Axie Infinity is an online game universe revolving around Pokémon-esque creatures known as Axies. Players can collect Axies as virtual pets with aspirations to battle, breed, collect, raise, and build kingdoms for their Axies. What makes Axie Infinity different than other online games is the synergy it has established between standard online gaming and blockchain. The Ethereum-based game utilizes a design that allows players to own their virtual assets, and for the game to reward players who are able to reach an advanced level of skill.
ORIGINS
Build the ultimate team of axies and conquer your enemies in strategic card battles. Take down evil Chimeras in Adventure mode or challenge other players in the Arena!
Gameplay
Axie Infinity is structured as an open-ended digital pet universe. Axie NFT assets can be seen as tickets that grant access to all current and future experiences build on top of the Axie IP. In this way, Axies serve as base layer for a world of infinite experiences.
The Axie core team will build functionality for the game assets associated with the Axie brand in concurrence with the community. The Axie universe must be fun above all else; only by having an immersive gaming experience can the ecosystem attract enough participants to accrue value to the network.
Battling
In October 2018, the Axie core team released the first battle system built on top of the Axie game assets. The battle system was structured as an "idle battle" system with inspiration from games like "Final Fantasy Tactics" and "Idle Heroes".
Classic, released in December 2019, grew the Axie community from a ragtag band of a few hundred missionaries to millions. The game is structured as a turn-based card battler where players create teams of Axies to duke it out in the arena. Axies draw cards based on the body parts they posses and you must play these cards at the optimal time and order to maximize your chance of victory. Classic was the first game ever to distribute in-game resources as ERC20 tokens.
Breeding and $SLP
Like real-world pets, Axies can be bred to create new offspring. To avoid hyperinflation of Axies there is a maximum amount of times an Axie can be bred before it is sterile.
Breeding an Axie costs AXS and some Smooth Love Potions depending on how many times the Axies have been bred. The AXS portion is variable and subject to adjustment based on a myriad of economic factors.
Axies cannot be bred with their children and Axies cannot breed with their siblings.
Axie Infinity does not sell $SLP to players directly.
Axie Principles
Axie is a new type of game that rewards players for the time and effort they spend both playing the game and growing the ecosystem.
Axie has a 100% player-owned, real money economy. Rather than selling game items or copies, the developers of the game focus on growing the player to player economy. Marketplace fees go into a Community Treasury whose usage will be guided by AXS holders. The developers monetize through their ownership of AXS tokens. Axies are created by players using in-game resources (SLP & AXS) and sold to new/other players. You can think of Axie as a nation with a real economy. The holders of the AXS token are the government that receives tax revenues. The inventors/builders of the game, Sky Mavis, hold ~20% of all AXS tokens.
Game resources and items are tokenized, meaning they can be sold to anyone, anywhere on open peer-to-peer markets.
Axie population growth is a major factor within the Axie ecosystem. At any given moment, there exists some ideal inflation rate that allows us to grow to our maximum potential. Too slow and Axie prices are too high for everyday people to join; especially competitive Axies. Too fast and you get unhealthy inflation. AXS / SLP tokens face similar economic forces that need to be managed.
Economic Sustainability
Additional valuable utility to Axies. New and improved experiences such as Land, Mini-games, and Battle updates will be introduced over time. New experiences outside of Battle will also add utility to Axies beyond their effectiveness in fleeting metas. Players will constantly have new goals to reach within the Axie universe. Ultimately, the demand for Axies will come from the intrinsic value they can provide to players in the form of competitive, social, and progression based fun and achievements.
Vertical, rather than purely horizontal progression. Currently in order to progress the main path to progress in Battle is by expanding the size of one’s collection. This dynamic is not optimal long term. In the long run there will be upgrades to Axies, Land, and other assets that will require crafting ingredients. Axies themselves may be “released” to obtain these crafting ingredients or unlock upgrades. This creates a long term supply sink to the Axie population. Axie progression is coming in the future; and it promises to create a much stronger bond between trainers and the Axies they choose to upgrade.
Accessibility improvements that help unlock sustainable value. There are various points of friction currently for players to be able to dive into Axie Infinity to compete, have fun, and socialize with the community. Improving onboarding and allowing players to enjoy the game with free Starter Axies for example would enable more players to fall in love with the Axie universe and want to engage in the economy long-term. The more sustained demand for Axies and associated assets, the more healthy the long-term economy will be.
Land
Lunacia, the Axie homeland, is divided into tokenized plots of land which act as homes and bases of operation for their Axies. Plots can be upgraded over time using a variety of resources and crafting ingredients that can be found when playing the game.
In addition, land-owners might find AXS tokens on their land plots, or use the Axies that occupy the land plot to explore resource nodes on the map. When interacting with resources nodes Axies can find AXS and potentially other resources.
Axie Infinity Shards - $AXS
Axie Infinity Shards(AXS) are an ERC-20 governance token for the Axie Universe. AXS holders will be able to claim rewards if they stake their tokens, play the game, and participate in key governance votes. Players will also be able to earn $AXS when they play various games within the Axie Infinity Universe and through user-generated content initiatives.