Journalists from The Bell found out that Russian IT entrepreneur, founder of CarPrice and CarMoney companies Eduard Gurinovich is one of the creators of the viral Hamster Kombat game.
The Bell’s sources claim that two months before the launch of Hamster Kombat, another domain was registered simultaneously with the game’s main domain — hamsterkombat.com. Russian Telegram channels write the following:
“Either we have a simple coincidence that on the same day, two domains with similar names were registered (in March, let us remind you that no one knew about this game yet), or the same people registered them with the only difference that In the case of hamsterkombat.com, they forgot to clear the registrar data.”
The email address [email protected], specified during registration, belongs to the Cyprus company Arenum Ltd. The list of company shareholders includes Gurinovich, as well as other Russian entrepreneurs — Alexander Zelenshchikov and Alexander Pasechnik.
Who is Eduard Gurinovich
Eduard Gurinovich is a venture investor listed in Forbes’ 2019 “30 under 30” list. His CarPrice company was included in the list of the 100 most talked-about startups in Europe and has collectively attracted about $42 million in investments.
In 2017, Gurinovich left his position as CEO at CarPrice and invested in several startups, including Dbrain, R-Set, and blizkie.ru. He also invested in his own project, Expload, a blockchain platform that allows players to earn money from tournaments, quests, and selling items.
In 2018, Gurinovich founded the Mytime blockchain platform, a unique development that allows people to receive cryptocurrency for the time spent in the services of different companies. The platform aims to eliminate intermediaries between users and businesses, providing benefits for both parties.
Hamster Kombat Telegram connections
The Bell’s source also stated that the beneficiaries of Hamster Kombat include the Telegram messenger itself, where the game was launched. For Telegram, Hamster Kombat became an opportunity not only to make money on new crypto but also to promote the TON blockchain and advertise the platform as an application store.
“There’s a lot of traffic in these toys. There’s a lot of traffic.”
The Bell’s interlocutor, familiar with the developers of Hamster Kombat
According to Telegram founder Pavel Durov, the messenger will become an analog of the Chinese WeChat application over time, with different services within one platform. The source notes that the hype around Hamster Kombat is “the largest free advertising campaign in Telegram’s history.”
What is known about Hamster Kombat
Hamster Kombat is a game in which users can earn in-game coins by tapping on a picture of a hamster and using additional bonuses that are played out as elements of promoting a virtual crypto market.
Hamster Kombat runs on the Telegram platform. The game is implemented as a Telegram bot, where all activities occur. The player takes on the role of the CEO of a cryptocurrency exchange and tries to expand his empire.
The mechanics are simple: users need to tap on the hamster on the screen, earn coins, and buy bonuses with them to earn even more. Every day, Hamster Combat releases new combo cards — three exchange updates bringing 5 million free in-game coins.
Games on Telegram are gaining popularity
The Telegram messenger has long gone beyond a simple messaging tool, offering users simple games. They are not replete with fantastic graphics and complicated plots. Instead, they are made focusing on high performance, even slow connections, and an overall fun experience.
Simple game mechanics are an excellent fit for Telegram, providing easy access, ease of learning, and the ability to start a gaming session in the messenger quickly. Therefore, many developers want Telegram games to increase the company’s brand awareness and attract new customers.