Yona Gushiken
Logan Paul, the American social media influencer, professional wrestler and YouTuber-turned-cryptocurrency entrepreneur, has bravely lifted the veil on his deeply personal battle with mental health. Amid the backdrop of the controversy surrounding CryptoZoo, Paul’s admission sheds light on the toll that the project’s challenges have taken on his well-being.
In the now-controversial documentary titled “5 Months with Logan Paul,” by journalist Graham Bensinger, the pro wrestler who uses the moniker “The Maverick,” as a direct reference to his business and a play at his personality, shared his emotions when the controversy surrounding CryptoZoo exploded last year.
In a raw and deeply personal revelation, Logan Paul — often depicted as unpredictable and daring — has opened up about the turmoil he faced. Reflecting on a particularly harrowing night, Paul disclosed, “I had a bit of a mental breakdown … I was in a pretty dark spot.” In a stark departure from his public persona, Paul bravely admitted, “For the first time in my life, I was having suicidal thoughts. I was just spiraling, I was crying, just sobbing.”
Announced in 2021, CryptoZoo, a game conceived by Logan, is an upcoming crypto project promising to disrupt the nascent industry by mixing several elements like animals, crypto, NFTs, DeFi, and gaming, aimed to make crypto more engaging and accessible to the masses. Set to debut as an online game built on the Binance Smart Chain, CryptoZoo offers players the opportunity to purchase eggs and hatch them into hybrid animals, promising to give players passive income for years via ZOO tokens.
Eager social media followers of the famed YouTube influencer poured in funds for the project, only to be met with disappointment when the game failed to materialize. The situation escalated when blockchain detective and YouTuber Stephen Findeisen, better known as Coffeezilla, launched an investigation into the matter.
In a series of scathing videos, CryptoZilla denounced the project as a scam, alleging that approximately $7.7 million in assets had been stolen by the team behind the project. Paul candidly acknowledged his role in the situation, conceding that his involvement had inadvertently led people to lose money, but adamantly refuted claims that CryptoZoo was a scam.
“Everything you just said has an element of truth to it. Here’s the problem. What you just described isn’t a scam,” the social media influencer and businessman, asserted. He went on to explain that he had taken on a project that exceeded his capabilities at the time, emphasizing that his intentions were not malicious but rather a result of being ill-prepared to navigate the complexities of the venture.
In a bid to rectify the fallout from the CryptoZoo debacle, Paul made a significant announcement in January. He pledged to honor his commitment by repurchasing Base Eggs and Base Animals at their original purchase price for all individuals who had intended to participate in CryptoZoo.
Despite the reassurance offered by Paul’s announcement regarding the buyback program for CryptoZoo’s Base Eggs and Base Animals, a critical detail was conspicuously absent. Individuals who opt to participate in the buyback initiative are required to waive their right to pursue legal action against Paul or CryptoZoo for damages, including losses incurred from ZOO tokens. These tokens, valued at a staggering $16 million, were purportedly integral to the gameplay experience.
