Hello to all Hash Rush investors and soon-to-be players! October 2017 saw the end of our successful ICO, and a lot of things have happened since then. The game has made tremendous progress which we can’t wait to show you. We also have announcements about our internal company structure, getting Rush Coin on exchanges, and a whole lot more. We hope you enjoy this update on what we’ve been up to, and our plans for Hash Rush in 2018!

A Look at the Pre-Alpha

![Screenshot-prealpha-colony-and-tree-800 logo.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWffqnrVzXbsQhVLkmUfeJCXM7nBo4JFFdws56GPMdmqx/Screenshot-prealpha-colony-and-tree-800%20logo.jpg) The team at [Tractor, Set, GO!](www.tractorsetgo.com) has been working tirelessly on the pre-alpha, and we're thrilled to see it launch today. For one month, until 18 January 2018, gamers from around the world can play the very first version of Hash Rush. This means that Pre-ICO participants, ICO participants of the first three days, and winners of the [Hash Rush Creative Competition](https://www.hashrush.com/contests/creative) will be able to get their first experience of running a mining colony in the Hermeian Universe. Qualifying investors can register for pre-alpha access by following [this link](https://www.hashrush.com/member/register) and we'd love to hear your feedback on [our forums](https://forums.hashrush.com/)! _Please note that the pre-alpha will be playable in both English and Japanese. We're currently aiming to launch the Japanese version by 29 December._

Bringing RC to Multiple Exchanges

Our in-game currency, Rush Coin (RC), is now [tradeable on EtherDelta](https://etherdelta.com/#RC-ETH) (check out [our Quick Start Guide](https://medium.com/@Hash_Rush/how-to-use-etherdelta-to-trade-rush-coin-and-other-tokens-bec735aa6308)). We're currently in talks to get RC on more exchanges, as well as to have it listed on CoinMarketCap. As soon as we have more news, we'll let you know!

ICO Funds Update

Thanks to our thousands of investors, the Hash Rush ICO closed with a total of $1.836 million raised. We are eternally grateful for that, so thank you! And seeing that both Bitcoin and Ethereum prices recently saw a significant increase, the ICO funds have allowed us even more runway for Hash Rush's development and the growth of the mining farm which will support it.

Rebranding Hash Rush — New Company & New Website

As this project has grown from strength to strength, we have made a change in our organisational structure by incorporating our new company, VZ Universe, in Estonia. Hash Rush will be produced by VZ Entertainment, one arm of VZ Universe, who are working closely with the talented team at Tractor Set GO! ![Screenshot website.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPpBwAysJyk7NFwR5FEDhbRfLZhP2gjBXn2ad4KrE7GkJ/Screenshot%20website.png) We’ve also given our website a full facelift as we head full steam into game development mode — and our team are putting the finishing touches onto [our official forums](https://forums.hashrush.com/): a place where the community can come and discuss Hash Rush, its pre-alpha, and more. Please [take a look at our website](https://www.hashrush.com/) and tell us what you think!

Plans for Hash Rush in 2018

2017 really set the gears in motion, but 2018 will of course be a monumental year for Hash Rush. After ending the pre-alpha on 18 January 2018, we'll start working on all the feedback that we receive from our players to keep making the best game we can as we ramp up for launch in Q3. We’re also planning to bring Hash Rush to a number of major gaming events and expos around the world next year, where attendees will be able to get a hands on and play the game for themselves. Plus, we are looking into other options to show the game to a broader audience before release. And of course, the team is still growing and we will be hiring additional talent in the areas of game design, customer support, and marketing. Keep an eye out for our vacancies!

Bringing the Gaming and Cryptocurrency Mining Worlds Together

With Hash Rush we want to introduce a new audience to cryptocurrency mining. We're very excited to announce an entirely new game model that does just that. In short, we've created a subscription model that mimics the real-life process of cryptocurrency mining. Players pay a monthly subscription which signifies the costs required for electricity and new hardware, as if you would run your own mining rig. Building your colony, you compete for a share in the prize pool relative to how well you did in mining the in-game Crypto Crystals. You could see this as a mining pool, where every miner gets paid a share according to his performance. And the Crypto Crystals themselves? Well, those represent all the work that your mining rig puts in! Aside from being a cool metaphor, the new subscription model also ensures that the overall prize pool allocation grows every time a new player joins Hash Rush. This means that there are _permanently_ more mining rewards on offer as our player base grows. This makes Hash Rush truly a competitive game, all the while ensuring there's a viable business model in place. We're planning Hash Rush around competitive seasons with many bonus challenges and objectives along the way, and will have much more to reveal after pre-alpha. So stay tuned for that!

The Awesome Hash Rush Community

All in all, 2017 was an incredible year for Hash Rush. With a successful ICO, great pre-alpha gameplay, and hundreds of excited players, we couldn't have wished for more. Especially when it comes to the Hash Rush Community, we're very happy. ![Pepe(1).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRzvLHsgsVjwBJynaBH4xsRDrHnAn2ej1WrTURw6nSiSg/Pepe(1).jpg) We were blown away by the [entries for our Creative Challenge](https://www.hashrush.com/contests/creative), such as Pepe Hiller's amazing 3D-printed and hand-painted Ernacks shown here. Thanks to everyone who took part! We also continue to see a lot of interesting discussions on our Discord channel, ranging from in-game lore to crypto trading strategies... So if you haven’t already, come meet our awesome community [over on Discord](discordapp.com/invite/ecTsYsc). The devs are often online and ready to answer any questions you may have. ------------- Thanks again for your support in making this project a reality. We truly hope you enjoy the pre-alpha, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Kris & Nathan