NFT Gaming's New Life: AXS, SAND, and ILV Show Their Muscles in 2025

I've been watching the NFT gaming space with a mix of fascination and skepticism, and honestly, I'm surprised by the resilience of these tokens. Despite all the "NFT is dead" talk that dominated discourse last year, these gaming tokens are quietly proving the haters wrong.

Axie Infinity's token is climbing despite less trading activity. At $2.23 after a 4.31% rise, it's fascinating how AXS maintains upward momentum while trading volume dropped 19.7% to $18M. Feels almost manipulated, doesn't it? With 166.47 million tokens circulating out of 270 million total, I wonder who's accumulating while retail isn't looking.

The Sandbox keeps impressing me, though I've always questioned its actual user base versus its market cap. SAND rose 3.87% to $0.2645 with market cap climbing to $680.84M despite volume dropping by nearly 30%. Big money keeps buying while small traders are distracted elsewhere - classic crypto playbook.

Illuvium might actually be my favorite of the three. At $12.36 after a 3.81% rise, its 11.04% volume-to-market-cap ratio shows genuine trading interest. The charts don't lie - when prices keep making higher lows despite volume drops, someone smart is buying.

What nobody's talking about is how these games still struggle with actual gameplay. I've tried them all, and let's be real - people aren't playing for fun but for profit. The moment token prices stop rising, player numbers plummet.

These projects represent the first wave of blockchain gaming, but they're desperately clinging to relevance as real game developers slowly enter the space. Will they survive competition from projects with actual gameplay? I doubt it, but I've been wrong before.

The smart money is watching volume patterns, not just price. When these tokens maintain strength despite decreasing volume, it suggests accumulation by larger players. Don't get caught holding bags, but don't dismiss the staying power of these tokens either.

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