TL;DR: Axie Infinity will be running a Loom Network validator, providing in-game rewards to those who stake with them, and migrating to Basechain mainnet. To find out what this all means, keep reading.

If you’re anything like me, you look back on the glory days of Neopets fondly.

You probably forgot to feed your Tamagotchi, but that’s okay; you still hold it close to your heart.

You collected, battled, and raised Pokémon with the vigor of an accomplished trainer. And though your cards are now in box in the basement somewhere, your favorite Pokémon — Vulpix (obviously) — is still cherished.

These kinds of collectible pet games resonated with you as a kid because there was more to them than just pretty pictures; they were complex. And even though most of these nostalgic masterpieces are now in the technological archives of the 21st century, your emotional attachment doesn’t dwindle.

The same can be said of modern advancements in this “pet collectibles” industry. We’ve now hit the age of pets on the blockchain, and we’re seeing developers usher in a new world of nostalgia fodder with multidimensional themes, interests, and capabilities.

One might say that CryptoKitties is where collectible pets met the blockchain, but we’ve come a long way since then. Axie Infinity pushes the envelope on what a collectible pet game can offer its user base, and is seen by many as an improvement on one-dimensional games where there is one single focus.

In other words, it sets a new standard for this industry — one that has yet to be challenged.

With that being said, it is a pride of Loom Network — and my personal pleasure — to work closely with Axie Infinity.

Now, if you’re not already acquainted with this fabulous game, I highly suggest you read our article highlighting the great features of Axie Infinity.

In a nutshell, it is a digital pet universe similar to Neopia, wherein you act as a “trainer” who collects, raises, breeds, and battles fantasy creatures called Axies. Think of it a player-driven collectible pet game, but with the mission of accelerating blockchain adoption.

Cool, right?

Recently, the Axie team raised over 3,500 ETH to build Lunacia, an open-world experience with a sprawling land system where players can build habitats for their Axie friends. This land allows players to unlock special gameplay resources and the ability to harvest currencies and tokens from partnered projects. Additionally, it will allow for third-party developers to integrate their creations and experiences into the Axie universe. Best yet, as of the publication of this article, there is still land left!

Great stuff!

And all the more reason we at Loom Network are so excited for this game.

Regarding our partnership with Axie Infinity, we do have some very special announcements!

Validator Services

Today we are pleased to announce that Axie Infinity will become a Loom Network Basechain validator! Validators help secure Basechain by making sure that every transaction on the chain is valid and accurate.

As you probably know, we use a consensus mechanism called Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), which is optimized for high transaction throughput at Layer 2. This allows Axie Infinity to run fast and as smooth as butter!

Gaming & Staking

Axie Infinity will be using their position as a validator to reward their community and delegators.

Here are some of the cool things Axie players can look forward to:

Sending validation rewards directly into their Land system’s resource nodes

Using a portion of validator rewards to buy back LUNA tokens

Supplementing validation rewards with LUNA tokens

By staking with Axie Infinity, delegators will be making the game more attractive to engage with from a “play to earn” perspective.

Migration to Basechain Mainnet

Basechain will be the main layer for assets in the Axie Infinity universe. So instead of showing up on Etherscan, assets will be viewable through the Basechain block explorer. Land and items are actually already live on Basechain, and Axies will migrate there within a few months. How cool, right?

Additionally, the Axie marketplace will be migrated to Basechain. Once everything is set up, players will have all the same functionalities as they have on the normal marketplace, but without costing any gas!

And that’s it… for now!

This is only the beginning of our adventures with Axie Infinity. So stay tuned for more news!

To a happy alliance. 🥂