Quick Take
- Axie Infinity co-founder Jeffrey “Jihoz” Zirlin brings Web3 gaming to Pawn After Dark, breaking down Axie, NFTs, and Ronin for mainstream audiences.
- Jihoz highlights Axie as the “Bitcoin of Web3 gaming” and previews massive growth ahead, including the 17M+ pre registrations for Atia’s Legacy.
- Ronin’s ecosystem continues to scale, powering hit games like Pixels and shaping new models such as Risk to Earn and player owned economies.
Axie Infinity co founder Jeffrey “Jihoz” Zirlin made an unexpected appearance on Pawn After Dark, joining Rick Harrison and Chumlee for a crash course in NFTs, play to earn, and the evolution of Web3 gaming.
Zirlin explained Axie Infinity as a Pokémon-inspired digital pet battler where players own and trade their characters on Ronin, the blockchain Sky Mavis built specifically for games. For the Pawn Stars hosts, the strongest connection was collecting. Zirlin compared rare “Origin” and “Mystic” Axies to high-grade Charizards, noting that some still sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
He also shared how Axie became many players’ first step into crypto, especially in the Philippines during COVID, where communities used the game to supplement income and learn digital ownership. Today Ronin has millions of users, a growing developer ecosystem, and titles like Pixels thriving on the network.
Recently, Zirlin called Axie the “Bitcoin of Web3 gaming” in a recent interview, pointing to its early impact and long-term staying power. Sky Mavis’ next major project, Atia’s Legacy, is a large-scale Axie MMO that has already exceeded 17 million pre registrations ahead of its first tests.
On the show, Rick and Chumlee even explored what a “digital pawn shop” might look like using blockchain loans and NFT-backed assets. Zirlin ended the episode by gifting limited Axie plushies and helping the hosts set up their first Ronin wallets.
