Catizen Soars to $16 Million in Revenue as Binance Labs Invests in Its Creator

The gaming bot Catizen on Telegram has recently earned an impressive $16 million from in-game purchases, reflecting its massive fan base and its positive impact on stray animal welfare, particularly cats. Catizen, which donates a portion of its profits to animal welfare groups, has managed to blend gaming, Artificial Intelligence, crypto, and the metaverse, creating a unique and engaging experience for its 26 million users. 

The game stands out for its integration with The Open Network (TON) blockchain, which has enhanced its in-game prizes and enabled other developers to initiate blockchain-based projects on Telegram. Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has praised the Catizen team for their innovative efforts, particularly noting the game’s role in promoting blockchain technology to a broader audience. Following Catizen’s success, Durov has hinted at a new project, Dogizen, aimed at expanding Telegram's digital breakthroughs into the canine sphere.

Catizen’s success has attracted significant attention from investors, including Binance Labs, the venture capital arm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Binance Labs announced its investment in Pluto Studio, the GameFi publishing platform behind Catizen. This investment will support Pluto Studio’s growth initiatives, including the development of the Catizen mini app and game engine, as well as onboarding more developers.

Ricky Wong, co-founder of Pluto Studio, expressed excitement about the funding from Binance Labs, stating that it validates their vision and boosts their confidence in building the necessary infrastructure to drive the next wave of Web3 entertainment. He highlighted that the backing from Binance Labs will help take Catizen to new heights.

While the exact amount of Binance Labs' investment was not disclosed, it was structured as an equity, strategic II round. Previous funding rounds for Pluto Studio included a $2.2 million seed round and a $4 million strategic I round, with investments from HashKey Capital and The Open Platform (TOP).

Pluto Studio launched Catizen in March, and it quickly gained popularity as a "tap-to-earn" game on Telegram. Players engage in a roulette wheel-type game to earn rewards by tapping buttons on the screen. With its innovative combination of gaming and blockchain technology, Catizen has not only captivated millions of users but also paved the way for future advancements in the GameFi sector.