Eight months ago, Toronto-based management consultant Ansel Gravelle stumbled across a video game called Axie Infinity, which promised to pay players cryptocurrency for fighting digital monsters. After paying the $1,000 entry fee and playing for over a month, Gravelle realised he could make more money another way.
Alongside a friend, the 24-year-old launched a company in July that offers “scholarships” to finance players who cannot afford Axie’s entry costs, taking up to half of their earnings in exchange for access to the game.
“Once you have the capital, you can put out a scholarship in a matter of hours,” said Gravelle. He hopes to start working full time on this business, called AxieFacts, from January.