Axie Infinity Origin is set for launch in Q1 2022
Axie Infinity will first launch its Origin update on desktop computers only. Later the update will roll out with more features to mobile platforms. The popular play-to-earn game will introduce a new version, hoping to attract more players, increase retention and improve fun.
Axie Infinity announced on its official Twitter account that Origin (Battles V3) is just around the corner. The soft launch of Origin will come in phases, first available on the desktop around the end of this month. As introduced in an earlier article by DappRadar, Axie Infinity Origin will have brand new interfaces, game mechanics, art, special effects, storylines, and an expansive onboarding experience.
The soft launch will allow Axie Infinity to gather vital feedback, test the scalability of the servers, and enable the community to get used to the new mechanics. Then, about one month after the release of the desktop version, the game will be ready for Android users, while iOS users have to wait slightly longer. This is to avoid overloading the servers since the renewed game aims to support millions of players.
Most notably, Origin will allow players to start with three free Axies, making it more approachable for a mainstream audience. Moreover, Origin will introduce Runes and Charms in the new version, which will provide additional power to Axies by giving them new effects and abilities. The team designed Runes and Charms to be part of the new spend and burn mechanisms for Axie Infinity.
New dawn after turbulent times
Despite the much-anticipated release of Origin, recently-recorded numbers of the industry’s number one play-to-earn game are slightly disappointing. According to DappRadar, Axie Infinity’s user number fell to 112,046 in the past 30 days, down 38% from the previous cycle. In addition, the in-game transaction volume was $424.64 million over the past 30 days, also down about 38% on an MoM base. Finally, in terms of NFT transaction volume, Axie has accumulated $60.99 million, down nearly 50% from the previous 30 days.
However, it is worth mentioning that Axie Infinity surpassed $4 billion in lifetime NFT trading volume. This is an outstanding result for an emerging blockchain game like Axie Infinity.
It is not surprising that the volatility of the virtual currency market has affected Axie players’ confidence. But fortunately, Origin is here to open a new chapter to Axie Infinity, promoting the game to a more extensive user base. Meanwhile, the team doesn’t forget that games usually have a lifecycle, and even if you keep upgrading the product, users may get bored one day. To address that, the Sky Mavis team announced the Builders Program to invite developers to bring innovations to the Axie gaming matrix. Since its launch, the program has already received more than 1500 applicants. Axie WarKart is one of them that have already charmed the Axie community with its lovely design.
Beyond that, the Ronin sidechain launched last year to enable the rise of Axie Infinity. It aims to fuel the rapidly growing wave of play-to-earn and become the go-to blockchain for gaming. As Axie thrives on Ronin, many believe more dapps will join the Ronin ecosystem.
For more information about Axie Infinity’s latest data performance, you can check out its dapp page on DappRadar. In addition, you can also use our NFT tracking tools to compare Axie Infinity and its competitors regarding their NFT related statistics. Moreover, DappRadar also tracks the latest happenings on the Ronin sidechain.
