While mobile game developers are launching web3 games, Axie Infinity creator Sky Mavis has done the opposite by launching “Axie Infinity: Origins” on the Apple App Store in key LATAM and Asia countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

Axie Infinity was first launched as an NFT game with a pay-to-earn model where players would have to purchase an in-game NFT asset upfront to participate in the game and earn cryptocurrency while playing. 

The game and its parent company Sky Mavis suffered a big blow in March 2022 when its Ronin sidechain was hacked, resulting in 173,600 Ethereum and 25.5 million USD Coin, worth approximately $620 million at the time being stolen. However, the Ronin network has since been restored, and Sky Mavis has compensated players who lost their crypto assets in the hack.

As a web3 game, Axie Infinity has seen a massive drop off in player count since last year. According to statistics from activeplayer.io, Axie Infinity saw an average of over 2 million monthly players between Oct 2021 and May 2022, peaking at 2.78 million in Jan 2022. The number of average monthly active users stands at 382,091 as of April 2023.

By launching Origins as a mobile card-based strategy game, which enables players to enjoy the game with free non-NFT starter Axies, Sky Mavis is making an attempt to improve accessibility and remove barriers to entry for new players joining the Axie Infinity universe.

Alongside the launch of “Axie Infinity: Origins” on the App Store, Sky Mavis has also launched Mavis Market, a curated marketplace where users can buy, sell, and showcase NFTs powered by the Ronin network. 

Starting today, select collectibles from a third-party game or dApp developers who deploy on Ronin will be available on the Mavis Market. The marketplace builds on the success of Axie Infinity, as the game has recorded a total of $4.26 billion in NFT sales to date.

“The launch of both Axie Origins on the app store and our very own Mavis Marketplace is an important step towards creating more accessible and dynamic web3 gaming experiences. We have exciting updates on the horizon, including the much-anticipated release of our merch store, and are thrilled to continue to provide our community with more ways to engage with the Axie Infinity brand,” Trung Nguyen, Sky Mavis CEO, said in a statement.

This announcement also comes on the heels of Ronin’s, Sky Mavis’ EVM Blockchain successful upgrade to Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) and the unveiling of five game studios building and four new gaming deals in March. “Axie Infinity: Origins” is now available for download on iOS.

Read more:

  • Axie Infinity (AXS) Guide: How to Play the Best Gaming Metaverse Project

  • Players can now mint NFTs in Axie Infinity Phase 3 of Season 0

  • Sky Mavis Raised $150М to Cover The Ronin Bridge Hack

  • Sky Mavis Inks Four New Web3 Gaming Deals, Announces Upgrade to Ronin Network

  • Ronin Network Compromised

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