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Crypto gaming is set to migrate from Telegram to TikTok. Solana’s gaming ecosystem is rolling out SonicX, a tap-to-earn game that’s setting up shop natively inside TikTok. If you’re thinking this could be the next Notcoin, you may be right.
This summer, tap-to-earn games on Telegram were the bee’s knees, attracting over 300 million players tapping away like there’s no tomorrow. But why stop there? Sonic SVM, a layer-2 gaming chain built atop Solana, reckons it’s time to bring the party to TikTok—a platform teeming with Gen Z and Gen Alpha users who are already knee-deep in meme coins and crypto banter.
SonicX: Gaming Goes TikTok Native
Sonic SVM isn’t just dipping its toes; it’s taking a direct course on TikTok’s vast user pool. By partnering with content creators and running a series of cheeky ads, they’re making it so that players can tap on an ad and, voilà, SonicX opens up right within TikTok’s native browser. No faffing about with downloads or app-switching—just straight into the action with a simple social login.
Chris Zhu, the CEO and co-founder of Sonic SVM, puts it rather optimistically: “We talk about bringing a billion users when we don’t even have a million oftentimes. Even with just 1% of the entire TikTok population, we’re at 10 million users. So I think that’s not a dream anymore.”
Gameplay
The game itself is as straightforward as a cuppa. Players tap their screens like mad to collect rings, buy snazzy upgrades for passive progression, and rope in their mates to climb the ranks. All this tapping is in the hopes of a future token airdrop—perhaps a shiny new Sonic token—but shh, they’re keeping mum on that for now, likely to keep in line with TikTok’s advertising rules and avoid any regulatory kerfuffles.
And here’s the kicker: every tap you make is recorded as an on-chain transaction on the Solana network. It’s like Tapos on Aptos all over again, which once racked up over 115 million transactions in a single day with just over 63,000 players. To put that in perspective, Ethereum processed a mere 1 million transactions on a comparable day. Talk about smashing records!
Why TikTok?
TikTok isn’t just a platform for dance challenges and cooking hacks; it’s a bustling metropolis of over 1 billion monthly active users. According to Shopify, that number is expected to swell to 2.35 billion by 2029. In comparison, Telegram sits at around 950 million monthly users. So, moving to TikTok is like trading in your old Mini Cooper for a brand-new Aston Martin.
Zhu explains, “Gen Alpha, Gen Z are already trading meme coins and looking at this content on TikTok. There’s a very rubbish experience when it comes to advertising on top of Telegram. That being said, we think TikTok will be one of the largest traffic pools if done right.”
Plus, the Sonic SVM team has a bit of a home-field advantage—they’ve got experience working at ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. So they’re not just wandering into uncharted territory; they’ve got the map and compass in hand.
Learning from Notcoin
Remember Notcoin? It was the trailblazer of the tap-to-earn movement on Telegram, launching its NOT token on The Open Network (TON) and reaching a market cap just shy of $3 billion—the largest crypto gaming token launch of 2024. Not too shabby, eh?
Notcoin didn’t rest on its laurels, either. It’s been partnering with other projects and aims to become the ‘Netflix’ of social, viral games. SonicX seems to be taking a leaf out of their book, aiming to replicate this model on TikTok. They’re looking to onboard other games into the tap-to-earn genre and share their audience around the Sonic SVM ecosystem.
Decentralised Advertising and Community Building
One clever tactic they’re employing is rewarding players for social tasks, like following a project’s TikTok account. It’s a bit like getting a biscuit for making your bed—not a bad deal! This form of “decentralised advertising” helps spread the word organically and builds a community faster than you can say “Bob’s your uncle.”
TikTok has its own set of advertising restrictions, especially around crypto content. SonicX has to tread carefully to avoid getting the boot from its primary distribution channel. But with their insider knowledge of ByteDance and a cautious approach to promotions, they seem well-equipped to handle these hurdles.
Showcasing Solana’s Scalability
SonicX isn’t just about fun and games (though there’s plenty of that). It’s also a savvy strategy to showcase the scalability and efficiency of the Solana network. With every tap recorded on-chain, they’re demonstrating that Solana can handle a high volume of transactions without breaking a sweat.
If SonicX manages to reel in a sizable audience, it could be a game-changer—not just for Sonic SVM but for the broader perception of blockchain gaming. It could prove that integrating blockchain with mainstream platforms is not just possible but can be wildly successful.
