Overview
Blockchain Brawlers is the flagship gaming title from WAX Studios, built on the WAX blockchain — a chain specifically designed for NFTs and gaming with free transactions and account abstraction. The game launched in 2022 with the backing of the WAX team, including William Quigley (co-founder of Tether and WAX), giving it a level of institutional support unusual for blockchain games.
The game features NFT wrestlers in various rarity tiers (Rookie, Amateur, Pro, Legendary, etc.) that compete in crafting-based "brawls." Players equip wrestlers with gear NFTs and send them into the "ring" to earn BRWL tokens. The gameplay loop is essentially: buy wrestler NFT → equip gear → send to brawl → earn BRWL → use BRWL to craft more gear → repeat.
The wrestling theme and WAX's established NFT infrastructure attracted an initial wave of players, particularly from the existing WAX gaming community (which included Alien Worlds players). However, the game's fundamental problem became apparent quickly: the gameplay was repetitive crafting, not actual wrestling. There was minimal strategy, no real-time competition, and no skill-based gameplay. The "wrestling" was purely thematic — the mechanics were click-to-earn.
Gameplay
The gameplay is a crafting loop, not a wrestling game. Players click buttons to send wrestlers into brawls (which resolve automatically based on stats and RNG), collect resources, and craft items. There is no real-time wrestling, no player-versus-player combat in any traditional sense, and minimal strategic depth.
The gameplay experience is comparable to idle or clicker games — functional but not entertaining. Players engage primarily for rewards rather than for fun, which is a death sentence for long-term retention. Once the economic incentive diminishes, there is no gameplay reason to continue playing.
Technology
Built natively on WAX, the game benefits from the chain's strengths: free transactions, fast block times, and seamless NFT minting/trading through AtomicHub. The technical infrastructure is solid for an NFT gaming platform. WAX's gaming-specific design means Blockchain Brawlers doesn't suffer from the gas cost and UX issues that plague Ethereum-based games.
The game client is web-based, making it accessible but limited in visual fidelity. The technology is adequate for the simple gameplay but doesn't push any boundaries.
Economy
The in-game economy suffered from classic play-to-earn hyperinflation. BRWL token emissions exceeded demand, creating consistent sell pressure as players farmed and dumped tokens. The crafting economy generated BRWL sinks (crafting costs BRWL), but these sinks were insufficient to offset emissions. BRWL token has lost 95%+ of its value.
Wrestler NFT prices have similarly collapsed. Legendary wrestlers that once sold for thousands of dollars are now available for a fraction of that. The economic model required continuous growth in player base to sustain token demand, and that growth reversed.
Adoption
Player counts peaked shortly after launch and have declined steadily. WAX blockchain gaming overall has seen reduced activity, and Blockchain Brawlers has followed the trend. The game retains a small community of dedicated players, but active daily users are a fraction of peak numbers. New player acquisition has effectively stopped.
Tokenomics
BRWL token was designed as the game's primary reward and crafting currency. The emission schedule was too aggressive for the actual demand, leading to persistent inflation. Token utility was limited to in-game crafting, providing no external demand source. Without meaningful token sinks or external demand, BRWL's value was destined to approach zero — and it has gotten close.
Risk Factors
- Repetitive gameplay: Crafting loop lacks entertainment value
- Token hyperinflation: BRWL emissions far exceeded demand
- Declining player base: Active users trending toward zero
- NFT value collapse: Wrestler NFTs have lost 95%+ of value
- WAX ecosystem risk: WAX chain's overall gaming activity is declining
- No competitive moat: Gameplay is easily replicated and not differentiated
- Play-to-earn fatigue: The broader P2E model has lost credibility
Conclusion
Blockchain Brawlers demonstrates both the potential and limitations of WAX as a gaming blockchain. The infrastructure works — free transactions, seamless NFT trading, accessible web client — but the game built on it prioritized tokenomics over gameplay. The 2.2 score reflects competent technical execution on WAX with fundamentally flawed game design and unsustainable economics. The wrestling theme was promising, but delivering a crafting idle game instead of actual wrestling gameplay left players with no reason to stay once BRWL rewards became worthless.