'Axie Infinity' creator welcomes new 'Apeiron' video game to its ecosystem

Famous for developing the once wildly popular play-to-earn blockchain video game "Axie Infinity," Sky Mavis has been for months trying to promote the use of its Ronin blockchain. With the introduction of a new video game called "Apeiron," the company is looking to take a big step toward building out the ecosystem.

Sky Mavis announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Singapore-based game developer Foonie Magus to bring a new video game called "Apeiron" to the Ronin blockchain.

"Sky Mavis is on a mission to become the best place to build and grow web3 games," Sky Mavis CEO and co-founder Trung Nguyen said in a statement. "The leadership team at Foonie Magus has shipped over 140 titles and has decades worth of deep involvement in both web2 and web3 gaming. I believe 'Apeiron,' with its strong IP and similar play style to 'Axie Infinity,' is a natural evolution for the existing Ronin community."

Repairing the reputation of the Ronin blockchain has been a mission of Sky Mavis' since last year, when the North Korean hacking group Lazarus allegedly stole more than half a billion dollars from the "Axie Infinity" platform after the game switched from using the Ethereum blockchain.

Drive to grow Ronin ecosystem

The addition of "Apeiron" to the Ronin blockchain is not Sky Mavis' first effort to expand the blockchain's ecosystem. In March, the company announced another four titles launching on the Ronin network.

Sky Mavis said the number of daily active addresses active on Ronin "in the last month" had risen by 300%.  The Block Research could not independently verify the surge.

"In our search for a blockchain that prioritizes gaming and dedicated support to select projects, Ronin rose to the top," Frank Cheng, CEO of Foonie Magus, said in a statement. "Sky Mavis has demonstrated a deep understanding of the requirements of on-chain game developers."

"Apeiron" is a "card-battler" video game, according to the statement. A demo of the game can be downloaded on the Epic Game Store, with a global launch of the mobile version expected in the first quarter of 2024.