Conor McGregor’s Token Creators to Refund Bidders After Failed Launch

Conor McGregor’s REAL Token Fails to Meet Minimum Target, Refunds Issued to Bidders

The REAL token, a cryptocurrency project backed by former UFC champion Conor McGregor, has failed to meet its fundraising goal, prompting the developers to refund all bids placed during the token's presale. Despite the promotional backing of McGregor, the project only raised $392,315 in USDC, far short of the $1 million minimum requirement set by its creators. The presale, which took place over 28 hours on April 5 and 6, fell drastically short of the $3.6 million target and approximately 11% of the fully-diluted valuation of $120 million.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on April 6, Real World Gaming (RWG), the development team behind the REAL token, acknowledged the shortfall and assured participants that all bids would be refunded in full. "We need to be real. We didn’t hit our minimum raise," the developers stated, adding, "This is not the end." Despite the failed presale, the team remained optimistic about the future of the project.

Details of the REAL token launch. Source: RWG

0

The presale aimed to sell 60 million REAL tokens (3% of the total 2 billion token supply) at an initial price of $0.06 per token, but only 668 participants took part in the sealed-bid auction. The lack of investor interest highlights the challenges faced by celebrity-backed crypto projects, many of which have been criticized for lacking long-term credibility and security.

Market Downturn and Timing Issues Contribute to Token’s Struggles

The timing of the REAL token launch may have played a significant role in its inability to raise the targeted funds. The presale coincided with a sharp downturn in the global financial market. Bitcoin’s price was falling, and US stock markets experienced a massive $6.6 trillion loss on April 3 and 4, marking the largest two-day loss in history as recession fears sparked by US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans took hold.

The broader cryptocurrency market has also been facing challenges, with the once-booming memecoin sector seeing a significant cooling off. The launch of the Official Trump Memecoin in January 2025 and the Libra token scandal involving Argentine President Javier Milei in late February contributed to the ongoing decline. As a result, the memecoin market, which had a peak valuation of $100 billion, has now fallen to below $44 billion and is down 13% in the last 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data.

Source: Conor McGregor

McGregor’s Ambitious Vision Faces Setback

McGregor, who has become a vocal advocate for the REAL token, initially touted the project as a legitimate and groundbreaking addition to the cryptocurrency ecosystem, emphasizing that it was not a “celebrity-endorsed bullshit token.” The UFC star claimed that the token would bring real change to the crypto world and improve the overall ecosystem, differentiating it from other celebrity-backed tokens that have often led to rug pulls and investor losses.

However, despite McGregor’s endorsement, the project’s launch failed to attract the expected level of investor interest, possibly due to the wider market downturn and skepticism surrounding celebrity-endorsed tokens. As the developers work to refund participants, questions remain about the future viability of the REAL token and whether it will be able to recover from this early setback.

The REAL token’s failed launch highlights the challenges of launching a cryptocurrency in a market that is increasingly wary of celebrity endorsements. As the industry continues to evolve, the success of projects like REAL may depend more on genuine innovation and investor confidence rather than celebrity backing alone.