Blockchain-based gaming platform Axie Infinity (AXS) launched Axie Infinity: Origins on Apple’s App Store — leading to a surge in the value of its AXS token.
According to a May 17 statement, the new mobile game is a card-based strategy game created to onboard more people into the Axie Infinity ecosystem. It is free-to-play and players would get free non-NFT Axies to start.
Axie Infinity: Origins has been available on the Google Play store since December 2022. The iOS version would operate on Sky Mavis’s Ethereum-based (ETH) Ronin (RON) blockchain, and players with compatible NFTs can use them directly in the application — Axie Infinity claims this is the first time that Apple has agreed to make an externally-purchased NFT usable on the App Store.
However, not all the game features are available on the iOS version. Only Moonshard crafting recipes will display the application, and while users can earn token rewards, they won’t be visible in the iOS version. Users who want to enjoy other features must play on the Android or desktop version.
Meanwhile, the game would be available in selected Asian and Latin American countries like Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Malaysia, etc. Its developer said it would be available for all iOS users worldwide at an undisclosed date.
AXS rises 12%
Following the news, AXS rose 12.6% to $7.53172 as of press time, according to CryptoSlate data.
However, its long-term performance is not so remarkable. It is down more than 17% in the last 30 days and has shed 64% of its value in a year. At its current price, AXS is more than 90% down from its all-time high of $164.90 recorded in November 2021.
Besides that, Axie Infinity’s average player numbers have dropped to new lows, according to Active Player data. The P2E game had less than 400,000 players over the past month — a steep decline from the over 2 million players it recorded between September 2021 and May 2022.
During the period, Axie Infinity NFTs recorded a trading volume of $2.3 million in 139,784 transactions, according to CryptoSlam data.
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