Gateway To Infinite Possibilities 

The full transition to Axie Infinity: Origin was marked by the conclusion of its first season and the team, 1437, finishing first again.

During the first conference day of the Philippine Web3 Festival on November 15, Axie Infinity Co-Founder, Jeff Zirlin, revealed that Origins needs many improvements and that the community will be a big part of making those improvements. These include improvements to matchmaking, return mechanics, clearer class archetypes, and a new energy burst mechanic. 

Zirlin also reintroduced a concept that will take the entire ecosystem back to its roots.

 “I know that when I discovered Axie as a community member, I was enchanted by the idea of a digital pet that you could build a relationship with,” Zirlin said on stage. “Over the years as we built out the [ecosystem], a little bit has been lost in terms of that pet ownership aspect of Axie. I see Axie as a collectible game with different games attached to it, not a battle game that happens to use collectible pets. Something like a futuristic Tamagochi.”

Equipping accessories, part upgrades, breeding events, Axie profile pictures, and Axie raising through feeding or petting are some ideas Zirlin presented to shift the focus back to the Axies. The emotional aspect of owning an Axie has been under-prioritized, and Zirlin looks to put that emotional sentiment back on the forefront of the whole ecosystem.

“We cannot be reliant on any single gaming experience to make the ecosystem work,” Zirlin told BSC News in an interview. “The core of Axie is really this connection of the collectability, the pet-ownership side, and the gameplay. Axies need to be loveable pets that people spend on emotionally. Axies should be able to provide comfort and joy even if it is not winning.”

Jihoz used the analogy of show dogs that people breed and compete with in real life. There is the possibility of winning something from the dog competing in dog shows, but people don’t get mad at the dog if it doesn’t win because it still provides comfort and joy to its owner because of the inherent bond.

ESports Filled Week

Speaking of competition, Zirlin also briefly touched on ESports during his stage time at the festival. He mentioned that Axie Esports has the potential to democratize the industry, create skill-based games, and help in providing a sustainable ecosystem, while being an attention magnet in attracting new players.

Two contrasting Axie Infinity: Origins ESports tournaments were held in Manila: the Axie Open Manila 2022 and the MMG Axie Master’s League. Both tournaments lasted two days, each with different rules, venues, and team compositions from the other.

The first tournament was organized by YGG and was an official side event of the PH Web3 Festival. Seven rounds of swiss matches were held on day one, and the top 16 players advanced to the playoffs the following day. Plant Bug Rage team compositions comprised most of the qualifying teams. 

The finals were a matchup between QU3ST teammates Zaratustra, who defeated the top seed entering the playoffs, plus SpamAndRice, a staple at Axie Infinity tournaments. Spam eventually took home the trophy after sweeping Zaratustra 4 games to none.

The second tournament was broadcast online with a production that rivaled major ESports tournaments. The Axie Master’s League was organized by MMG and featured a reverse king-of-the-hill team format where the first team with all three team members winning gets to advance. 

After falling to QU3ST in the last match of the upper bracket, METAT8 Ninjas needed to enter the finals through the losers bracket and beat QU3ST in two matches to win. METAT8 Ninjas did just that as they beat QU3ST, a team that just lost one game prior to the finals. METAT8 Ninjas won the match 3-2 and then took a 3-0 sweep of the second game to take home the championship.

What is Axie Infinity:

Axie Infinity is a PlayAndEarn blockchain game where players breed, collect, and play with digital pets called Axies and earn from the interactions. It’s built on Ronin, an Ethereum-based side-chain developed by Vietnamese-based gaming studio Sky Mavis. The protocol put eyes on the PlayAndEarn gaming industry back in 2021. In addition, the team is building a digital nation where each community member comes together to play, earn, and live in Lunacia.

Where to find Axie Infinity:

Website | Twitter | Substack | Medium | Whitepaper |