Conor McGregor REAL Token Falls Short, Investors to Be Refunded

In a stark reminder that celebrity backing isn’t always a ticket to success in crypto, the much-hyped REAL token — championed by former UFC star Conor McGregor — failed to reach its $1 million minimum funding goal during its presale.

The project, developed by Real World Gaming (RWG), raised just $392,315 over a 28-hour sealed-bid auction between April 5 and 6.

Celebrity Hype Meets Market Reality

That figure represents barely 11% of the team’s $3.6 million target, and less than half of the required threshold to move forward. In a candid statement on X, the RWG team admitted, “We need to be real. We didn’t hit our minimum raise,” and confirmed all bids would be refunded in full.

Only 668 participants joined the sale, which offered 60 million REAL tokens — a mere 3% of the planned 2 billion supply — priced from $0.06 each. The goal was to launch with a fully diluted valuation of $120 million.

Despite Conor McGregor’s confident assertion that this wasn’t “some celebrity-endorsed bullshit token” and his promise of real-world impact, the project couldn’t escape the bearish mood hanging over the broader crypto landscape.

While the presale outcome is a setback, RWG insists this isn’t the end. In their announcement, the team suggested they’ll regroup and possibly relaunch.

Rough Timing and a Tougher Market

The timing couldn’t have been worse. REAL’s debut collided with a volatile stretch in crypto markets. Bitcoin had taken a hit, and U.S. equities saw an eye-watering $6.6 trillion wiped out over April 3 and 4 — the largest two-day loss in U.S. history — as Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff strategy stoked fears of a looming recession.

RWG’s presale also entered a crypto space where appetite for speculative bets has been waning. The memecoin frenzy that marked early 2025 has largely cooled. The Trump-themed coin that launched in January failed to maintain traction, and the LIBRA token scandal involving Argentina’s President Javier Milei only deepened skepticism.

With sentiment soured, the memecoin market cap has plummeted from a staggering $100 billion to under $40 billion — a 60% collapse. In just the last 24 hours, memecoins shed another 14%, per CoinMarketCap.