Conor McGregor's crypto token falls short of $1M presale goal

The REAL token, backed by MMA star Conor McGregor, failed to meet its $1 million minimum fundraising target during a 28-hour presale held on April 5 and 6.

The token raised only $392,315 in USDC (CRYPTO:USDC), representing just 39% of the minimum requirement and approximately 11% of its $3.6 million ultimate goal.

The REAL token, launched by Real World Gaming DAO, aimed to sell 60 million tokens (3% of the total supply) through a sealed-bid auction starting at $0.06 per token.

However, only 668 participants joined the presale, reflecting limited investor interest.

Critics pointed to flaws in the token’s structure and execution, such as its short unlock window of 12 hours, which raised concerns about potential rapid sell-offs.

“If you’re buying REAL token, prepare to get dumped on,” one critic remarked on social media.

In response to the underwhelming launch, the developers announced that all bids would be refunded in full.

“We need to be real. We didn’t hit our minimum raise,” they stated in an April 6 post on X.

McGregor had initially promoted the project as a groundbreaking initiative in the crypto space.

“This isn’t some celebrity-endorsed bullshit token; it’s a REAL game changer,” he said prior to the launch.

Despite his assurances, skepticism surrounding celebrity-backed tokens appears to have influenced investor sentiment.

The failure of REAL’s launch also highlights broader challenges within the cryptocurrency market.

The presale occurred amid a sharp market downturn, with Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) falling below $78,000 and U.S. stocks experiencing historic losses due to economic uncertainty tied to President Trump’s tariff policies.

Additionally, the memecoin sector has been struggling following scandals involving other celebrity-endorsed tokens like Trump and Melania coins.

Market analysts view REAL’s failed debut as part of a growing trend away from celebrity-driven crypto projects.

“Celebrity coins like McGregor’s hurt investors and crypto’s reputation,” said Maragkos Petros, founder of MetadudesX.