@jihozaxie, co-founder of @axieinfinity and the @roninnetwork, took to social

jihoz_axie, co-founder of axieinfinity and the ronin_network, took to social media on February 24, 2026, to offer a measured defense of crypto gaming's trajectory — warning the community not to let bad-faith actors obscure real progress made since the early days of on-chain applications.

Jeffrey Zirlin, known in the space as Jihoz, contrasted today's NFT gaming landscape with the state of the industry when Axie Infinity was founded — a period when the most notable on-chain applications were novelty experiments with little lasting utility. His remarks serve as a reminder of how far the application layer has come, even as current market conditions and community expectations remain demanding.

Progress With Caveats

Jihoz acknowledged that the current state of crypto gaming does not meet today's standards, but framed that gap as a reflection of rising expectations rather than stagnation. He pointed to the last 18 months as a particularly notable period for the emergence of viable, diverse applications — a trend Sky Mavis has advocated for since 2020.

At the same time, he stressed the need for honesty about failures along the way and maintained a sense of urgency for continued development.

Sky Mavis built Axie Infinity into one of Web3 gaming's most recognized franchises, and the Ronin Network serves as its dedicated blockchain infrastructure. Jihoz is also a venture partner at 1kxnetwork, a fund focused on token-based networks.

The comments arrive as the broader Abstract ecosystem and Web3 gaming sector continue to see new application launches, with developer and community attention increasingly focused on sustainable, user-driven experiences.