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On August 5, Animoca Brands co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu announced that the company would start buying back TOWER tokens on the open market. The announcement, made on X, triggered a surge in the token's price, lifting it from $0.0006547 to a peak of $0.0014440. As of writing, the price has settled at $0.0010523, still up more than 87% this week.
In his post, Yat Siu stated, "Announcing our public support for @TowerToken ecosystem starting with token buybacks. Web3 gaming is alive and important to the development of on-chain economies." He also mentioned that this follows a similar move made for the $CTA token from Cross The Ages back in June.
The announcement marks renewed support for the TOWER ecosystem, which was first launched in early 2021 as part of a broader initiative by Animoca Brands to combine free to play (F2P) gaming with the rewards and mechanics of onchain gaming.
What Is TOWER Token?
TOWER ($TOWER) is a utility token built on Ethereum, Base, Solana, TON, and Polygon. It serves as the in-game and governance token for a group of tower defense and RPG titles created by Animoca Brands. The token is central to the Tower Ecosystem and can be used to buy items in the TOWER Store, pay for tournament entries, and vote on future decisions affecting the project.
TOWER tokens can be earned by taking part in various play to earn events inside ecosystem games. The token is also used in NFT fusion systems, where players can combine map NFTs, and in TOWER League, a loyalty program where players get Hero Points for spending, which can be redeemed for digital or physical rewards.
A total of 10 billion TOWER tokens were minted on February 25, 2021. The biggest allocation (3 billion tokens) has been set aside for play to earn rewards. Other pools include marketing, liquidity, team and advisor incentives, and community development.
Games Powering the TOWER Ecosystem
The TOWER ecosystem is built around a series of games developed by Animoca Brands that bring blockchain mechanics into mobile and web-based gameplay.
Crazy Defense Heroes (CDH)
Crazy Defense Heroes is the flagship title of the ecosystem and a sequel to Crazy Kings. It launched on iOS in late 2017 and on Android in early 2018. The game fuses collectible card game with tower defense strategy. CDH includes over 500 levels, a card upgrade system, resource collection, spells, heroes, and buildings.
With over 2 million downloads, CDH has seen commercial success. It is also one of the first mobile games to allow players to earn blockchain-based rewards directly from gameplay. In December 2021, CDH was integrated into the Polygon network. By March 2022, daily unique active wallets (UAW) for CDH increased from 21K to 140K in just four months, according to an official X post from Tower Token.
Players can earn TOWER tokens in CDH through various play and earn features:
- Avatar XP Gain – Players gain experience points (XP) by playing. If a user gains at least 315,000 XP in a month and owns at least one TOWER Battle Card NFT, they can earn from the reward pool. Bonus reward tiers activate at 450,000 XP and 600,000 XP, and holding more NFT cards increases the reward boosts.
- Daily Star Chest Check-In – Players who open the in-game Star Chest daily and perform an onchain check-in via the TOWER website are eligible for daily TOWER rewards, again boosted by holding Battle Card NFTs.
- Battle Card Boosts – Holding five or more TOWER Battle Cards of any rarity grants players a reward boost in both XP and check-in events.
- TOWER Battle Card Rarity Bonuses – Players who own cards of higher rarity and complete monthly conditions (such as check-ins or XP thresholds) can earn bonus TOWER tokens.
Co-op Battle Web Game
Co-op Battle is a browser-based game (for CDH) where players work together to defeat World Bosses using their NFT Battle Cards. Successful runs earn players TOWER tokens and exclusive NFT rewards.
Crazy Rush Heroes (CRH)
CRH is a casual RPG built on the TON network and delivered through Telegram's mini app platform. It keeps the TOWER ecosystem on the front edge of blockchain trends, particularly as Animoca Brands plays a key role as a validator in the TON ecosystem. The team is also exploring a new version of CRH to be released on Base App as a mini app.
Wreck League Versus
Wreck League Versus is a newer social combat game, now ranked the #1 social app on Base App and Farcaster. Players build, battle, and earn TOWER in this auto mech battler where your social engagement boosts your in-game power. According to Animoca, this is the 5th app launched on Base, reflecting a long-term commitment to growing on that network.
What's Next for TOWER?
Based on the latest update, the team is now doubling down on the Base network. This includes three major plans:
- Token Buybacks – Already announced by Yat Siu.
- Migration of Crazy Defense Heroes – The team is exploring a move of CDH from Polygon to Base.
- CRH Mini App – A new version of Crazy Rush Heroes is planned for Base App.
Also, with the integration of Coinbase's DEX, $TOWER will soon be tradable directly through the Aerodrom Finance app. This will give the token more visibility and liquidity across new trading channels. The team said that this is just the start of a larger push to build out the next phase of the TOWER ecosystem.
A Return to Spotlight
As such, this week's buyback announcement has brought renewed attention to the TOWER ecosystem. The token briefly surged over 100% before settling at a higher trading range. Alongside the announcement, the team also outlined plans for expansion, including potential migration of games to Base App and ongoing development of social gaming features.
The platform's existing titles have attracted a long-standing player base, and the latest developments could support further growth in its token utility and reward systems. As Yat Siu noted, "Web3 gaming is alive and important to the development of on-chain economies," placing TOWER within the broader push for crypto-based game economies.
