Thomas Daniels
Pudgy Penguins, the NFT phenomenon born in 2021 with its 8,888-avatar collection on Ethereum, is entering the competitive Web3 gaming arena with Pengu Clash, a skill-driven, play‑to‑win title built on The Open Network (TON). While Telegram mini‑games peaked in 2024, TON continues to host an ecosystem of over 2.1 million active wallets—a clear indicator of latent user engagement.
Unlike conventional play‑to‑earn models, where participants earn tradable tokens provided by the game, Pengu Clash emphasizes player-versus-player wagering. “Play‑to‑win, in essence, is a skill‑based game,” explained CEO Luca Netz to Cointelegraph. That structure prioritizes mastery and strategy over financial speculation—a deliberate pivot in philosophy.
The game will offer multiple modes, each with unique rules and objectives, to challenge both casual and competitive users. Built on TON, Pengu Clash addresses Telegram’s distinct user demographics, particularly Northern European markets, marking a strategic move beyond their traditional user base. Netz notes:
“Most platforms are not positioned for that type of gameplay. We see this as an opportunity to scale.”
For Pudgy Penguins, brand expansion is the primary strategic goal, with revenues viewed as a secondary, though welcome, outcome. Netz emphasizes:
“Money is made, but that is a byproduct of our IP reaching the masses.”
The NFT collection maintains a near‑$200 million market cap as of June 17 2025, underscoring ongoing interest. A second game release, dubbed Pudgy Party, is scheduled for August 2025, signaling continued commitment to the gaming vertical.
TON, Telegram’s exclusive blockchain since January, supports a sizable yet shrinking user base: over 44 million activated wallets, though monthly active wallets have declined by roughly 82.3% since October 2024. Despite this, the network sustains about 19,500 daily transactions—hinting at a stable core of users .
Telegram’s mini‑game ecosystem demonstrated its potential in 2024, with titles like Hamster Kombat and Catizen drawing hundreds of thousands of players. Pengu Clash aims to capitalize on this emerging Web3 gaming trend by offering a fresh, skill‑centric alternative.
