Amid P2E downturn, Sky Mavis turns to user-generated content for Axie Infinity

cointelegraph.com:

On Tuesday, Sky Mavis, creator of the popular fantasy monster-battle nonfungible token (NFT) game Axie Infinity, announced that it had accepted the first user-created projects in its Axie Infinity Builders Program. Out of 2,000 applications submitted, just 12 were selected for the Builders Program.

Among the many perks, chosen teams will receive a minimum $10,000 grant — denominated in Axie Infinity's governance token, Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) — to fund project development. They will also receive permission to monetize their game using the Axie Infinity brand with a revenue-share model. Notable projects include Across Lunacia, a platforming adventure for Axie NFTs, and Mech Infinity, a battle royale game involving Axies and their unique abilities. Philip La, game product lead at Axie Infinity, commented:

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Axie Infinity is known for its play-to-earn game mechanic, where players can earn digital tokens, such as Smooth Love Potion (SLP), by completing in-game tasks with their Axie NFTs. However, the combination of an inflated token supply, the ongoing crypto bear market and a crowded player base has led to SLP falling 96% in value over the past year. As a result, players began to slowly leave the game as their earnings took a plunge. 

According to ActivePlayer.io, Axie Infinity’s daily active players peaked at 2.37 million in January before witnessing four consecutive months of declines. The number stands now at 1.86 million.