My name is Masamune, the art director of Sky Mavis and the creator of Axie.
I’ve been anticipating Parts Evolution for years, and now the release date is finally here. Although I designed all of Axie’s components, the combinations that come from the Axie community always bring unexpected surprises. The growth team sent me a list of questions about Parts Evolution, but I didn’t really like the format, so I decided to write this letter instead.
Let’s go back to the beginning…
When we first started coming up with the idea for the Axie game (I don’t know much about Trung), we didn’t really have any great ambitions. I just wanted to make a game, and I just wanted it to do well financially. At the time, I simply thought Axie would be similar to a Tamagotchi, so I gave Axie a round body with small limbs.
Axie parts are all randomly designed. I thought of something, drew it, and produced it as needed for the game. Of course, there were some very odd parts, like the sandals, because there was no tradition back then. At that time, my goal was to create characters whose shapes and colors were pleasing to the eye when randomly combined. I also gave them very random names with my limited English skills. But I didn’t expect everyone to like Axie so much. To not disappoint our growing community and make Axie more worthy of its title as the world’s best NFT collection, we’ve completely redesigned and rebuilt Axie. Especially the Special Collection and Mystic axes. This newly drawn axis debuted in Origins.
Later I put more thought into designing a new starter axle and level 2 parts. Drawing isn’t something that takes a lot of time, it’s the thought that takes up most of my time. I draw all my pictures in my head first. By the time you decide to pick up the pen, the hard work has already been done, and at that point, it’s as if you’re printing out the results.
Axie parts are designed to ensure versatility in every aspect. There are some cute parts, some cool parts, some fierce parts, some wacky and quirky… I always try to keep this ratio as balanced as possible, splitting it up evenly for each class. (Right now the stupid part may seem a bit dominant, but this will balance out once the Dusk, Dawn and Mech parts are released.)
I always love designing beautiful pieces, but I also intentionally create “not-so-beautiful” pieces. Because if everything is beautiful, beauty loses its meaning. If people feel a bit disappointed when they receive a less-than-good axi, they will be motivated to find one that suits their taste better. This will make the axie more valuable to collectors. Still, I hope axes have a generally fun look and that people can feel joy every time they see them.
It may be hard to believe, but the Phase 2 parts were originally conceived and designed at the same time as the Phase 1 parts, and were completed shortly after Axie was first released. However, the Axie team had no plans to release a Level 2 part at the time, so that design was never used. Since then, Axie Level 2 parts have been completely redesigned twice. Some parts still retain the original idea, while others have been completely changed. Although members of the art team contributed to the ideation phase, I did most of the design and was the final renderer for all Axie assets. Many people say that it is not the art director’s job, but that I can provide direction and delegate the illustration work to the team. But I’m pretty picky and I always want the quality of my axie to be the best, so I take on all the work related to Axie’s images, refining each pixel until it’s perfect, even if it means scrapping everything and redrawing 2-2. number 3.
The biggest challenge when designing the Axie Level 2 parts was maintaining the character of the parts and maintaining a minimalist art style while still achieving an “elevated” feel. Axie parts evolve according to different logics, such as becoming larger or transitioning according to natural evolution (a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, a bud blooms into a flower). When you run out of ideas, you may also find some very strange logic that I came up with myself. Nonetheless, adding details was always kept to a minimum as we didn’t want Axie to get messed up when players upgrade her multiple times.
The conceptualization of the axis section is almost complete to the final stage. It’s important to me that the art team understands the complete development direction of each piece.
When I play Pokemon, I always want my Pokemon to have the best power. That means evolving your Pokémon to reach its maximum level. But not all forms of final evolution were beautiful to me. In that case, I decide not to evolve and grab the Eviolite item. The same goes for Axie. For some people, higher forms of evolution may not be satisfactory. Especially when you like cute Axie. Most evolutions will make Axie cooler, more mature, and more bizarre. Personally, I believe that every Axis part has its own unique characteristics and value. It’s not necessarily true that level 2 has to be “better” than level 1 in terms of imaging. Level 2 is simply change, options, new choices. So in my opinion, if you are completely satisfied with any part of your axie, there is no need to necessarily upgrade (especially the face).
Honestly, I like all the parts, and I erased the parts I didn’t like and drew them again. Each part has separate missions with unique moves that I imagine may not appear in the game.
Designing parts for Beast and Plant was the easiest because there were so many feasible ideas. So I always design the Beast first, then the Plant. Even more difficult are birds and reptiles. Because in reality there’s usually not much of a distinction. Birds don’t have horns or ears, and reptiles don’t have ears either. At that moment, I had to ask my ancestors for help. Bugs are the most difficult class to design for, so I usually save them for last. Insects aren’t my favorite subject, so I don’t have much knowledge about them. Making sure it’s still cool but not terrible is a real art.
That said, the hardest part to design is the Mystic part, the part everyone loves and is most excited about. The mysterious axis originated from Trung’s last-minute request. He wanted some of the axes to have a slightly different look and a lower total supply so that opening the Mystic axes would be more interesting and exciting. Because it was a last-minute request, there wasn’t much we could do, and as a result, the Mystic parts were only in different colors or slightly different shapes. After the success of Axie, I felt Mystics needed to be a little more special, so I decided to redesign it through a serious and intentional process. In addition to the appearance, the story had to be great. I have given the Mystic Axes a very important mission. It is to protect the moon, the heart of Atia and the source of all axis power. That’s why the Mystics’ designs have a cosmic theme, using patterns, textures and colors similar to those of the god Atia.
Additionally, they are equipped with spacesuits for living in space (unfortunately, many people do not like these suits).
Designing the later stages of the Mystic parts was also really difficult. Because it’s already cool. Moreover, the task becomes more difficult when the design of the basic part must be followed. In the 2D version, Mystic Level 2 parts may not have any noticeable variations. My hope is that in a 3D version with animation and VFX, the Mystique part can really show its worth.
Among the second stage parts, there is one part that is quite special to me. In the early days of Axie, a community member told me… He said he really likes fish, especially trout. He wanted to have an ax part inspired by this fish. Of course, it was impossible to add one more Axis part, so I promised to use trout for the level 2 parts. I don’t know if that community member still remembers, but I used trout for stage 2 of the Navaga tail. I researched and realized that there are many types of trout. He wasn’t sure who he would like, so he chose the one he thought was the most beautiful.
In addition to Axis parts, we plan to release more diverse Axis bodies that can hold weapons, dance, drive, and most importantly, wear pants. Axies should have more features to prepare for development of both the breadth and depth of future Axie Infinity games.
Finally, I started writing Lore for Axie’s world. About its origins, special axes, and all things Lunacia. We know that creating well-rounded and beloved characters can’t just be based on looks, they also need a touching story behind them. Parts Evolution is just the beginning of the evolution of Axie, especially the entire world of Lunacia and the Axie Infinity franchise in general. Over the next year, more exciting things will be revealed about the world of Axie.
Once again, thank you to everyone who has loved and supported Axie Infinity so far.
Masamune