Why were Telegram games revolutionary? Read the secret of Dags and Nat Quinn's success!

Telegram mini-apps revolutionized the digital currency industry in 2024 with a stunning growth. Open Network (The Open Network) or TON (TON) as a blockchain platform related to Telegram, with the popularity of games based on digital currency such as Notcoin (Hamster Kombat) and Dogs (Dogs), a significant growth experienced According to data from DefiLlama, the total value of capital locked up (TVL) in various Toon blockchain-based projects rose from $14.2 million in early January to $307.6 million at the time of writing, representing a growth of more than 2,000 percent.

The Cointelegraph website, in a new report, examines the reasons for this remarkable success and the future prospects of games and mini-apps based on digital currencies on a platform like Telegram, which you can read below.

Telegram mini-apps and games; A bridge between messenger and blockchain

Telegram Mini Apps (TMAs), which became a global phenomenon with the platform's viral games based on digital currencies, are web-based applications that run inside the Telegram messenger. This messenger was founded in 2013 by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov. Alena Shmalko, head of the ecosystem of the Tun Foundation, says that Telegram launched the mini-apps platform in 2023 so that developers around the world can create new applications.

The platform allows developers to build web applications directly within the Telegram application using web programming languages ​​such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Users can access these mini-apps through a dedicated bot on the Telegram application platform. Shamalko believes:

Tun Network Web Engine 3 gives the Telegram platform a competitive edge and provides new opportunities for creators to earn money and empower users with real ownership of digital assets.

The secret of success: the combination of a wide audience and advanced technology

The popularity of Telegram mini-applications in 2024, which reached its peak with cryptocurrency-based games, depended on several key factors:

• TON Blockchain Integration: At the beginning of 2024, Telegram allowed developers to integrate your blockchain into applications built on the platform of this social network.
• Wide user base: With more than 900 million users, Telegram provided a suitable platform for the rapid expansion of mini-apps and games.
• Your technical advantages: The high speed, scalability and low transaction fees of the blockchain made it attractive to use.
• The success of leading digital currency mini-apps and games: As the early flagship of the trend, NatCoin quickly attracted 40 million users, while Hamster Combat, the strongest game in terms of user base, managed to attract more than 300 million players.
• New payment tools: Telegram Stars made it possible for developers to earn money. The interesting thing about this is that it is possible to withdraw earnings only through Toncoin, the native digital currency of the Ton network.
• Incentive programs: The Open League, an incentive program of the Tun Foundation, was launched this year with the aim of distributing 30 million units of the Tun Coin digital currency (approximately equivalent to $167 million).

challenges ahead; Depreciation and legal obstacles

Despite the impressive initial growth, the TON ecosystem has faced serious challenges in the second half of 2024. The challenges that have entered a new phase with the arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, and may even lead the situation to become critical:

• Depreciation of the total value of the locked capital: According to data from Defay Lama, the total locked-up value of capital on the Toon blockchain fell 60 percent after reaching a peak of $776.6 million on July 19.
• Legal crises: The arrest of Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram in France caused a 5% decrease in the total value of the locked capital of the Tun network and a 20% drop in the value of its native digital currency.
• Security concerns: Despite the report of the Kaspersky security company that Durov's arrest is not related to Telegram security, some users have reported problems in the Telegram wallet program.
• Technical challenges: The airdrop and distribution of the new DOGS digital currency token (DOGS), which is a meme coin based on Tone Network and emerged from these games based on Telegram mini-applications and had gained a user base of several million people, caused disruptions in the system.

Looking to the future: opportunities and threats

Despite the recent challenges, Alena Shamalko believes that the Toon and Telegram ecosystems are “stronger than ever”. Telegram's mini-apps and games, with the combination of wide audience and Toon Network's blockchain technology, have a huge and significant potential for innovation and growth in the future.

The stunning growth of the total value of the capital locked in the Ton Network in early 2024 and the attraction of millions of users by mini-apps and cryptocurrency games such as NatCoin and Hamster Combat, indicate the high capacity of this platform. However, recent developments such as the reduction of the total value of the locked capital and legal challenges are serious obstacles for this ecosystem.

The ability of Tone Network and Telegram to overcome these challenges and continue to innovate in the field of mini-apps, digital currency games and blockchain technology will determine their success in the future. Considering Telegram's wide user base and the potential of Ton Network's blockchain technology, this platform can play a key role in expanding Web 3 technologies among ordinary users and chart a new path in the interaction between messengers and the world of digital currencies.