YouTuber and self-styled crypto fraud investigator Coffeezilla recently accused media personality Logan Paul of running a scam with CryptoZoo, a crypto game Paul and a team of developers launched in December 2021. Like similar crypto games, CryptoZoo attracted players with the promise of earning passive income by breeding, training, and selling digital animals – sort of like Pokemon, but very expensive.
The game had a soft launch into a kind of early access state, and while online marketplaces and zoo auctions sprang up around it, the income reportedly never materialized for CryptoZoo players. However, Coffeezilla says Paul and his team earned a sizeable profit by selling their crypto coins when anticipation for the game – fueled in part by having Paul’s name attached to it – was high. Paul denies running a scam, but admits he launched the project and purchased coins before announcing it publicly. He also says he made no profit.
The game is reportedly still in development, with many features not planned for release until 2024, though progress hasn’t been the smoothest. Two of the team’s founders, both of whom have reportedly made millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, were fired, as Paul accused them of being “bad faith actors.” Another developer stole the game’s code, moved to Sweden, and demanded $1 million for its return.
Paul issued a response to Coffeezilla’s video, but also says he and his team have been legally advised not to speak further about the ongoing situation.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
