PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteAxie Infinity’s reported $2 billion milestone was cumulative transaction volume—not company revenue. In August 2021, venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz reported that the NFT-based game had surpassed $2 billion in total volume, alongside more than 1.8 million daily active users and $33 million in daily transactions. Its growth combined tradable Axie creatures, token rewards, breeding, and infrastructure built to make participation easier. Pandemic-era income pressures and crypto enthusiasm also formed part of the context, but no single factor is established as the cause.
What did Axie Infinity’s $2 billion figure measure?
In August 2021, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) reported that Axie Infinity had reached “a total volume of over $2 billion.” The figure describes transaction volume in the game’s NFT and crypto-asset economy; it is not the company’s revenue, player earnings, or the value of physical products. a16z also reported more than 1.8 million daily active users and $33 million in daily transactions at that time. a16z’s August 2021 report is the source for those specific figures.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
On NFTs (Varia) | $16.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Digital Art (World of Art) | $24.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
How to Collect Art | $23.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Art of Boutis | $21.17 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Beeple: Everydays, the First 5000 Days | $21.35 | Buy on Amazon |
A separate measure from a different source gives a sense of the game’s later peak: in a 2023 report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said Axie had more than 2.7 million daily active users at the height of its success. That is not necessarily the same date or measurement period as a16z’s August 2021 count, so the two figures should not be treated as a single snapshot. The CFPB report also discusses consumer and economic risks in virtual worlds.
How did the game’s economy work?
Axies, NFTs, and breeding
Axies are digital creatures represented as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Players could use them in the game and trade them in the broader ecosystem. The CFPB describes players earning Smooth Love Potion (SLP) through play and using SLP and Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) to breed Axies. Those crypto-assets could also be traded through third-party platforms. This created a link between playing, producing new Axies, and demand for assets outside the game.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
Rewards were not guaranteed income
Andreessen Horowitz framed play-to-earn as a way for players to turn time and skill into earnings and distribution rights to tokenized in-game items. That describes the model’s appeal, not a promise that a player would make money. A player’s outcome depended on the economy and market for the assets, as well as the costs and conditions of participation.
Why did Axie grow so quickly?
Tradable assets and the prospect of earning
The game combined gameplay with token rewards and NFTs that could be traded. That made its value proposition broader than a conventional game purchase: players could participate in an economy around their in-game activity. The possibility of earning helped attract attention, but it also tied the experience to changing crypto-asset demand and prices.
Rank #2
Ronin and easier access
Sky Mavis developed Ronin, an Ethereum-linked network intended to support Axie’s scale. Axie’s official roadmap records the Ronin mainnet launch in February 2021, the migration of Axies in April, and a fiat on-ramp in May. The company’s history also dates the Ronin marketplace launch to February 2021. These milestones show that the team was building infrastructure and reducing participation friction as interest grew; they do not prove that infrastructure alone caused the boom. See the official roadmap and Sky Mavis’s Axie history.
Pandemic-era context
Crypto enthusiasm and pandemic-era income pressures were part of the broader setting. TIME’s 2022 reporting described Filipino players drawn to the prospect of earning during pandemic disruptions. That reporting offers context and reported motivation, not a measure of how much those pressures caused Axie’s overall growth.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Rank #3
Why was the model vulnerable?
Growth depended on new entrants
Axie’s own economy page acknowledged the tradeoff directly: “In the beginning to maximize growth, by design the Axie economy will be dependent on new entrants.” New players needed Axies to get started, and the economy needed enough breeding to keep entry accessible. The page said that, over time, sustainability was intended to rely more on utility for existing players—for example, additional game modes, progression, and accessibility improvements. In other words, continued growth could support demand, but reliance on newcomers left the economy exposed if that demand slowed. See Axie’s economy and long-term sustainability page.
Entry costs shaped who could participate
The CFPB reported that as the user base grew, the NFTs required to play became very expensive. It says this contributed to a hierarchy of investors, managers, and workers, and that reports documented worker exploitation. Scholarship arrangements emerged as a response to the cost of entry, but they did not mean that every player participated in one or earned a profit.
Rank #4
A breach and economic risk
The CFPB says the ecosystem largely fell apart in 2022 following a breach. That security event was distinct from the underlying economic risks: token-market exposure, costly required NFTs, and dependence on continued demand. The broader lesson is that a game can attract players through tradeable assets and potential rewards while leaving them exposed to risks beyond ordinary gameplay.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should players know about security?
Sky Mavis warns about impersonation and phishing attempts, including fake marketplace search ads, giveaways, Twitch streams, and Discord support accounts. Its guidance is straightforward: never disclose a secret recovery phrase or private key, or enter one in response to an unsolicited message or offer. These phishing precautions are separate from the breach the CFPB cites in its account of the ecosystem’s decline. Consult Sky Mavis’s unauthorized-transfer guidance for its security advice.
Best Value
What changed in Axie’s token policy?
In January 2024, Sky Mavis stated in its official history that SLP’s supply was capped at 44 billion and that 2 SLP would be minted to a buyback and stability fund for every 10 SLP burned. This is a policy announcement dated to January 2024; it does not establish current token prices, the policy’s effectiveness, or present supply conditions. The announcement is recorded in Sky Mavis’s Axie history.
How to assess a play-to-earn game like Axie
Axie’s rise is a useful case study, but it does not establish a direct ranking against other games. To assess a play-to-earn title, consider how its economy works alongside the gameplay:
Quick Recap
- Gameplay versus earnings: Would the game still appeal if token rewards were low or unavailable?
- Cost to begin: Which NFTs or other assets are required, and can a new player afford them?
- Access and friction: What wallets, networks, or fiat on-ramps are needed to participate?
- Source of demand: Does the economy offer ongoing utility to existing players, or does it rely heavily on a steady flow of new entrants?
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
