play or Not to Play?
While data collection practices by big tech companies are nothing new, the situation with Hamster Kombat is different.
The lack of a privacy policy and the potential for unrestricted data collection, coupled with the game's Russian roots, paint a concerning picture.
For users outside of Ukraine, the decision is less clear-cut. The game itself doesn't require highly sensitive information like social security numbers or financial details.
However, the possibility of your data being accessed by Russian authorities or sold on the dark web is a risk to consider.
If you prioritise data security, Hamster Kombat might be best avoided.
However, for those willing to overlook the potential privacy concerns, the game offers a chance at in-game currency that could rise in value.
Just be prepared to invest significant time tapping away on your phone screen.