The play-to-earn game that was supposed to be inclusive and fun limits its own players on earning potential. Or does it? Let’s dive into the update and see what are the pros and cons.
🕹 Axie Infinity Updates
Today Axie Infinity rolled out several updates. Later some of these updates were postponed, however, I think it’s important to talk about what has been announced.
Here are the updates (that will / might come):
Challenges are available again. Players can now add each other to friends lists and challenge for PvP battles. Trainers can play against scholars, scholars against each other, and so on.
For some time, users will be able to access match history only from the client device that was used to play the match. (eg. You play the match on an Android phone, you don’t see it on your Desktop). Sky Mavis mentioned that match history won’t be saved on their servers, temporary.
There are some small updates to the Ronin Block Explorer. I didn’t even notice, to be honest
Axie level resets to 1 when transferring to a new account. This update is the only one that hasn’t been delayed.
Now to the most interesting one. All accounts below 800 MMR will no longer be able to earn SLP from the game. Yes, you read it right. No money if you are a bad PvP player…
The first 4 updates are minor. But the new SLP earning limitation is what I think we should focus on right now. Even though this update is still not out yet, we got the message from developers, which means they are deploying such change, and it’s just a matter of time.
Some people claim that this update is going to solve the issue with bots, some people say it will fix the SLP price. I don’t think that such change will become the solution to the issues outlined above.
On one side, I think that leaving players below 800 MMR without earning possibility is not right. I do understand that developers have to grow their interest in the game’s entertaining and competitive part for Axie Infinity to survive and thrive. However, such efforts should never compromise one of the main value propositions of Axie Infinity. This game gained popularity because of people playing, earning, and making a living. On the other side, such an update might bring us closer to the vision Sky Mavis is having. It might encourage people to be more competitive, learn more about the game and be actively engaged. - Se Won
💰 State of the Economy
When the patch with the updates goes live, we will probably see some changes in the economy. I am not sure in what direction, to be honest, but there will be some changes. Specifically in the marketplace where floor Axies might drop in price again. Also, we might see some bump in the SLP prices but this will be only for a few hours. Similar to the time when the SLP earning was halved. But, as always, those are just predictions and we do not have an oracle to see into the future.
At the moment prices of SLP and AXS are somewhat stable for a crypto world. There have been fluctuations of roughly 20% up and down. This is probably calm before the storm that is called Ronin DEX. - Mr.Kepolas
👨🏽🤝👨🏽 Community Spotlight
So many great community members in Lunacia. Today I decided to give the spotlight to Sam Withers. He is an Australian Twitch streamer on top of being a DJ and a model. The stream is up almost every day except weekends, which is amazing. I am having a lot of fun watching, there is something about his personality that makes it interesting. Lately, he invites and interviews some of the founders of future games as well as Axie Infinity. Besides Twitch he does podcasts and YouTube. Go and check him out. - Mr.Kepolas
🎨 Lunacian Art Scene
Last week Artic organized an art competition under hashtag #ArticLoopContest on Twitter. So last evening while I was scrolling trying to find the best loop animation, I stumbled across one artwork. Even though it was submitted as a part of different competition, I couldn’t resist picking this one for Axie News #009. We will mention some of our favorite LoopContest animations and artworks later. But today all the admiration goes for this amazing artwork displaying the Axie Infinity ecosystem. Great work, @timodeleon, your art is outstanding!
⚔ eSports Overview
Today I wanted to mention a small tournament. It is more like a friendly brawl but with amazing commentary. DAVEvsAXIE hosts the KING of THE HILL tournament almost every Thursday. This Thursday he introduced buy-in at 500 SLP which amounts to 4000 SLP for a winner. It is not a lot of money, but its always great to get something along side the title. Slowly I see this becoming a real thing with top players playing in an invite only mode. On a side of amazing comentary from Dave and his co-hosts, this is the single tournament stream from which I learn a lot by just watching and listening. So many amazing team compositions and plays. You most definitely have to check this one out. - Mr.Kepolas
❓ Question of the Week
What is the right price for SLP?
In my opinion, there is no right or wrong price for SLP. It’s a utility token that gains / loses its value based on dynamics in the Axie Infinity ecosystem. The price is defined by demand. The demand is affected by the interest coming from users both, inside and outside of the game ecosystem. Later, when the game will become more complex and diverse, we will see more factors impacting the price of SLP. - Se Won
Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is for informational and entertainment purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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Until next time,
Cheers!