Fantasy Top, a new Ethereum-based NFT game that turns Crypto Twitter influencers into tradable cards, has taken the crypto world by storm since its launch on the Blast layer-2 network just one week ago.
The game has quickly become one of the most profitable crypto apps, generating over $9 million in fees and revenue from selling NFT card packs and taking a cut of secondary market trades.
TLDR
Fantasy Top, an Ethereum NFT game based on Crypto Twitter influencers, has become one of the most profitable crypto apps, generating over $9 million in fees within a week of its launch.
The game’s “heroes” are based on notable industry figures, and players earn points based on the real-life Twitter engagement of these influencers.
Fantasy Top paid out $1.25 million in Ethereum to the featured influencers, who also receive a cut of pack sales and secondary market trading fees.
The game faced challenges with manipulated social media engagement due to automated bots, leading to the premature end of the first in-game competition.
Despite the botting issues, Fantasy Top has attracted nearly 34,000 users who have traded over $24 million worth of cards in the first week.
The game’s success is largely due to its unique concept, which capitalizes on the popularity and engagement of prominent figures within the crypto industry.
Fantasy Top features 120 “heroes” based on notable traders, investors, analysts, and content creators from Crypto Twitter.
These personalities have been transformed into NFT trading cards, which players can collect, trade, and use to create lineups in a fantasy football-style competition.
The game’s mechanics are simple yet engaging: players must assemble a lineup of their owned hero cards, and they earn points based on the real-life Twitter engagement of the featured influencers.
This innovative approach has not only attracted a wide player base but has also incentivized the influencers themselves to participate in the game, driving further attention and spending.
One of the most significant aspects of Fantasy Top is its revenue-sharing model, which rewards the featured influencers for their participation and popularity.
In less than a week since the game’s mainnet launch, Fantasy Top paid out $1.25 million in Ethereum to the heroes, along with potentially millions of dollars worth of Blast Gold points for the upcoming BLAST token airdrop.
The Fantasy Genesis Phase has wrapped up ✨
The first week of Fantasy has been a breathtaking experience.
Capturing the Crypto Twitter attention and revealing unprecedented on and off-chain activities, we’re excited by the huge success.
This level of success naturally brings… pic.twitter.com/BgwYGUnW4S
— fantasy.top (@fantasy_top_) May 9, 2024
The influencers also receive a 1.5% commission on the trading volumes of their cards and a 10% cut from the sales of card packs.
However, the rapid rise of Fantasy Top has not been without its challenges. The game’s scoring system, which relies on real-world social media engagement, has been vulnerable to manipulation by automated bots.
This issue came to a head during the first in-game “Main Competition,” which began on Monday. The game’s creators were forced to end the competition prematurely on Wednesday, citing that the heroes’ social media content engagement totals had been artificially boosted by bots.
Preventing Bots and shortening the Main Competition ????
To safeguard Fantasy participants and uphold a meritocratic environment, we’ve decided, together with the heroes, to end the competition slightly ahead of schedule, preemptively thwarting any surge in malicious activities.… pic.twitter.com/BKp0rYL6Io
— fantasy.top (@fantasy_top_) May 8, 2024
Despite the botting issues, Fantasy Top has still managed to attract an impressive user base and generate significant trading volume.
In the first week alone, nearly 34,000 users traded over $24 million worth of cards. The game’s creators have acknowledged the need to address the botting problem and have promised to share details on how they plan to tackle this issue in future competitions.
The game’s success highlights the growing intersection between social media, NFTs, and gaming, and it serves as a testament to the innovative potential of blockchain technology in creating new forms of digital entertainment and revenue streams.
