Pluto Studio, the developer behind Catizen, a puzzle game on Telegram, had planned to launch their native CATI token in July. However, as the month comes to an end, the project has acknowledged that the token launch has been delayed, admitting that the player community has become frustrated with recent developments.
The project has yet to announce a new potential date for the token launch on The Open Network (TON), but Pluto Studio stated they have faced several challenges during the planning process.
“The delay of the airdrop was a difficult decision, and we understand the great expectations from the community for an earlier airdrop, the investments involved, and the accompanying emotions. We are working hard to achieve the best possible airdrop result for the community while also considering the long-term growth and sustainability of the CATI token.”
“We aim to optimize key elements of a successful listing, including securing top exchanges, ensuring adequate liquidity, providing trading options, and determining the listing price. Additionally, we must consider factors such as compliance and market sentiment. Unfortunately, while we can focus on factors within our control, there are still aspects that are not entirely within our control.”
Pluto added that team members, seed investors, and advisors will adhere to a strict vesting schedule, ensuring they cannot access any tokens until 12 months after launch, with their tokens being vested over the subsequent 48 months.
In recent weeks, Pluto Studio announced strategic funding from Binance Labs and The Open Platform (TOP), alongside reaching 25 million Catizen players. This makes it one of the most prominent crypto games built on the Telegram messaging platform, along with Hamster Kombat, Notcoin, Yescoin, Tapswap, and W-Coin.
Players are not only disappointed with Pluto for delaying the token launch but also for the $100,000 donation to the animal rights nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) earlier this month as part of an initiative to donate a portion of the game’s profits to charities focused on helping stray cats.
PETA has faced controversy in the past and has been criticized for operating animal shelters where they euthanize animals deemed beyond saving. Pluto stated that they have “received feedback” from players about PETA’s euthanasia practices and have “paused” the partnership with the organization.
“We have confirmed with PETA that all donations from Catizen will be used solely for feeding, vaccinating, rescuing, and supporting adoption.”
Pluto wrote that they will monitor PETA’s use of their donations and will seek player feedback on alternative organizations for future donations.
The delay of the Catizen token comes on the same day that Telegram’s most popular tap-to-earn game, Hamster Kombat, also shared news of a token launch delay beyond the July target.
