Delphi Digital's $160k Axie Purchase - Decentralise #10

Ethereum Games are Big Business and Getting Bigger

Delphi Digital Go Large On Axies

Earlier this week Delphi Digital bought 5 of the best axies for just shy of $160k.

They wrote an excellent detailed article which explains why they are bullish on Axie Infinity, the strengths and rarity of each individual axie, and gives a great overview of the core features of the game.

It’s not one to be missed.

Recently it’s felt like there’s been a negative sentiment shift in the ecosystem, with DeFi projects tanking and some of the NFT buzz waning. The article reveals that Delphi Digital have been waiting for a moment like this for some time, and seized the opportunity to bag some of the best battlers in the game.

For anyone who’s not familiar with Axie Infinity, you might be wondering why anyone would spend six figures on digital monsters.

The article does a fantastic job of explaining these axie’s value proposition, but the tl;dr is that these particular axies are incredibly rare and desirable with multiple mystic parts. This also makes them excellent battlers and breeders, opening the door to future tournament money and revenue streams.

Axie Infinity Isn’t Going Anywhere

Delphi Digital have serious reputation in the industry and their purchase is a huge vote of confidence for Axie Infinity. The move proves what we already knew: Ethereum gaming is big business and Axie Infinity in particular is leading the way.

The numbers tell the same story. The game is going from strength to strength, with active players consistently over seven thousand, and almost ten thousand marketplace participants.

(Graph from Axie World.)

Anyone who’s played the game will agree that there’s something about it that just feels right. Delphi Digital make a comparison with nostalgia for schoolyard Pokemon cards, and I think that’s right on the money. The design and atmosphere is engaging for casual PvE players, but collecting, PvP battling and breeding offers great depth. It also offers economic opportunity, with the ability to play-to-earn by harvesting SLP (Small Love Potions) changing gaming as we know it.

Axie Infinity’s Governance

The platform just launched their governance token AXS through a $2.97m Binance launchpad token sale, and with such an active community I’m looking forward to seeing how the system evolves. You only need to briefly visit the game’s discord to get a feel for the active and engaged player base.

Here’s the governance announcement, and a handy info-graphic overview.

I met up with Axie’s @Jihoz at the start of this year at their Saigon, Vietnam headquarters. The atmosphere was electric, and the teams vision and passion for the game was contagious to say the least.

I reached out to Jihoz today to get his take on governance moving forwards:

It’s been a pleasure to watch the community grow so exponentially, and the magical land of Lunacia really is an asset to the Ethereum ecosystem.