Gensokishi: a 13-year-old game's token sale sold out in under 20 seconds

The client

Gensokishi Online is the Web3 version of Elemental Knights, an online role-playing game that has run for 13 years. It has 8 million downloads across mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, and is operated by Metap Inc. in Taipei. With the game already running, the team wanted to raise funds through a token sale, to build it into a metaverse with its own player economy.

The challenge

Gensokishi had loyal players, but crypto investors had never heard of it. We found four launch challenges:

• Low awareness among investors: the players were mainly in Asia, and most crypto investors did not know the game.
• A small online community: 896 followers on X, 396 on Telegram and 832 on Discord.
• A new token without a track record: investors needed a clear reason to buy a token tied to a game.
• A crowded market for game tokens: many game tokens were launching at the same time, all competing for the same investors.

What we did

We ran the launch marketing in three phases: preparing the launch, building the audience and driving the sale. The work came down to seven steps.

1. Understanding the business and its buyers. Before any post went out, we answered three questions. What was the token? MV, the governance token sold to investors, while players use a second currency, ROND, inside the game. Who would buy it? English-speaking crypto investors who back new game tokens, plus the game's existing fans. And when? A sale on TrustPad in mid-January 2022, followed by Bybit's launchpool.

2. Planning a four-stage campaign. We planned the campaign in four stages, each feeding the next: community, the whitelist through December, reach through press, influencers and an AMA, and the sale and listing in the second half of January. The aim was to arrive at sale day with investors already waiting to buy.

3. Creating content that explains the game. Content is what most investors see first, so every post explained the game while engaging the audience. Credibility posts showed a proven game with 8 million+ downloads, education posts explained how players earn crypto, and game-depth posts showed how much the game already offers. Partnership posts announced the TrustPad sale, countdown posts created urgency, and call-to-action posts told followers exactly when and where to buy. In total, we designed 20 posts.

4. Growing and managing the community. New members need answers, clear updates and a safe place to ask questions, so we managed the community every day. Moderators answered questions and removed spam, pinned posts kept sale dates and whitelist steps clear, members were warned about fake links, and growth was reported weekly. Within about four months, X grew from 896 to 81,000 followers, Telegram from 396 to 34,810 members, and Discord from 832 to 42,701.

5. Running the whitelist campaign. A whitelist lets approved fans buy a token early, at a fixed price. It turned followers into committed buyers before the sale, while growing the channels. Fans registered on the Gensokishi website and received a free NFT, completed social tasks on X, Telegram and Discord, and selected fans could buy up to $100 of MV each from a $10,000 private-sale pool. A second $10,000 round opened when the TrustPad sale was announced.

6. Reaching investors through PR, influencers and an AMA. We released Gensokishi's news at each milestone: a global release on Business Wire announced the whitelist, a Bitcoin.com feature explained the game as the TrustPad partnership was announced, and a Bitcoinist release on listing day told readers MV was going live on Bybit.

To extend the reach, we ran an influencer campaign. We vetted each creator on whether their followers buy game tokens, whether their posts get real engagement, and whether their language and timing fit the sale, with creators in English, French and Indonesian.

To build trust before the sale, Gensokishi held an AMA (ask me anything) with BeInCrypto, a crypto news site. CEO Maxi and Head of Global Communications Hayate answered 10 questions from the host and 5 from the community, almost four weeks before the sale.

7. The token sale. Gensokishi launched its sale on TrustPad, a launchpad where vetted investors buy new tokens. With MV priced at 1.9 cents, the sale sold out in under 20 seconds, a sell-out record on the platform.

One day later, Gensokishi began its launchpool on Bybit, one of the largest crypto exchanges, where users lock tokens they already hold to earn a new token before it trades. More than 43,000 people joined in the first 12 hours, with over $180 million locked. By the end, more than 65,000 had taken part and over $200 million was locked, the most participated Bybit launchpool at the time. MV trading opened on Bybit on 27 January 2022.

Results

TokenMinds' services cost $11,800, and Gensokishi raised $250,000: a 21.2x return on our fee.

• $250,000 raised
• TrustPad sale sold out in under 20 seconds
• 65,000+ participants and $200M+ locked in the Bybit launchpool
• X grown from 896 to 81,000 followers

Conclusion

Our token sale campaigns for SPWAY, Alberich Token, MMAON, Double Jump Tokyo, GensoKishi, GoMeat, and Remme significantly enhanced each project's community engagement, visibility, and fundraising success. By employing tailored strategies across multiple platforms, we helped each client achieve outstanding results in their token sales.

• Driving Engagement and Visibility: Executed targeted PR and influencer campaigns that generated high levels of visibility and engagement, driving interest and participation in the token sales.
• Expanding Community and Reach: Successfully grew community sizes across platforms, leading to strong support and active participation in each project's token sale.
• Achieving Fundraising Success: Raised significant funds through strategic marketing efforts, ensuring each project met or exceeded their fundraising goals.

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