Another month, another Binance Launchpad! Although other exchanges such as Kucoin, FTX, MXC and Gate.io hold their own versions of early retail access to crypto token projects, I've had the best success and return with the Binance and CoinList versions. [CoinList](https://coinlist.co/clt?referral_code=4CA9XD does require a good deal of Karma (based on historical platform usage) to gain a purchase spot in the queue lottery... whilst Binance needs a good deal of BNB to get a decent amount of tokens in the subscription process.

However, even if you don't have lots of BNB, you can still take part with just 0.1 BNB... but that might not get you very much... but you can dust the tokens that you do get, to slowly grind up some more BNB! Slow and steady...

Anyway, this Binance Launchpad is featuring an existing multiplayer mobile game, League of Kingdoms, which is adding a crypto-token element (LOKA) to its existing gameplay. I guess that is one way to do it... and in some ways, it should hopefully mean that the existing game players were actually playing the game without incentives due to the fact that it was a decent game? Who knows... I'm not installing a random game on my phone these days... those days of mobile gaming were a very short and disappointing period in my gaming life. Horrible mechanics and pokie-machine economies... something best to be avoided as it made gaming into a chore and addiction rather than the beautiful art form and relaxing past-time that it could be!

So, just taking a look at the LOKA token token-omics. It is a very similar list of usage as all the other game tokens... all the boxes are ticked, medium of exchange, governance, staking, and crafting. Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing really ground-breaking or original. That said, you don't want original, you need something that works.

However, the biggest use-case for LOKA is the listing on Binance and backing of the world's largest crypto-exchange. That sort of exposure and interest can't be replicated by any other means....

What is curious when you visit the game's webpage is that there is also mention of another token DST/Drago that is also going to launch later in 2022.

The game itself seems quite similar to other "empire/kingdom" multiplayer mobile games. It is a game formula that has managed to suck many casual gamers in, into the microtransaction hell-pit.... but it is successful, if you consider success to be farming attention and money!

Like many other "metaverse" games, there is a land sale that is going to happen shortly... it is like this project ticks all the crypto-gaming boxes!

Much like all the other mobile gaming empire building games, there are PVE and PVP sides to the game. Unfortunately, the research report from Binance is a little light on details. Like most of the research reports, it isn't so much a research report as a marketing piece... but I guess that is what most people understand to be research these days on the internet... marketing fluffed up with big words.

Okay... now, getting down into the nitty-gritty of the all-important token distribution. What I am quite surprised by is the fact that the LOKA token is launching as an ERC20 token on Ethereum. This is a bit of a strange decision given the high network fees on Ethereum, and so I was quite surprised not to see some sort of L2 choice... or a competitor chain such as a BSC, Fantom or Solana. Actually, I'm really confused as to why they wouldn't also be launching with a pegged token on these other cheaper chains even if they wanted to keep the network security of Ethereum!

Anyway, I'm sure that pegged tokens and bridges will come out soon enough... but if the game is anchored on Ethereum, it could make for a really bad user experience... and if the tokens are being held in custody by the game, then it defeats the one of the central tenets of crypto! That said, I'm starting to believe the less and less people actually care about the central tenets of crypto and are more in it to make big fiat numbers.

Token retail launch price is 0.16 USD denominated in BNB... many of these past Launchpad sales have easily made that back if you manage to trade in the highly choppy first few minutes of listing... and others have gone to some pretty outsized returns (Axie Infinity!).

You will notice that the Launchpad sale does account for a large chunk of the initial circulating supply. The thing about the Launchpad sales is that it is immediately liquid to trade, so the possibility of recouping and profiting in the first few minutes is highly likely... just DON'T buy in that first hour or two! Only sales... and remember to keep a moonbag for the possibility that the token really really takes off!

So, as I mentioned earlier, the private sale is still vesting at listing time. Even the team tokens are still mostly vested, and that makes the Launchpad tokens far and away the largest chunk of freely liquid tokens at listing next week.

I have to say that the actual game development side of things appears to be well developed. There are many game projects at the moment that launch first with a token, and no workable game product. So, it is quite pleasant to see that there is actually a game there!

Now, the partnerships... these can be the things that make or break a project. After all, it isn't just about the quality of your product, but the ability to get it out to other people and tie it in projects. Yield Guild Games is a pretty interesting one, with the guild betting heavily on many play-to-earn games, including our very own Splinterlands! Other Play to Earn guilds/DAOs are in there a well, which means that they will have had some input into the game design which makes it easier for them to monetise.

So, the verdict... I'm definitely buying into this Launchpad. I also will likely hold on to a significant moonbag, just in case this takes off like Axie Infinity. The mobile gaming aspect and Binance support, plus an already established game and player-base means that League of Kingomds might just have the edge in standing out in the sea of very similar looking play-to-earn games.

Of course, I'm still going to use that initial crazy volatility to recoup the initial investment in BNB and also to take some profit. I'm still busily stacking up FTX exchange tokens (FTT) as well...

I can also be found cross-posting at:
Hive
Steem
Publish0x

Handy Crypto Tools

Ledger Nano S/X: Keep your crypto safe and offline with the leading hardware wallet provider. Not your keys, not your crypto!
Binance: My first choice of centralised exchange, featuring a wide variety of crypto and savings products.
Kucoin: My second choice in exchanges, many tokens listed here that you can't get on Binance!
FTX: Regulated US-based exchange with some pretty interesting and useful discounts on trading and withdrawal fees for FTT holders. Decent fiat on-ramp as well!
MXC: Listings of lots of interesting tokens that are usually only available on DEXs. Avoid high gas prices!
Huobi: One of the largest exchanges in the world, some very interesting listings and early access sales through Primelist.
Gate.io: If you are after some of the weirdest and strangest tokens, this is one of the easiest off-chain places to get them!
Coinbase: If you need a regulated and safe environment to trade, this is the first exchange for most newcomers!
Crypto.com: Mixed feelings, but they have the BEST looking VISA debit card in existence! Seriously, it is beautiful!
CoinList: Access to early investor and crowdsale of vetted and reserached projects.
Cointracking: Automated or manual tracking of crypto for accounting and taxation reports.
Stoic: A USD maximisation bot trading on Binance using long-term long strategies, powered by the AI/human system of Cindicator.
StakeDAO: Decentralised pooled staking of PoS assets.
Poloniex: One of the older regulated exchanges that has come into new ownership. I used to use it quite a lot, but have since stopped.
Bitfinex: Ahhh... another oldie, but a goodie exchange. Most noted for the close affiliation with USDT and the Basic "no-KYC" tier!