A Telegram mini-game that onboarded casual players into Web3

Context

Telegram mini-games exploded as a distribution channel: zero install friction, viral sharing built in, and an audience that decides in seconds whether to keep playing. Bit Billionaire was League Sports Co.'s entry: a casual tap-and-progress game with a crypto reward layer, aimed at players who had never touched a wallet.

The core tension

Web3 games usually fail in one of two ways: they lead with crypto and scare off casual players, or they hide the rewards so deep the crypto audience leaves. The product problem was sequencing: fun first, ownership later.

• Onboarding flows put gameplay before any Web3 concept; wallet and reward mechanics were introduced only after a player was already invested.
• The in-game economy had to be balanced continuously: too generous and rewards became meaningless, too tight and retention died.
• Viral mechanics (invites, streaks, social proof) were designed into the core loop, not bolted on, because Telegram's growth physics reward them.

How we shipped

• Weekly iterative releases with design and engineering: features went out fast, and the ones that didn't move retention were cut just as fast.
• Economy changes were treated like experiments: define the expected effect on engagement, ship, measure, tune.
• Player feedback loops ran directly inside Telegram communities, which compressed discovery from weeks to days.

What this taught me

• Distribution shapes product design. A game living inside a chat app must earn attention in seconds, and that constraint drove every onboarding decision.
• Abstracting complexity is a product feature. The best Web3 UX is the one users never notice.
• Economy design is live-ops, not launch design. The work starts when players start optimizing against you.