Sky Mavis Co-Founder Discusses Challenges Facing Crypto Gaming Industry
Sentiment towards Axie Infinity has shifted positively among game developers and gamers, contrasting its previous criticism for simplistic gameplay. Key developments include:
- Developers initially distanced themselves from Axie to pursue AAA games aimed at mainstream audiences.
- Recent controversies have impacted high-budget crypto games like Deadrop and Shrapnel. Deadrop was shut down due to funding issues and a scandal, while Shrapnel faced internal strife and legal challenges.
- Interest in mobile games persists, with Axie seeing increased unique active wallets (UAWs) recently.
- In the past day, Axie recorded 160,000 transactions and 100,000 UAWs, ranking it among the top 15 games by UAWs.
- Ronin's new MMORPG Pixels surpassed Axie with over 200,000 UAWs and transactions.
- Sky Mavis co-founder Aleksander Larsen emphasized the difficulty of succeeding in crypto gaming and the need for balancing graphics, gameplay, and financial economy.
- Indie and mobile games are becoming more prevalent as VC funding declines, impacting development opportunities.
- Despite falling token values (RON, SLP, AXS), Sky Mavis has maintained operations and user engagement through strategic development.
- Larsen noted that unrealistic market expectations have adjusted, allowing continued development amid downturns.
- Concerns about pay-to-win mechanics persist, but there are strategies being explored to balance skill-based play with monetization.