Ronin, a gaming blockchain, has unveiled its latest innovation – the Ronin zkEVM, a zero-knowledge (ZK) Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) layer-2 chain created using a modified version of the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) by Sky Mavis.
The team announced on June 18 their plans to launch this dedicated ZK chain to cater to a larger user base and support the growth of their game studio partners. This strategic move aims to enhance the open environment of the network, making it easier to integrate various gaming experiences.
Furthermore, Ronin intends to integrate a Polygon ZK prover into its system, enabling game studios to construct their own zkEVM blockchains without having to establish their own security and consensus mechanisms.
Initially designed for the popular play-to-earn game Axie Infinity, the Ronin blockchain has now expanded to support a wider gaming ecosystem. Data from the Ronin blockchain explorer shows that the network already boasts 1.4 million daily active addresses.
Jeff Zirlin, co-founder of Sky Mavis, revealed that the network is gearing up to handle billions in transactions with the enhanced scalability of Ronin zkEVM. This development is expected to empower partner studios to continue innovating and growing.
Several major blockchain games have already joined the network, benefiting from its large player base. For instance, the Web3 game Pixels has attracted over 4.4 million users since migrating to Ronin in October 2023.
Zirlin highlighted the advantages of the new zkEVM chain, such as a seamless cross-chain experience and potentially higher staking rewards. He emphasized that this move towards permissionless innovation will allow third-party developers to launch their own layer-2 blockchains on Ronin, paving the way for more games and players to join the ecosystem.
In line with their vision of a unified gaming ecosystem, Trung Nguyen, CEO and co-founder of Sky Mavis, aims to enable asset transfers, token swaps, and NFT trading between layer-1 and layer-2 games. Meanwhile, Polygon Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal commended Ronin for leading the way in combining technology with broad distribution power and user engagement. Nailwal expressed confidence that the Polygon CDK would further support Ronin’s gaming ecosystem, making it an attractive hub for game studios.
In related news, SocialFi has boosted game revenue, while the creator of Axie Infinity is considering moving away from Discord in favor of a Web3 gaming environment.