Preface

In the Web3 gaming universe of 2024, Notcoin was a viral revolution that completely disrupted the market. This click-to-earn coin game, attached to the Telegram platform, attracted over 30 million players in a short period through a simple clicking mechanism, showcasing a highly contagious model of game and token integration in the Web3 world. Its native token NOT once topped the coin market hot list, with a market value surpassing several billion dollars, becoming a symbol of Web3 gaming in 2024. However, after the glory, the Notcoin team made an unexpected announcement: the click-to-earn model may have completed its era mission.

Is the game really dead?

At the Token2049 event held in Dubai at the end of 2024, Notcoin co-founder Vladimir Plotvinov clearly stated: “Click-to-earn coin games may be dead; they are not sustainable.” This statement comes from within Notcoin and carries significant meaning; it is not only a form of self-reflection but also a declaration of transformation.

Plotvinov’s view is that while such mechanisms attract users to flock in quickly, they fail to retain players in the long run because they lack the most essential element of a game: fun.

Notcoin’s other co-founder Sasha also added that users on Telegram generally have a tendency to jump ship once they have exhausted their resources: “Players are not here for the game itself, but to make a quick buck. This does not foster a real gaming community.”

Creating games not just for making money

Uliana Salo, the design director of NotGames, does not view this wave of retreat pessimistically. Instead, she believes that Telegram is at the starting point of the next gaming explosion. She likens the Telegram market to early Facebook or WeChat, which also initially lacked content but eventually developed a mature gaming ecosystem. Salo stated, “We are already standing on a huge platform, with a user base comparable to Facebook and WeChat. The growth potential for the future gaming ecosystem is enormous.” She emphasized that the future Notcoin team will focus more on creating enjoyable core experiences rather than just token economic incentives. She revealed that the team is incorporating additional elements, such as fun and social interaction, so that players play for themselves, not for money.

Transition to a more sustainable rewards mechanism

In December 2024, the development team behind Notcoin, Open Builders, announced the launch of a brand new platform: Earn. This is a launch pool platform based on the TON chain, primarily designed to reward users holding TON ecosystem coins. The design philosophy of Earn is to allow users to receive airdrop rewards through participation in simple activities without having to learn complex staking mechanisms. This approach directs user resources towards new projects, allowing new coins to enter the market through actual applications rather than relying solely on price speculation.

Users only need to hold tokens such as NOT and DOGS in the Telegram Wallet to participate in the corresponding launch pool. The number of rewards earned each hour will vary based on the ranking from the on-chain snapshot. In addition, Earn has set up exclusive reward pools for gold and platinum users, as well as early stakers of Notcoin, to increase user loyalty. This strategy means that the Notcoin team is integrating community resources in a more systematic way while paving the way for future projects.

After clicking to earn coins, what’s the next step for AI?

When discussing development efficiency, Plotvinov specifically mentioned that the combination of AI and Telegram provides significant support. He stated, “AI has saved me a lot of time, allowing me to write code and deliver projects much faster.” However, he also emphasized that one cannot rely entirely on AI, especially when dealing with high loads and large-scale user environments. Developers still need to have solid professional knowledge and API operation skills. This represents a future direction for Telegram game development, which will evolve towards a fusion of AI + GameFi + social interaction, meaning that game prototypes will be created at a faster pace, integrating coin economies, and then spreading through community interaction for rapid iteration.

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Summary

Notcoin did not fade away because the click-to-earn coin model is dead; instead, it chose to transform and upgrade at a high point. They are simultaneously making public statements and internally reorganizing the game logic, reward model, and technical architecture, returning to the essence of fun in games, shifting from airdrop logic to launch pool economics, and transitioning from purely token incentives to AI-assisted development. This kind of Notcoin may spark a second wave of Telegram gaming trends, but this time, it won’t just be about tapping the screen; it will truly create a game universe that players will want to engage with repeatedly.