Ever thought you could out-Elon the prominent head of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter? Well, now a Telegram tap-to-earn game gives you the opportunity to command your very own virtual Elon Musk as you earn towards a crypto airdrop all the while.
Musk Empire is a new Telegram-based game that is purportedly racking up millions of players, following in the footsteps of hits like Hamster Kombat and Notcoin. In fact, it’s very similar to Hamster Kombat in core design, as you tap your smartphone screen to earn coins and then invest them into upgrades that gradually earn you passive income.
Only here, you’re not a fuzzy creature running a crypto exchange and adding features to your platform. Instead, you’re like a digital god who can invest into Elon Musk upgrades, such as his nutrition, critical thinking abilities, and overall brain level.
For example, the game said I needed “sleep level 2” to unlock Musk’s empathy stat. Maybe that was a random and innocuous move by the developers, but it rang true to me.
You can also invest into office equipment and team members to support the business icon, though the game does not appear to offer any way to proposition subordinate employees into having his babies, as the real-life Musk is alleged to have done repeatedly as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Broadly, that speaks to a lack of rich Musk-ness to the experience, which has small nods to his life and career, but could go so much deeper on the Elon lore—whether it’s played straight or used to poke fun at the controversial tech leader. There’s just so much that could be done around his successes, foibles, and curious life decisions.
But even in this slightly superficial first attempt, Musk Empire comes across as more than just another simple Hamster Kombat clone. It also offers distinct features like a “Stock Exchange” that lets you effectively wager your coins on potential returns, or battle with friends in “Negotiations.”
Already, I’m running into barriers where I need to invite a bunch of friends to make substantial progress—an issue that’s plagued Hamster Kombat, prompting the developers to say they’d ease off on such demands. But it’s something worth knowing before playing, as that could feel limiting for players who don’t want to pester their contacts.
Musk Empire says it’s launching a token on The Open Network, the Telegram-aligned chain that hosts Notcoin’s NOT token and the upcoming Hamster Kombat drop. Whatever you think of Musk, it’s an amusing concept—one that has plenty of room to grow, and hopefully has some more fun with the “Elon Musk simulator” in time.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.