'Pokémon' Rip-Off NFT Game Loses $600 Million In Largest Crypto Heist Ever

Most crypto-based video games crash and burn because people want games to be fun, not carrot-shaped promises of profit – true gamers know that the only good way to make money is via real gambling. There is, however, one light at the end of the tunnel: Axie Infinity, a Pokémon-inspired take on NFT collectibles that actually looks pretty neat! Update: Axie Infinity just crashed and burned after crypto-heisters stole over $600 million from the game's network.

Readers who are just learning about an NFT game worth over $600 million shouldn't be ashamed, because this is the kind of game that thrives on a niche – one they should be happy they're not a part of. Getting the attention of big dumb money whales is great, but getting too famous for a game's profitability might attract even larger predators interested in one's hard-scammed money. That was the case with the Ronin network, which served as the base for Axie Infinity and saw all of their famed blockchain-fuelled security destroyed by a backdoor.

$617 million makes this not just the greatest heist in the hilariously long history of crypto heists, it makes it one of the greatest heists in the history of real things as well. Readers might want to reply that this doesn't count because crypto is fake – and that energy slaps, but the same can be said about the “real” money, so there's that. An interesting note from history is that the greatest ever heist was conducted by real-life Call Of Duty villain Sadam Hussein himself, who managed to get away with the theft of over $920 million dollars. We're not saying that readers should try to outdo him in an even larger crypto heist, but we believe that as a society we should move past having that guy as the holder of such an awesome-sounding world record.

Top Image: Sky Mavis