Aiming to Become the 'Nintendo' of P2E Games... “Korea Is Extremely Important” [Crypto Briefing]

"My name is Jeffrey Kim Zirlin, and my Korean name is Kim Ji-ho. Although I grew up in the United States, my mother is Korean, so I have spent a lot of time in Korea."
On the 24th of last month, at WALKERHILL HOTELS & RESORTS in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, I met Jeffrey Zirlin, co-founder of Sky Mavis, during Korea Blockchain Week (KBW2025). Greeting me with a brief 'Annyeonghaseyo' in Korean, he expressed his affection for Korea and mentioned that his spouse is also Korean.
Founded in 2018, Sky Mavis is known for developing Axie Infinity, a flagship Play To Earn (P2E) game, as well as Ronin, a blockchain specialized for gaming. P2E games allow players to earn rewards by meeting certain conditions while playing. The genre surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the market cooled after the pandemic subsided. Zirlin presented a vision to overcome this by transforming Ronin into a platform. He explained, "Ronin hosts a variety of games and boasts a strong community. Many people want to develop crypto games, and they want to build them on Ronin. To support this, we invest in, publish, and advise specific studios and developers. Ultimately, our goal is to make Ronin the 'Nintendo of the Web3 gaming industry.'"


He revealed that the next project will be the development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) utilizing the Axie Infinity character IP. The project has been in development for about six months, but a release date has not yet been set.
Zirlin noted, "While it's not as strong as in 2021, Axie Infinity still maintains a robust community, with 600,000 users annually. For the P2E market to grow again, innovation is essential. We are currently developing an MMORPG that will incorporate all the lessons we've learned so far."
He emphasized the importance of the Korean market and hinted at potential collaborations with various companies. "Korea is a crucial market because of its deep passion for both gaming and crypto. Since it is a market centered on IP and characters, we hope Axie Infinity characters will be well-loved here. The upcoming MMORPG will be a great opportunity for Korean users to engage with our content," he said.
"Back in 2021, we created a unique K-pop group for Axie Infinity, which became very popular. In the future, we want to collaborate with more K-pop groups and Virtual Idols. Since many Axie Infinity users are enthusiastic about K-pop in Southeast Asia and South America, this will also be a great opportunity for Korean companies. By partnering with specific brands, we could launch clothing and accessories for Axie Infinity characters or offer in-game advertising opportunities," he added.


yimsh0214@fnnews.com Im Sang-hyuk Reporter