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Popular cryptocurrency game Hamster Kombat has started token listing on big markets including OKX and ByBit. Still, the continuous community turmoil around the recent HMSTR token airdrop has tempered the enthusiasm around the release.

Hamster Kombat: ‘Unfair’ Token Distribution The Hamster Kombat crew has been alleged of unfair airdrop distribution of the HMSTR tokens. Many players who invested a lot of time and money in the game got only a meager fraction of the projected tokens; some barely had $50 worth.

The community is particularly upset about the role of referrals in determining token allocations. The amount of tokens received by the player was comparatively higher in proportion to the number of referrals they have compared to the other regular players. Additionally, the team did not host over 2 million people in an airdrop after terming the users as “cheaters.”

✍️ HAMSTER MATH ✍️

🔥 The results of Season 1 have been finalized:

🚀 Over 300 million people have joined Hamster Kombat since March 26, 2024, 131 million qualified for the airdrop on September 26th and around 2.3 million were banned as cheaters.

📤 30.6 million of qualified… pic.twitter.com/LH5eD3i8al

— Hamster Kombat (@hamster_kombat) September 22, 2024

Lack Of Transparency And Broken Promises Other criticism of Hamster Kombat is a perceived failure to be more open and lack fulfillment of some promises to the community. The team promised several large incentives to players, such as an “equally important” reward system which was never met.

The use of “keys” during the final weeks of Season 1 also caused confusion since no clear information was issued regarding importance, with some players focusing just on collecting keys to later find out they are banned for shortchanging.

Source: OKX Boycott Threats And Community Backlash The community’s dismay of the token distribution has resulted in a notable pushback. Many of the players labeling the airdrop a “scam” have expressed their wrath on social networking sites. Some have even promised to sell their tokens right away after listing and abstain from the game.

Total crypto market cap currently at $2.197 trillion. Chart: TradingView The Hamster Kombat team has not yet provided a clear explanation or resolution for the community’s concerns. With millions of players potentially selling their tokens, the listing could face significant volatility and downward pressure on the HMSTR price.

Those who follow the project actively and invest in the premarket should know that the price of the token may skyrocket to its correct value and drop to low levels. Most of the players and investors are seeing great hope in the listing, but this issue that came recently should make them take cautious steps.

Meanwhile, Hamster Kombat will have to answer the complaints of the community and rebuild confidence when the dust settles if it is to keep its success and appeal over the long haul.

Featured image from Protos, chart from TradingView

Disclaimer: The information found on NewsBTC is for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.

Similar to the wider crypto market, most meme coins performed terribly throughout February. The drawdown witnessed by these meme tokens even led to some forming new all-time lows. However, there is an opportunity in this downtrend that is seemingly coming to an end.

BeInCrypto has analyzed five meme coins that could make their way back up and recover their losses in March. Their recovery also relies on investor participation and the support altcoins receive to strengthen the meme coin sector. Chef Kids, Head of PancakeSwap, emphasized to BeInCrypto the crucial role of community engagement in this process.

“Meme coins, like any project, are important to have a strong community—not just for trends but for solid feedback and a loyal user base. To stand out, having a clear roadmap, steady growth, and a dedicated community are essential. Over time, it becomes clear which projects are building something that lasts,” Chef Kids stated.

Daddy Tate (DADDY)DADDY has surprised the market this week with a 70% price increase, recovering February’s losses and more. The altcoin is currently trading at $0.054. This rally marks a shift in investor sentiment, potentially signaling further upside if the current momentum persists.

DADDY is now eyeing a further rally, potentially breaching the $0.068 resistance. This level has been a challenge for the meme coin since mid-December, but with bullish factors driving the price, it may finally break through. The continuation of this uptrend depends on sustained investor confidence.

DADDY Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewHowever, if DADDY fails to hold the support of $0.054, the price may fall back to the $0.045 support level. A deeper decline could invalidate the bullish outlook, potentially triggering a shift in sentiment and setting the coin back further.

Pepe (PEPE)PEPE continues its downtrend, trading at $0.00000718 after starting this decline in November 2024. The altcoin’s price remains under pressure, but the situation could shift. Notably, PEPE has a strong correlation of 0.89 with Bitcoin, potentially setting the stage for a recovery if BTC rebounds.

With Bitcoin potentially nearing a market bottom, PEPE could benefit from its recovery. If Bitcoin gains momentum, PEPE is likely to follow suit. A key marker for this would be PEPE flipping $0.00000951 into support and eventually surpassing the $0.00001146 resistance level, signaling further upside.

PEPE Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewIf the downtrend persists, PEPE faces the risk of falling below its $0.00000748 support. A breakdown through this level could lead to a test of $0.00000632, further invalidating the bullish thesis and signaling a deeper decline.

Popcat (POPCAT)POPCAT has made a notable recovery, currently down just 9.5% over the month, trading at $0.265. The altcoin aims to breach the resistance of $0.342, with potential for further upside. A successful breakout could lead to significant gains, especially if market sentiment continues to improve.

In previous market cycles, a bounce off the $0.238 support, coupled with bullish signals, has fueled rallies up to $0.645. The ADX currently sits below the 25.0 threshold, indicating weakening bearish momentum.

If POPCAT follows a similar pattern, this shift could set the stage for a 129% rise.

POPCAT Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewHowever, if POPCAT fails to breach $0.342, it may return to its support levels at $0.238 or even $0.203. Such a drop would invalidate the bullish outlook, signaling continued consolidation or further losses.

Peanut The Squirrel (PNUT)Another one of the top meme coins, PNUT, has outperformed expectations with a 56% rally this week, reaching $0.226 and erasing February’s losses. The altcoin is now focusing on securing $0.227 as a stable support level. Maintaining this level will be crucial for continued upward momentum and price stability in the short term.

With $0.227 successfully established as support, PNUT could leverage the improving market conditions and investor confidence to rise toward $0.442. This recovery would significantly offset the losses suffered in January, potentially positioning the altcoin for further gains if market trends remain favorable.

PNUT Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewHowever, if PNUT fails to secure the $0.227 support floor, the altcoin risks falling back to $0.142. Such a decline would invalidate the bullish outlook, prompting further consolidation and raising concerns over a sustained recovery.

Pudgy Penguins (PENGU)PENGU hit a market bottom in February, forming a new all-time low of $0.0067 amid bearish conditions. Despite this, the altcoin has shown resilience and could be preparing for a potential rebound.

After bouncing back by 24.6% this week, PENGU is currently trading at $0.0090 and targeting a breach of the $0.0100 level. If this resistance is overcome and flipped into support, the altcoin could reach $0.0147. This would help recover most of February’s losses, signaling a positive outlook.

PENGU Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewHowever, if PENGU fails to break the $0.0100 barrier, it risks consolidating above its all-time low of $0.0067. In this case, the bullish thesis would be invalidated, potentially leading to further losses and undermining investor confidence in the short term.

According to a prominent trader, the Department Of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) token is following the typical meme coin trajectory—major rallies followed by deep corrections.  

What Happened: In a post on X on Tuesday, trader Unipcs highlighted that despite facing heavy criticism after a 90% drop from its $500 million peak, this pattern is normal and D.O.G.E is primed for a comeback.

The key to meme coin survival is strong narratives, an engaged community, and an active development team, Unipcs argues.

D.O.G.E is uniquely positioned as the “official meme coin” of Trump’s administration, representing the Department of Government Efficiency. T

his branding has given it significant media coverage and backing from figures like Elon Musk.

Its crash was worsened by the launch of the Trump (CRYPTO: TRUMP) token, which absorbed liquidity.

However, now that election-related sell-the-news catalysts are behind us, D.O.G.E is once again a pure meme play with strong upside potential.

Also Read: Market Skeptical Of DOGE Hype, Questions Elon Musk’s Execution, Bernstein Says

What's Next: Unipcs notes that the recent market crash was the largest liquidation event in crypto history, wiping out $10 billion in positions in 24 hours.

Despite this, he believes the bull run isn't over.

With a pro-crypto U.S. administration and renewed risk appetite, meme coins could be set for a massive resurgence. He advises to stay patient—recovery is possible, but traders must navigate it wisely.

Read Next:

Meme Coin Index ‘Doge Jones’ Launches App Including DOGE, SHIB, BONK Image: Shutterstock

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3 Newly Listed Altcoins Traders Are Buying During Market Correction

9 Best Meme Coins to Buy Now: Early Investors Already Scoring Big

In brief Hyperliquid temporarily paused Arbitrum-based deposits and withdrawals. A community-owned vault suffered nearly $5 million in losses. Onlookers attributed the loss to a potentially malicious Popcat trader. Hyperliquid traders using Arbitrum-based infrastructure were temporarily unable to make deposits or withdrawals on Wednesday, as the decentralized exchange for perpetual futures appeared to respond to a series of potentially malicious Popcat trades.

Blockchain researcher Conor Grogan was among onlookers on X who said withdrawals were “processing normally” again, less than a couple of hours after Hyperliquid’s users began peppering the project’s Discord server with questions about a potential attack.

“The blockchain is not under maintenance,” an admin for Hyperliquid’s discord server who goes by iliensinc said. “The Arbitrum bridge is temporarily paused. Other deposits and withdrawals should be unaffected.”

Previously, members of Hyperliquid’s Discord server had shared screengrabs of a notice from Hyperliquid’s website, saying “USDC deposits and withdrawals from the Arbitrum bridge are paused for maintenance.”

A community-owned “vault” on Hyperliquid, where users can deposit funds, lost $4.9 million on Wednesday, according to the exchange’s website. The loss was linked to positions being liquidated on the exchange by an individual who goes by MLM on X.

Someone just passed $5M of bad debt on POPCAT to Hyperliquid’s Hyperliquidity Provider (HLP).

The individual affected had withdrawn $3M this morning from OKX, and split it across 19 different accounts, all used to long POPCAT with ~5x leverage.

These 19 accounts were liquidated… pic.twitter.com/esqeKudqlf

— Arkham (@arkham) November 12, 2025

Using $3 million in stablecoins, an individual entered into $20 million worth of long positions across 19 wallets, MLM said. The individual, who was betting on the price of meme coin Popcat to increase, was later liquidated, forcing the community-owned vault to step in, MLM said.

MLM said that Hyperliquid “manually closed the position,” but not before the meme coin’s falling price caused notable losses for the community-owned vault. In recent months, users’ liquidations have caused temporary setbacks for the vault.

The dynamic also led Hyperliquid to delist Solana-based meme coin JELLYJELLY, provoking criticism that the exchange is not as decentralized as people may think.

MLM claimed that the Popcat-linked activity was “clearly a deliberate attempt to mess” with Hyperliquid and the community-owned vault, but the situation hadn’t been acknowledged by the decentralized exchange yet, as of this writing.

Hyperliquid’s status page details no recent incidents, but a transaction on Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Arbitrum shows an “EmergencyLock” function was triggered.

Decrypt has reached out to Hyperliquid.

Popcat has a market capitalization of $136 million, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. Although the meme coin’s price had risen 5.6% to $0.13 over the past day, the Solana-based token’s price was still down 91% over the past year.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

In brief Hyperliquid temporarily paused Arbitrum-based deposits and withdrawals. A community-owned vault suffered nearly $5 million in losses. Onlookers attributed the loss to a potentially malicious Popcat trader. Hyperliquid traders using Arbitrum-based infrastructure were temporarily unable to make deposits or withdrawals on Wednesday, as the decentralized exchange for perpetual futures appeared to respond to a series of potentially malicious Popcat trades.

Blockchain researcher Conor Grogan was among onlookers on X who said withdrawals were “processing normally” again, less than a couple of hours after Hyperliquid’s users began peppering the project’s Discord server with questions about a potential attack.

“The blockchain is not under maintenance,” an admin for Hyperliquid’s discord server who goes by iliensinc said. “The Arbitrum bridge is temporarily paused. Other deposits and withdrawals should be unaffected.”

Previously, members of Hyperliquid’s Discord server had shared screengrabs of a notice from Hyperliquid’s website, saying “USDC deposits and withdrawals from the Arbitrum bridge are paused for maintenance.”

A community-owned “vault” on Hyperliquid, where users can deposit funds, lost $4.9 million on Wednesday, according to the exchange’s website. The loss was linked to positions being liquidated on the exchange by an individual who goes by MLM on X.

Someone just passed $5M of bad debt on POPCAT to Hyperliquid’s Hyperliquidity Provider (HLP).

The individual affected had withdrawn $3M this morning from OKX, and split it across 19 different accounts, all used to long POPCAT with ~5x leverage.

These 19 accounts were liquidated… pic.twitter.com/esqeKudqlf

— Arkham (@arkham) November 12, 2025

Using $3 million in stablecoins, an individual entered into $20 million worth of long positions across 19 wallets, MLM said. The individual, who was betting on the price of meme coin Popcat to increase, was later liquidated, forcing the community-owned vault to step in, MLM said.

MLM said that Hyperliquid “manually closed the position,” but not before the meme coin’s falling price caused notable losses for the community-owned vault. In recent months, users’ liquidations have caused temporary setbacks for the vault.

The dynamic also led Hyperliquid to delist Solana-based meme coin JELLYJELLY, provoking criticism that the exchange is not as decentralized as people may think.

MLM claimed that the Popcat-linked activity was “clearly a deliberate attempt to mess” with Hyperliquid and the community-owned vault, but the situation hadn’t been acknowledged by the decentralized exchange yet, as of this writing.

Hyperliquid’s status page details no recent incidents, but a transaction on Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Arbitrum shows an “EmergencyLock” function was triggered.

Decrypt has reached out to Hyperliquid.

Popcat has a market capitalization of $136 million, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. Although the meme coin’s price had risen 5.6% to $0.13 over the past day, the Solana-based token’s price was still down 91% over the past year.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

Alleged POPCAT Manipulation Causes $4.9M Loss for Hyperliquid

Hyperliquids Liquidity Flaw Revealed by Popcat Meltdown

Key Takeaways How bad is the price manipulation problem in 2025? CertiK tracked 51 price manipulation incidents, resulting in $42 million in combined losses through 2025.

What happened with Popcat on Hyperliquid? An alleged whale orchestrated a 43% price crash on 12 November by pumping Popcat to $0.21 with fake buy walls across 19 wallets, then yanking orders to trigger $63 million in liquidations.

Price manipulation attacks have emerged as the fastest-growing threat vector in crypto in 2025. The Popcat meme coin crash serves as a recent, brutal example of coordinated market manipulation.

CertiK Alert released damning data this week showing 51 price manipulation incidents have drained $42 million from traders so far this year. 

Source: CertiK The firm tracked 19 incidents in Q4 alone—nearly matching Q2’s peak of 20 incidents and confirming the upward trend that began in Q3 2024.

The Popcat scheme The Solana meme coin became ground zero on 12 November when an anonymous trader executed a pump-and-dump on Hyperliquid’s decentralized perpetuals exchange.

The setup: pull $3 million from OKX, split across 19 wallets, open $26-30 million in long positions at 5x leverage, then prop up a fake $20 million buy wall at $0.21.

The artificial support lured retail traders into taking long positions. Then the whale yanked the orders.

Popcat crashed 43% to $0.12 within hours, liquidating $63 million in positions, including one $21 million loss. Hyperliquid’s vault absorbed $4.9 million in bad debt while the attacker’s collateral vaporized.

Wider pattern of crypto price manipulation CertiK’s top five 2025 manipulation victims:

Resupply: $9.6M [June] OdinFun: $7M [August] Loopscale: $5.8M [April] Future Protocol: $4.6M [July] Typus Finance: $3.4M [October] These attacks exploit oracle vulnerabilities, thin liquidity, and leverage mechanics. Unlike phishing or code exploits, which drove $2.5 billion in losses during H1, manipulation requires only capital and coordination.

The DeFi dilemma Traders called Popcat “peak degen warfare,” exposing how meme coins and DEXs create perfect manipulation conditions. 

Most lack circuit breakers or position limits that traditional exchanges use to prevent cascading liquidations.

The attacker lost their $3 million but triggered ten times that damage. Hyperliquid paused operations during the chaos, raising questions about decentralization when emergency controls activate.

The platform implemented tighter risk controls, but the tension remains. Can decentralized exchanges balance permissionless trading with protection against coordinated attacks?

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