The crypto coin, which was created by former champion wrestler Conor McGregor, failed to be released after only 39 % of its lowest fundraising goal was met during its 28-hour presale period that ended on Sunday.
The token, created by Real World Gaming DAO ( RWG), received only$ 392, 315 in USDC from 668 bidders, which is far below the$ 1, 008, 000 minimum requirement to proceed with the launch.
RWG stated on X following the auction’s near that it “didn’t struck” its lowest increase, adding that all requests would be “refunded in full” McGregor made the announcement public, saying,” Ladies and gentlemen, this is REAL”!
On-chain data indicates that all payments were made, and a” Negotiate” sample of transactions were made available to the rwg. eth target at prevent 22212460 at around 3: 53 PM Eastern time. Using USDC over Ethereum, all compensation trades were cleared.
RWG informed that it has decided to “pause and adjust” the token’s start in response to” difficult economic circumstances” and the “distracting character of the image narrative.”
RWG’s spokesperson confirmed the payments and stated to that they are “looking to reboot it immediately.”
Prior to the launch, the UFC fighter insisted in a statement shared with Decrypt  that the launch was” a True game change that will enhance the crypto ecosystem” more than” some celebrity-endorsed nonsense gift.”
Sealed-bid bid
Through Axis Finance, the REAL coin used a sealed-bid bidding system that made it possible for users to place personal proposals at their desired price points.
In response to questions, RWG claimed that their usage of Axis Finance” set a fresh standard” for “fairness and transparency in key launches.”
The program distributed currencies to the highest bidders until they reached capacity after the bidding period had finished sorting all 668 bids. Using this technique, the last bid sets a standard opening rate for all winners.
Although the approach provided clarity, eliminated timing disadvantages, and reduced post-launch uncertainty, it failed to establish a opening price.
Economic challenges
The first failure of the project indicates that investors are losing interest in tokens backed by celebrities as the world crypto market struggles as a result of President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs.
The launch’s schedule was incompatible with what some say was a “prolonged trade war,” with U.S. equities experiencing record losses following the tariff announcements, didn’t help.
Issues over ethics and legal disagreements shook the image coin market after President Trump made an official joke coin in January.  ,
According to data from CoinGecko, the meme coin market has dropped by about 10 %, bringing its market cap to$ 44.5 billion, down from over$ 100 billion at the start of this year.
Brazilian President Javier Milei launched a new image coin in February, leading to investor lawsuits and accusations of fraud.
RWG informed that “interpreting the sign as a star memecoin” had caused “market confusion.” This frame does not accurately reflect the true goal of the token.
McGregor’s financial goals were closely aligned with Trump’s, who has indicated his intention to run for president of Ireland in March.
McGregor suggested Ireland should consider leaving the European Union in response to Trump’s announcement of 20 % tariffs on Irish goods ( compared to 10 % on U.K. goods ).
edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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