Axie Infinity plans to launch a land gameplay mode to maintain its dominance in Gamefi

Author: Brady Dale

Original Title: 《Axie Infinity to Release Land Gaming Mode in Bid to Maintain Dominance》

Compiled by: Creed, Chain Catcher

Axie Infinity will no longer just be a Pokémon-like game. A new positive factor has arrived. Jeffrey Zirlin, co-founder of Axie Infinity's developer Sky Mavis, stated, "Land will be another game mode built within the Axie universe."

On New Year's Eve, the team released a blog previewing Axie's new land game, which consists of plots that can be owned in the Axie biological world of Lunacia. This move introduces a brand new way to play Axie NFTs, which drove a lot of activity last year. The blog also includes a short teaser trailer that allows players to appreciate the beautifully crafted art that drives the game.

Missions and Battles

Axie Infinity had a bumper harvest in 2021. It is a pioneer of the "P2E" revolution spawned by blockchain. Its AXS governance token price reached $88, a 149-fold increase compared to the beginning of 2021.

According to Token Terminal, its revenue last year was $1.3 billion. It is clear that the pressure to maintain this dominance has been increasing. The basic modes of Axie games are missions and battles. Both modes support users in earning cryptocurrency, but some people are dissatisfied with the gameplay offered by this most popular game.

The Axie game that users are playing today "was originally built by a small team. It is correct for us in 2022 to judge an Axie created in 2019," Zirlin said, "but I think when users see the projects developed by a large team, they will be very surprised and delighted!"

While it is not uncommon for game releases to come with video trailers, Zirlin insists that it is especially important at this time. "I think land is also an important opportunity to showcase our artistic advantages."

Zirlin mentioned that people should expect a game that combines elements of Clash of Clans, Rise of Kingdoms, and Stardew Valley. "I think people may not be ready for it yet," he said.

The team began selling land as early as 2019, but there hasn't been much related work done so far. According to the white paper, there are over 90,000 total plots, with 17,241 plots currently owned by players in the Lunacia region.

Players experienced this gameplay in a brief demonstration in 2020.

"In genres like 4x strategy and MMO games, land and territory control have always been used to deepen social and strategic gameplay. The true purpose of the land mechanism is to reward and enhance player engagement," said Amy Wu of Lightspeed Venture Partners. "When land is purchased purely for speculative purposes and there are many passive holders, it has no value. I am very happy to see how Axie Infinity is designing this land game."

Hostile Legions

Zirlin refused to disclose the official launch date for the land game, only stating that it should be in 2022. This means that the complete game will not be released all at once; it will be phased. The first phase will include land and resource management elements, the second phase will add skill building, social participation, and cooperation, and finally, the third phase will introduce competitive and strategic elements.

For example, the blog showcased a diagram of Axies' army battling against hostile armies. The white paper states that the world is threatened by invaders known as Chimera.

"I think it is very important to prove that the Axie universe is not just a game mode. It is a complete game world. It will be the first example of vertical interoperability," he said. This means that Axie assets will have more diverse gameplay.

What people can do is not entirely in the hands of Sky Mavis. Afterwards, they plan to develop a software toolkit that will allow others to build within the Axie universe, including its land.

Axie Universe

"Our vision for land is somewhat similar to the model of Roblox games, where the user experience will be built on top of it. Therefore, we are building an SDK to make it easier for people to create experiences in the Axie universe."

People can find and earn various items and resources on different lands, which will be tradable like Axies and their two tokens. One day, Axie's exchange Ronin may open in Lunacia.

The white paper states that AXS can be obtained by players exploring Lunacia, but Zirlin refused to disclose more details. He also declined to reveal whether anyone needs to own an Axie to acquire land or if there will be any open public resources available for everyone.