Axie Infinity’s 2022: A Year of Accomplishments and Challenges

ChainPlay

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one year ago

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2022 was a year of both accomplishments and challenges for Axie Infinity, a blockchain-based gaming platform that allows players to collect, breed, and battle fantastical creatures called Axies. 

In January 2022, co-founder Jeff “JiHo” Zirlin tweeted that the company would “shock the world” in the following year. While Axie Infinity certainly had a busy and eventful year, it’s debatable if the company was able to live up to this promise.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the key events and milestones that defined Axie Infinity’s 2022, and evaluate whether the company was able to live up to its promise of shocking the world.

Axie Infinity’s 2022 Accomplishments

Throughout 2022, Axie Infinity released a number of updates and new features, including the RON token in January, the Axie Builder’s Program in February, and the Origins Alpha version in April. 

In addition to these updates, Axie Infinity also launched four new games in 2022: Axie Infinity: Origins, a PVP tactical card battler; Axie Infinity: Homeland, a strategic land-based adventure; Axie Infinity: Raylights, a land mini-game available to all landowners; and Defenders of Lunacian Land, DoLL, a survival action game.

In June, the company launched its Creator Program and Lunacian Codes, and held the Lunacian Summer Breeding Event in July. NFT Runes & Charms were also launched on the app in August. The company held its first AxieCon in September and released Raylights in October. 

In December, the company saw a number of notable events, including the kickoff of the Axie Contributor Initiative, which allows players to earn rewards by contributing to the Axie Infinity community. The company also released the first Builder’s Program game, Axie DoLL, on the app, allowing players to create and share their own Axie-themed games. Axie Accessories were also released in December, offering players even more ways to customize their Axies. The company saw further success with the approval of Axie Infinity: Origins on Google Play and the release of Axie Infinity Land Alpha.

Since its founding in 2018, Axie Infinity has experienced steady growth and evolution. The company has released a total of 21 seasons, each introducing new features, updates, and events to the platform. These seasons have helped to build and expand the Axie Infinity universe, introducing new Axies, locations, and gameplay mechanics.

Over the course of its 21 seasons, Axie Infinity has introduced a number of new mechanics and features that have added depth and complexity to the gameplay experience. 

These include: Runes: In August 2022, Axie Infinity introduced NFT Runes and Charms, which are items that can be equipped to Axies to give them unique abilities and traits. Players can collect and trade these runes, and can use them to customize their Axies' stats and abilities. 

Accessories: In December 2022, Axie Infinity released a new line of accessories that can be equipped to Axies to give them a unique appearance. These accessories include hats, glasses, and other items, and can be collected and traded by players. 

V2 cards: In April 2022, Axie Infinity launched the Alpha version of Axie Infinity: Origins, a card-based strategy game that allows players to collect and battle Axies. The game features V2 cards, which are upgraded versions of classic Axie cards that offer new abilities and gameplay mechanics.

Overall, these new mechanics have added new dimensions to the Axie Infinity gameplay experience, and have helped to keep the platform fresh and engaging for its players.

Exploring Axie Infinity’s 4 New Games.

1.  Axie Infinity: Origins

Axie Infinity: Origins is a card-based strategy game that allows players to collect, breed, and battle Axies. The game features an Adventure mode, where players can take on evil Chimeras, and an Arena mode, where players can challenge each other to reach the top of the Leaderboard. 

The game is inspired by resource-based card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon battles, and has been updated with improved art, animations, and a faster-paced gameplay experience. Co-founder Jeff “JiHo” Zirlin explained that the team wanted to retain the fun elements of the classic Axie Infinity game, but also make it more modern and responsive.

2. Axie Infinity: Homeland

Axie Infinity: Homeland is a strategic land-based adventure game that allows players to start their own village on the planet of Lunacia and lead their Axies as they harvest, craft, and build towards a stronger homeland. Players can optimize their Axie’s work for efficient farming, construct buildings to store resources, create new equipment, and increase their number of Axies. The game emphasizes task groupings and resource management, and offers an immersive and infinite gameplay experience.

For more information regarding Homeland check out our previous article. 

3. Axie Infinity: Raylights

Axie Infinity: Raylights is a land mini-game available to all landowners that allows players to cultivate the most beautiful land plot in Lunacia. Players can sow minerals, grow plants, and unlock new ingredients, secret recipes, and aesthetics as they progress through the game. Raylights can be played directly from a browser, with no download or installation required, making it accessible and convenient for players.

4. Defenders of Lunacian Land (DoLL)

Defenders of Lunacian Land (DoLL) is a survival action game that features simple gameplay and infinite possibilities. Players can choose their favorite Axie to defend Lunacia and use their unique skills to battle waves of enemies. The game strongly emphasizes competition, with a leaderboard that allows players to prove their skills to the global community and earn rewards through the Ronin blockchain. DoLL also features play-to-earn features, such as leveling up systems and SLP burning mechanisms, which allow players to upgrade their Axies’ skills and earn rewards. Overall, DoLL offers a fun and engaging gameplay experience that is sure to appeal to fans of action and strategy games.

Challenges

Despite these accomplishments, Axie Infinity’s year was not without challenges. In March 2022, the Ronin blockchain that Axie Infinity uses was hacked, resulting in losses of $625 million in cryptocurrency. The hack was perpetrated by North Korean hackers who tricked one of the game’s developers with a fake job offer. The attack was a major blow to the then-growing popularity of the game.

In addition to the hack, 2022 was a challenging year for cryptocurrency in general. The Russia-Ukraine war at the start of the year and the Terra (LUNA) crash in May had a negative impact on the market. The FTX collapse in November only added to the volatility of the market.

Axie Infinity Player Count Chart Source: https://activeplayer.io/

One notable challenge for Axie Infinity in 2022 was the decline in user numbers. In January 2022, the game had around 2.7 million monthly users, but by the end of the year, this number had declined to around 500,000, an 81.5% decline over the course of 1 year. It is not uncommon for new and growing companies to experience fluctuations in user numbers, but this decline raises questions about the long-term sustainability of the platform. It is possible that the hack and overall market conditions had an impact on user engagement, but it is worth noting that the overall GameFi and NFT gaming market has seen a decline in user numbers in general.

Additionally, there are challenges in the process of creating wallets on the Ronin blockchain. Wallet creation can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially for users who are new to blockchain technology. Axie Infinity may have had to work to streamline this process and make it more user-friendly, in order to attract and retain players.

Conclusion

So, did Axie Infinity shock the world in 2022? It’s difficult to say but the general consensus seems to be leaning toward “no”. While the company certainly had a successful and eventful year, with the launch of four new games and numerous updates and events, it was also faced with significant challenges. The hack and overall market conditions no doubt had an impact on the company’s performance. 

However, Axie Infinity’s strong commitment to innovation suggests that it has the potential to continue making waves in the world of blockchain gaming. It remains to be seen if the company will ultimately meet its goal of “shocking the world,” but its track record suggests that it is well on its way to doing so.