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Amidst the biggest crisis faced by Sky Mavis, the Axie Infinity team is pushing ahead with the planned rollout of Axie Infinity: Origin. The highly anticipated update was initially intended to launch on March 31. However, the team announced that after a security breach that saw more than $600 million exploited from their Ronin bridge, they would shift the launch date of Origin by one week.
Hackers stole 173,600 ETH and 25.5 million USDC by exploiting the Ronin bridge that allows users to move assets in and out of the Axie Infinity ecosystem. The Sky Mavis team has said they are committed to ensuring that all of the stolen funds are recovered or reimbursed and will continue discussions with stakeholders and the broader community to determine the best course of action. DappRadar will endeavor to keep readers abreast of the situation as it unfolds.
The show must go on
The team has announced a week-long series of events that kick off with a sneak peek at Origins via a video trailer. Starting March 31 the Origin launch contest starts, offering players multiple ways to get involved. This includes designing custom cards and memes, telling the backstory of the in-game character Acro Beast, and a chance to get involved in cosplay.
Axie Infinity: Origin’s official gameplay trailer is already doing the rounds and shows off the upgraded Axie art and animations and new gameplay upgrades. Including sequential turns, energy resets, card changes, Eye & Ear cards, Runes / Charms, a new Rage mechanic, and more.
The contest officially begins on March 31, and the deadline for submissions is April 5. Those wanting to participate need to post content using the hashtag #OriginLaunch on Twitter. The Sky Mavis team members will judge submissions with a winner chosen and invited to officially leek the Reptile Runes & Charms on April 6. You can find the full schedule of events below.
Axie Infinity: Origin Alpha live on April 7
Despite a week of negativity and crisis at Sky Mavis and Axie Infinity this week, the team hopes that the onslaught of videos and content they have prepared will help get players ready for the highly anticipated launch next week. Additionally, on April 2, 10 am EST, the Axie team will be live on the official Axie Twitch account to stream an internal gameplay session to give the community a first opportunity to see the completed alpha build in action.
No panic
2022 has already proved a busy year for hackers. This latest exploit on Ronin and several high-profile exploits targeting bridges, including the Wormhole exploit, have shown that token bridges can be a weak point in the armor of exchanges. This latest hack should provide a border impetus for developers and the wider blockchain community to start paying more attention and looking to resolve issues to re-install confidence in bridge technology as an integral part of the DeFi economy.
Moreover, it’s essential to keep in mind how new this entire industry is. Challenges such as these can provide learning opportunities and eventually strengthen the sector and its key players.
The above does not constitute investment advice. The information given here is purely for informational purposes only. Please exercise due diligence and do your research. The writer holds positions in various cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, and RADAR.
