The world of Telegram games is currently one of the largest, with over 100 new games released daily. “How do you create a project that will appeal to your audience”?
In this interview, we will discuss Telegram development, which is becoming increasingly important for ton app developers. Our guest, Anna, co-founder of @outminebot by Rogues Studio and @outmineofficial, has extensive knowledge and experience in this field. She will share her thoughts and advice, which will be useful to every developer
- How did the idea for Outmine come about, and why did you choose Telegram as the platform to launch the game?
(What inspired this concept, and how does Telegram fit into your development and growth strategy?)
At Rogues Studio, the creators of Outmine, we’re a team of gaming industry veterans, with my co-founder, Morgan having created a game with 1.4 million downloads on mobile single-handedly. We started Rogues in 2022, when the idea of the quirky post-apocalyptic universe, part of which Outmine takes place, was born.
Building on Telegram was an obvious choice. With 1 billion users, Telegram offers incredible features for social gaming. It allows small studios to create good games without huge budgets, and players can access games while chatting with friends.
Furthermore, when it comes to web3, the ease of connecting TON wallets within Telegram is an absolute game-changer. Many chains are still struggling with wallet connection, but TON solved that problem.
- What are the key features that make Outmine stand out among other Telegram games?
(What makes it engaging — gameplay mechanics, social elements, rare resources?)
Outmine is a fun, action-packed Telegram game where you mine gems in dungeons while fighting enemies!
The live-action element of the game is what is absolutely unique in the Telegram ecosystem. As a player, you control your character fully, having to dodge enemies and survive in an unwelcoming landscape. It’s super addictive for mid-core players.
Players absolutely love the competitive element of the game, with our weekly leaderboard always super full and exciting. In terms of aesthetics and vision, we’re creating a unique 2D post-apocalyptic world with characters you’ve never seen anywhere else. When it comes to gameplay and innovation, Outline is certainly among the top games on Telegram.
- What challenges did you face while developing a game for Telegram, and how did you overcome them?
(Technical limitations, user experience, working with bots and Telegram’s API — what was the hardest part?)
We didn’t have many issues developing on Telegram. As we’re coming from gaming and having worked with a game engine, the API of Telegram was pretty easy for us to integrate with.
I’d say the main issue is that, being a fully interactive game with a character, our game is built in the Unity engine. This can slow the loading time in comparison to other apps built in HTML5 or React. We have optimised it to the maximum, and believe the loading time is good, but it’s taken us extra time and effort to do this.
- How many active players do you have now, and how did you attract your first users?
(Tell us about your community growth and the early marketing steps — especially valuable for indie developers.)
We have close to 40,000 MAU, all acquired with partnerships and organic marketing strategies.
But here’s much more interesting stat – we have more than 2 MILLION games played already!
We believe in scaling strategically, with real, committed players – this is the only way to ensure sustainability for the long-term.
Often, there’s projects that focus on “hype” or even “buying traffic” – sadly, this more often than not results in the failing of the project for the long term. In every business, what really matters is finding the product-market fit – the right audience for your product. Once you’ve done that, the rest comes easier! We’ve seen this with our audience of committed players who spend tens of hours per week playing.
- Does the game have an in-game economy or monetization model? Are you planning to integrate Web3 or other modern technologies?
(A look into the future — tokens, NFTs, in-game purchases always pique readers’ interest.)
100%. There’s a very exciting mode coming up soon now – the Gems to Play mode. At the point of launch, all gems will be convertible to NFTs on TON!
This is a super exciting part of the game economy of Outmine. Players will be able to earn the Gem pool that’s collected in the dungeon for the period of the competition. It’s very skill-based, so if you’re good at the game – you win, and if not, better luck next time.
We believe that this is the future of web3 gaming – a skill-based gaming experience that massively rewards the active and skillful players, in a fair and consistent way.
- What part of game design was the most difficult? What would you do differently if you started from scratch?
(A retrospective — lessons learned and insights that other developers can benefit from.)
I think we did things correctly with Outmine this time around. From previous experiences we’ve had, we learned a lot about how game economies in web3 work.
In the past, we found the balance between quality gameplay and rewards challenging – you don’t want the game to stir either way. If there are easy rewards, it’s not sustainable, and if there are no rewards at all, it wouldn’t attract the web3 audience.
Finding the right way to design the game around this is always tricky, but remember – it’s always a work in progress for the builders!
- What are your plans for Outmine over the next 6–12 months? Will there be new modes, events, or multiplayer features?
(Ending with a teaser — what’s next? What can players look forward to?)
We’re super excited about the Gems to Play launch happening soon. This is the time when existing tournament winners and free-to-play players can either use their game to get more NFTs or trade them.
Further down the line, we’ll be adding exciting new maps as well as additional monsters, weapons and extra mechanics.
Things are just starting now – it’s really good time to join Outmine, get gems while you can, and take part in the upcoming launches!
Find out more in our community (https://t.me/outmineofficial/1) or start playing Outmine and earning gems here (t.me/Outminebot)
8. Please give some advice to young developers who want to create their own product in Telegram
It’s never too late to start. Don’t chase funding first – bootstrap if possible! Launch your MVP, prove product-market fit, then scale. Build something good for the long term.
Don’t create a game just to launch tokens and make quick money. Build something good that can last for generations – you’ll create a community and a product with lasting value.
Want to try Outmine? Play now on Telegram – t.me/Outminebot
