Uzbekistan’s National Agency for Advanced Projects (NAPP) has officially sanctioned the popular game Hamster Kombat, putting to rest any doubts about its legal status in the country. In a statement released on June 25, the agency clarified that the game, which operates on the messaging app Telegram, does not fall under the category of play-to-earn (P2E) games. Consequently, citizens are free to enjoy the game without any legal repercussions, as it complies with national regulations.
The NAPP, which is responsible for regulating the cryptocurrency and e-commerce industries in Uzbekistan, explained that P2E games are digital games that allow players to earn real money or valuable rewards through their in-game activities, usually by using blockchain technology to provide players with crypto-assets. However, the agency emphasized that the in-game coins in Hamster Kombat do not possess the same characteristics as the utilitarian crypto-assets found in typical P2E games, as they lack any tangible value that can be traded outside the game.
The agency also clarified that the game points accumulated in Hamster Kombat are not recorded on a blockchain, which means they are basic game coins rather than crypto assets that can be exchanged for real money. Therefore, the game does not meet the criteria to be classified as a P2E game, as players cannot earn real-world financial benefits from their in-game achievements.
Despite the current classification, the agency acknowledged the potential for Hamster Kombat coins to transition onto the blockchain in the future. If this were to happen, the coins would be subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as other crypto-assets, such as Bitcoin, including compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, and other financial security measures mandated by Uzbek law.
The game’s roadmap outlines a token generation event (TGE) scheduled for July 2024, which typically marks a token’s public release, often with an airdrop to users. Once this occurs, the agency may reassess Hamster Kombat’s crypto status, as airdrops precede a full token launch.
Hamster Kombat is expected to debut its token on Telegram’s “The Open Network” (TON) blockchain, joining a roster of popular games like Notcoin, TapSwap, and Yescoin. The TON blockchain has shown impressive growth, outperforming Ethereum in daily active addresses in June. With the rising popularity of Hamster Kombat and the potential transition to blockchain, the game’s legal status in Uzbekistan may evolve in the future.
