Animoca Brands has made a strategic investment in Catizen, a Telegram-based game, to support the project’s ongoing efforts to expand into a broader interconnected web3 gaming ecosystem. The investment is not only financial but also involves strategic consulting in areas such as tokenomics, community engagement, and ecosystem design. This partnership comes ahead of the upcoming Bombie airdrop, scheduled for May 20th, and is aimed at reinforcing Catizen’s plans for long-term ecosystem growth.

Telegram Game Catizen Receives Investment

Animoca Brands x Catizen

According to Animoca Brands, the timing of the investment aligns closely with Catizen’s 2025 roadmap, released in February. This roadmap outlines the project's expansion plans, including the integration of additional games and increased ecosystem functionality. David Ching, Director of Investments and Strategic Partnerships at Animoca Brands, stated that the combination of the roadmap and upcoming airdrops for Bombie and Cattea makes Catizen a strategic fit for the company’s investment portfolio. Ching also emphasized the project’s focus on developer resources, a steady pipeline of mini-games, and a growing ecosystem as key factors that align with Animoca’s broader goals in the web3 gaming sector.

Ecosystem Growth and Player Engagement

Since its launch in March 2024, Catizen has seen a significant range of user engagement, at one point reaching 49 million players. While those numbers have decreased, the game still maintains over 1 million monthly active users, which remains a notable figure for a web3-powered game. The project now aims to address player retention by creating an interconnected ecosystem where progress made in one game can influence outcomes in others. This approach is expected to increase user engagement and provide a more integrated gaming experience. It also sets Catizen apart from other projects on The Open Network (TON), many of which have struggled to maintain long-term user interest.

Telegram Game Catizen Receives Investment

Integration of Bombie and Cattea into Catizen

As part of the expansion strategy, Catizen is integrating two additional games—Bombie and Cattea—into its ecosystem. Both games are now part of the App Center within Catizen, allowing players to complete tasks across multiple games in exchange for rewards. Bombie is a 2D idle game with a post-apocalyptic theme, where players battle zombies and upgrade their characters. Cattea, on the other hand, is a casual Match 3 puzzle game with a daily play limit and reward-based progression. These integrations form part of the second season of airdrops, with the $BOMBIE token airdrop set for May 20th. The date for the $CATTEA token generation event has not yet been announced.

Telegram Game Catizen Receives Investment

Animoca Brands’ Broader Strategy in Web3

The investment in Catizen is consistent with Animoca Brands’ broader strategy to support Telegram’s web3 gaming ecosystem. The company has previously acquired GAMEE and supported other projects such as Anichess and ENJOR. Animoca Brands has also published research on the growth of TON’s blockchain capabilities, indicating a continued interest in leveraging Telegram’s user base for web3 expansion. Ching noted that TON’s integration with Telegram, which currently serves over 1 billion users, is still in its early stages. The company views this integration as a significant opportunity for onboarding traditional users into web3 environments.

Telegram Game Catizen Receives Investment

Outlook for Catizen and Web3 Gaming

The partnership between Animoca Brands and Catizen reflects a shared interest in developing sustainable and engaging web3 gaming experiences. With new game integrations and community-focused incentives such as airdrops, Catizen aims to build a lasting ecosystem that addresses some of the core challenges facing blockchain-based games, including user retention and interoperability. As web3 gaming continues to evolve, strategic collaborations like this are likely to play a key role in shaping the direction of the sector.