A struggling crypto development team has recently made headlines by generating an impressive $4 million in just 48 hours through the launch of Ponzi games. This significant revenue spike marks a drastic shift for the group, which had spent four years developing various projects that failed to attract users or achieve market traction.
The team behind the platform known as PNDM decided to pivot towards Ponzi mechanics after closely observing the preferences of their target audience. In a post shared by a user named weretuna, it was revealed that the developers had previously created decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), artificial intelligence agents, games, and zk-TLS applications, all of which floundered in user engagement and revenue generation.
The breakthrough came when they launched their first Ponzi game, titled Infected, which quickly attracted 130,000 signups within a mere 48 hours. Within the following week, over 1.4 million wallets had participated in the game. This explosive growth demonstrated a clear demand for engaging yet risky gaming experiences.
The second game, Addicted, took the concept further by simulating drug dealing on the Solana blockchain. Its launch trailer garnered 2 million views within just one day, and the game”s market capitalization surged to $80 million shortly after launch, with trading volumes exceeding $50 million in the days following its release.
In a bid to understand their user base better, the team even met with over 50 players in person, who reported enjoying the gaming experience. The developers were adamant about their conclusion: every successful crypto application that found real product-market fit (PMF) had elements of Ponzi mechanics.
The post further elaborated on the transparency that the team believes is crucial for the success of these Ponzi games. Unlike previous projects such as Axie Infinity and STEPN, which marketed themselves as sustainable long-term products, the team acknowledges the inherent unsustainability of Ponzi schemes while emphasizing the importance of upfront honesty about their nature.
Looking ahead, the developers predict that 2026 will be the “Year of Ponzi Games.” Their next project, titled Jailed, aims to be ten times larger than Addicted, featuring what they term “giga ponzified” mechanics. With ambitions to surpass the $1.5 billion revenue achieved by Axie Infinity in 2021, the team is betting on a growing trend in short-form entertainment that aligns with the addictive nature of their gaming models.
Despite the controversial nature of Ponzi games, the team believes this direction will resonate with the crypto community, regardless of potential opposition. As the industry evolves, the embrace of such mechanics may reflect changing attitudes towards risk and reward in the rapidly developing world of cryptocurrency.
