As a blockchain gaming enthusiast, I've been thrilled to witness the explosive growth and innovation from Ronin Network and Axie Infinity this past year. 2023 was truly a banner year for these underrated titans of blockchain gaming. I watched as they achieved milestone after milestone, solidifying their leadership in pushing mainstream adoption.
In this personal year-end review, we'll look back and reflect on the new partnerships, product launches, and improvements that defined Ronin and Axie's success stories over the past 12 months. I began my blockchain journey as a player-scholar at the start of the late 2021, a quarter before the bear took over the whole 2022. It's been amazing to see how Sky Mavis kept on building and relentlessly shipping even in an unappealing market conditions. With their phenomenal expansion this past year, Ronin Network and Axie Infinity have proven they are poised to lead blockchain gaming into the future. I can’t wait to see what innovation they have in store for us in 2024 and beyond!
The Year at a Glance
Ronin Network
Over the past year, Ronin Network has had an eventful journey filled with major product launches, partnerships, and milestones. Here's an overview of Product Launches 
, Partnership Announcements 
, Game Studio Partnerships 
, Listings 
, and Network Updates 
for Ronin Network:
January 5 - Saigon Testnet launched
January 11 - Sky Mavis Developer Portal launched
January 12 - Mavis Hub 2 released
January 17 - Katana Liquidity Mining Program Update released
February 2 - MetaLend deployed on Ronin
February 7 - $RON Liquidity Pools rewards started
February 7 - $RON listed on MEXC
February 20 - $RON mainnet DPoS validator requirement updated
February 28 - $RON staking went live on Saigon Testnet
March 20 - $RON listed on Bitget
March 21 - Ronin Wallet Social Login released
March 25 - $RON Staking Rewards Schedule released
March 30 - $RON Staking went live on Mainnet
March 30 - First Game Studios partnerships announced
April 1 - New Ronin Website released
April 5 - Ronin Mobile Wallet Bright Features update released
April 11 - Ronin Network Validators announced
April 12 - DPoS Hardfork and $RON Staking rewards went live
April 14 - Developer Portal updated
April 19 - Ronin documentation has been open sourced
May 9 - $RON listed on Crypto.com
May 17 - Mavis Market launched
July 18 - AXP launched on Axie Infinity
July 25 - CyberKongz Genkai Mint on Ronin announced
July 27 - The Genkai Mint on Ronin went live
August 3 - New Developer features launched
August 19 - Onmeta x Ronin partnership
August 25 - New Game Studio partnership: Zillion Whales' Wild Forest
August 25 - Clique x Ronin Partnership
September 12 - New Game Studio Migration announced: pixels.xyz
September 15 - Axie Game Jam 2023 announced
September 26 - Ronin Name Service announced
September 29 - New Ronin blog released
October 3 - Offers feature went live on Mavis Market
October 5 - Ronin RESTful API went live
October 11 - Ronin Gifting Portal went live
October 26 - Shillin Hardfork went live on Ronin Mainnet
October 31 - Pixels went live on Ronin
November 2 - ZOIDS WILD ARENA migration to Ronin announced
November 8 - ZOIDS went live on Ronin
November 11 - RNS Public Sale Date announced
November 15 - Ronin Name Service went live
November 17 - Ronin Wallet integrated in Space3
December 1 - Ronin x Binance Pay partnership announced
December 5 - New Game Studio migration announced: Apeiron
December 6 - Impossible Finance partnership announced
December 18 - Apeiron migration went live on Ronin
December 21 - Chainstack partnership went live on Ronin
The team started off strong by launching the Saigon Testnet and the DPoS update to the sidechain. This fulfilled the promise of a secure, scalable Ethereum sidechain optimized for gaming.
There has been a steady cadence of onboarding major game studios and projects like CyberKongz, Pixels Online, and ACT Games. To date, Ronin has onboarded 10 game studio partners with more coming in the next year.
Ronin has continued to expand its capabilities by releasing developer tools, APIs, staking, and DEX features. The launch of RNS showed a focus on making Ronin more user-friendly. As of today, over 400 million transactions have been processed on Ronin while maintaining negligible low gas fees. The ecosystem continues to grow.
To top it all, Ronin Network garnered a million monthly active addresses before the year ended! As we wrap up 2023, Ronin Network has established itself as a leading Ethereum sidechain for gaming and NFTs. The momentum and trajectory are very promising. Ronin is poised to enable the next generation of Web3 games and applications. Exciting times ahead!
We hit 1 M monthly active addresses
Ronin is the most used gaming chain. It's pretty much the only used gaming chain.
It is becoming king of the gaming chains.
Remember, we celebrate adoption, not price.
361
Axie Infinity
Meanwhile, Ronin Network's flagship title, Axie Infinity, continues to ship amazing features and updates. Here's a list of major Game Releases 
, Game Updates 
, Feature Releases 
, Tournaments/Competitive Seasons 
, and Community Events 
in the year 2023 for Axie Infinity:
January 3 - Axie Accessories went live
January 3 - Lunacia's Stocking Stuffers
January 11 - Origins Season 2 launched
February 15 - Axie Infinity's 5th birthday
February 19 - Axie Infinity: Homeland Alpha Season 1 announced
February 22 - Homeland Alpha Season 1 went live
February 24 - New AxieInfinity.com website released
March 2 - New Body Color Filters on app.axie released
March 8 - Origins Season 3 launched
March 23 - Offers went LIVE on App.axie
April 14 - First Axie Esports Major event: AxieTh World Battle Bangkok 2023 launched
April 19 - Homeland Alpha Season 2 went live
April 29 - Origins Season 4 launched
May 17 - Origins has passed review with Apple and made available on the App store
May 24 - Axie Avatar Forge went live
June 2 - Competitive Axie Grants Updates released
June 7 - Atia's Blessing released
June 16 - Axie Land Delegation launched
June 21 - Homeland Alpha Season 3 went LIVE
July 4 - Axie Infinity Raylights Chapter 2 Garden of Friends released
July 4 - Axie Community Week launched
July 13 - Player Profiles On App.axie released
July 18 - Axie Experience Points went LIVE
July 16 - Origins Season 5 launched
August 8 - Mavis Hub: Greenlight and two new Axie mini-games launched
August 15 - Project T launched
August 17 - Axie Streamer Rewards Program S1 launched
August 22 - First-Ever Contributors Town Hall
August 24 - Collections Pages on App.Axie released
August 29 - Lunacian Badges released
August 30 - Contributor Applications opened
September 6 - Homeland Pre-Beta Phase released
September 6 - Sky Smash launched on Mavis Hub Greenlight
September 13 - New Features in Project T released
September 15 - Axie Game Jam 2023 announced
September 28 - App.Axie: Lunalog released 
October 4 - Origins Season 6 launched
October 7 - Axie Quest launched on Mavis Hub Greenlight
October 18 - Axie Spooktoberfest launched
November 2 - AXP went LIVE in Project T
November 22 - Axie Classic… IS BACK
November 24 - Axie Merch Store launched
November 28 - Fortune Slips released
November 29 - Origins Shop launched
November 29 - Axie Infinity: Homeland - Moonbeam Update released
November 30 - Axie Infinity Parts Evolution Lore launched
December 5 - Axie Classic Grand Tournament started
December 14 - Garuda Shrine Shop launched
December 20 - Part Evolution launched
December 27 - Part Evolution Origins Utility announced
December 29 - Axie Classic Balancing Patch released
December 29 - Axie and Ronin Creator Awards announced
This year saw five competitive Axie Infinity: Origins seasons concluded as well as over ten engaging live ops contests and community events. We also saw plenty of new experience launches such as Project T, Sky Smash and Axie Quest as well as updates for Homeland, Axie's land game. Furthermore, we saw the beloved Axie Classic finally making its comeback!
However, the biggest of updates in my opinion was the launch of the long-awaited merch store and the release of parts evolution feature. The launch of Axie Infinity's official merch store was a major milestone, allowing fans to publicly display their love for the game. For a project with such a devoted fanbase, an official merch store was long overdue, and its arrival was greeted with great excitement and purchases from the community.
Additionally, the release of the parts evolution feature marked a big step forward for Axie Infinity by adding a new layer of customization and progression. By allowing Axies' body parts to be upgraded over time, it expanded the possibilities for strategic team building and gave player-collectors another long-term goal to work towards. Overall, these two developments helped make 2023 one of the most impactful years for Axie Infinity since its explosion into the mainstream in 2021. The merch store gave fans a great new way to express their passion, while parts evolution opened up new gameplay opportunities - both welcome additions that speak to the game's continued growth and evolution.
What's Next?
Certainly, 2023 was a year of rebuilding and regrowth for both Ronin Network and Axie Infinity after the challenges of 2022. Ronin successfully relaunched after strengthening the security of the network. Meanwhile, Axie Infinity saw major new feature releases that expanded customization and engagement. While 2023 did not see the explosive growth Axie experienced in 2021, the project made steady progress increasing utility and use cases. With the groundwork laid in 2023, both Ronin and Axie seem poised for an exciting 2024 as they continue building back stronger than ever. Even if the crypto winter may linger a bit longer, the dedicated communities behind these projects remain passionate. Both Ronin Network and Axie Infinity have proven their resilience and adaptability before. As they continue that journey in 2024, the future looks bright. You don't want to miss it.
We put together this guide that covers everything you need to know about $RON the Ronin ecosystem token.
How to buy and store it, what it is, and all the information you need.
Read it here
roninchain.com/blog/posts/how…
For Further Reading
How to Buy RON - Getting started with the Ronin Network ecosystem
Axie Infinity's Parts Evolution: Where it All Began - A dive on the beginnings of Parts Evolution
Disclaimer: The articles on this blog about NFTs and blockchain technologies are for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute financial, legal, or expert advice of any kind. Investing in cryptocurrencies and NFTs involves substantial risk and the possibility of loss. Always do your own research before purchasing any digital assets. The author provides opinions based on personal experience but is not an expert or professional in finance, law, or technology. Readers should seek professional advice from certified experts before making any investment decisions. The author is not liable or responsible for any losses readers may incur from utilizing information on this blog.
