In the ever-evolving world of blockchain and NFTs, few have as rich an experience as Jeffrey Zirlin. As a co-founder of Ronin and Axie Infinity, Zirlin (community nickname Jihoz) has been actively involved in shaping its narrative since the birth of blockchain gaming.
In a conversation with OpenSea, Zirlin reflected on his life journey: inspired by his father's love for insects and fossils during childhood, he became a collector and has now become a pioneer in the field of blockchain gaming.
He shared insights on the development of Ronin (a blockchain designed specifically for gaming) and articulated his views on the future of NFTs. Zirlin is someone dedicated to merging gaming with collecting, two hobbies that have defined his personal interests and career trajectory.
Note: This record has been edited for length and clarity.
OpenSea: Long before most people knew what NFTs were, you were already making strides in this field. What initially attracted you to it? And what has kept you going after all the ups and downs?
Jeffrey Zirlin: Personally, since discovering cryptocurrency around 2011, I've always believed in it. However, I wasn't interested in using it or building in this space until I discovered NFTs. I've been a gamer and collector since childhood; my dad collected insects and fossils, which is how I spent time with him. I always tried to find the rarest butterflies or fossils to impress him.
When I discovered NFTs through CryptoKitties—where I also met Devin and many early OpenSea team members—that moment was an epiphany for me. I realized that cryptocurrency's utility goes far beyond making money or hedging against inflation. If it could engage me so deeply, I believe it could do the same for others. There are far more people passionate about gaming and collectibles than those obsessed with finance or inflation.
OpenSea: This makes sense. It's interesting that you joined with the mindset of a collector. I think many people with gaming or collecting backgrounds eventually entered the web3 space. I always think of Vitalik's origin story—losing everything in (World of Warcraft) and then deciding to prevent others from experiencing that. Looking back at those early days of Axie, could you foresee the direction this space was headed, or was it all unexpected?
Jeffrey Zirlin: Many early adopters of NFTs believed they could become masterpieces. We all saw their potential. Even now, as NFTs fade from the spotlight, we still believe that. However, as founders, you do need a bit of fantasy. At the time, we felt that NFTs would either remain niche products for enthusiasts or explode in popularity.
In Peter Thiel's book (Zero to One), he talks about how big companies often start from niche markets or hobbyist markets. This idea resonates with many of us who are gamers—like (Runescape) or (World of Warcraft)—trying to trade digital goods through unreliable third-party websites.
I only realized later, but people like Marc Andreessen pointed out that the existence of eBay's trust scores indicates a fundamental flaw in the internet: we lack the infrastructure to transact directly without a trusted intermediary. NFTs seem to be the solution to that problem.
OpenSea: That's an interesting comparison. You've played many roles—community builder, strategist, game designer. Which role feels the most authentic to you now?
Jeffrey Zirlin: I fundamentally see myself as a gamer and a collector. This is how I introduce myself, and it forms the basis of everything I do in this space. Ronin is a chain built for gamers, and we attract those who care about games and ownership.
As a child, I could always find ways to get all my classmates to play the games I played. So promoting a gaming ecosystem like this feels like my second nature—it reflects my childhood. That's why I see it as my 'life's meaning' (ikigai). When I build community around games, my identity and my work align completely.
OpenSea: Let's talk about Ronin. Overall, what is unique about Ronin as an L1 game? How do you define 'Ronin-native' games?
Jeffrey Zirlin: Ronin is the first public chain marketed around a single application—it's built specifically for Axie Infinity. So, from the start, its design was game-centric, laying a solid foundation: a public chain for gamers and game developers. Of course, now it also hosts other applications like Katana and REX, along with a growing DeFi ecosystem.
But these are all add-ons. If you're going to build a gaming chain, you need infrastructure like DEXs to support it. What truly sets Ronin apart is our community—over the past seven years, there have been 17 million wallet downloads and 1.5 million monthly active users. This is a chain made up of players who know how to use Web3 and genuinely love gaming.
It is this community that has driven developers to migrate to Ronin. Pixels' daily active users grew from 5,000 to 1.4 million, and forgotten Runiverse users increased fifteenfold.
The number of testers for Fableborne jumped from 103 in the second season to 150,000 in the third season. Cambria doubled player spending after migration. These teams see real growth potential because they are leveraging a genuinely active Web3-native gaming community.
OpenSea: You basically answered my next question about the relationship between Ronin and Axie. They have always been closely coupled, but as you work to build a broader, game-agnostic L1 platform, how do you balance the relationship between the two?
Jeffrey Zirlin: Axie and Ronin are like Mario and Nintendo. In the early days, they were almost synonymous. Most people who played Nintendo games also played Mario, but over time, other IPs joined in, and the platform expanded. I believe Axie will always be our flagship IP and will continue to grow as new communities and games emerge.
We've already seen this in OpenSea integrations. When people think of Ronin, they think of Axie—suddenly, we've seen Axie's trading volume soar. It has clearly become the number one ranked game NFT in terms of trading volume over the past week or so. I also believe that the quality standards needed for success in Web3 gaming are rising, which is a good thing.
OpenSea: What do you think the 'mainstream moment' for blockchain gaming will look like?
Jeffrey Zirlin: It's always difficult to pinpoint when something transitions from subculture to mainstream culture. It's often a bittersweet process; you lose some of the pioneering energy, and things get diluted. Think about folk music—Bob Dylan helped promote it, but not everyone liked later folk music.
In 2021, we saw the first glimpse of Axie. In the Philippines, Axie quickly became popular, with some of the country's top streamers playing it, forming guilds, and even influencing local politics. There's a story of a congressman visiting a rural area who saw a child sitting in a tree and asked why he was there. The child replied, 'I'm playing Axie Infinity; I need better internet.' You only realize the charm of Axie when people are playing it daily and making it part of their local culture.
I think the next wave of applications will come like a chemical reaction—slowly at first, then suddenly exploding. It will stem from the right games, the right economic systems, and a passionate community. The case of the Philippines may signal broader applications.
OpenSea: Was there a moment that made you certain blockchain gaming had fully entered the mainstream? For example, when someone played Axie, did you stop and say, 'Okay, we made it.'?
Jeffrey Zirlin: To be honest, I think one of the biggest signs is that every player suddenly has their own opinion about cryptocurrency. For a while, no one cared, and then all of a sudden, they were angry about it. Vice's documentaries, strong opposition, and debates are everywhere. This pushback actually marks that we're breaking through.
Of course, I think we will see more creators and influencers start to embrace it, just like we saw in the Philippines. But I also think of collectors. Who brought collecting into the mainstream? Honestly, it was shows like (Pawn Stars). If we can get Chumlee and Rick involved, that might be another key moment.
OpenSea: Five years from now, do you think players will know or care that they're interacting with a blockchain?
Jeffrey Zirlin: People don't pay much attention to internet infrastructure, but blockchain is a bit different. In gaming, it's more like a platform—Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation, where players have strong preferences.
They care because they own a part of it. Even if two chains are exactly the same, if they have different tokens, people will still care. But they are not entirely the same; the differences are significant.
OpenSea: As someone who helped define 'play-to-earn', how do you view this narrative today?
Jeffrey Zirlin: When I first got into cryptocurrency, I found mining interesting, but I didn't know how to set it up. I wanted a way to participate directly—creating value rather than just buying. After I raised two CryptoKitties and sold them, I suddenly understood. It felt like mining to me.
With Axie, we were thinking about how to make this participation easier to achieve. Can we reward people for spending time, using skills, and contributing to the ecosystem? This is the original meaning of 'play-to-earn'—applying proof of work to games.
Of course, Bitcoin miners are rewarded for maintaining network security, and gaming is similar. If no one plays your game, it will die. So, if you can reward early players, you can give your game a chance to grow. Tokens can help drive the flywheel of activity, community, and fun.
OpenSea: This makes sense. Do you have anything else to tell the readers about the future of Axie or Ronin?
Jeffrey Zirlin: I think the cryptocurrency space is currently in a period of reflection. People are rediscovering meaning. The cycle of meme coins was once fun, but I see more and more people returning to the unique aspects of this space.
Everyone says Web3 games and NFTs are dead, but the data doesn't show that. Today, there are more people using Ronin than during the peak of Axie. We should celebrate this, and I see people starting to enjoy gaming again—especially after the meme season has cooled down.
The collaboration between OpenSea and Ronin may signify the beginning of a new era. Perhaps from this moment, we will witness the rise of both platforms.
OpenSea: This is so exciting. Thank you very much for taking the time. This conversation has been amazing.
Jeffrey Zirlin: Nice to meet you.
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