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Ronin zkEVM: A New Era for Web3 Gaming
Ronin, the blockchain designed for gaming, has announced the upcoming launch of Ronin zkEVM, a zero-knowledge (ZK) Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) layer-2 chain. This new chain is developed using a modified version of the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) by Sky Mavis.
On June 18, the Ronin team revealed plans to launch a dedicated ZK chain to accommodate a growing user base and support the expansion of its game studio partners. This enhancement aims to improve the permissionless environment, facilitating the integration of more gaming experiences into the network.
Moreover, the team intends to integrate an enshrined Polygon ZK prover into Ronin. This addition will allow game studios to build their own zkEVM blockchains without the need to establish their own security and consensus mechanisms.
Preparing for Massive Transaction Volumes
Originally developed for the popular play-to-earn (P2E) game Axie Infinity, the Ronin blockchain now supports a wider gaming ecosystem. Data from the Ronin blockchain explorer indicates that the network has reached 1.4 million daily active addresses. Jeff Zirlin highlighted that the network is preparing to handle billions of transactions in the future:
“At 1.5 million daily active users, Ronin is the largest gaming blockchain globally. Currently, Ronin can handle up to 40 million transactions per day, but we are preparing for a future where we handle 400 million or even four billion transactions, and zkEVM is key to this.”
With the enhanced scalability of Ronin zkEVM, Sky Mavis believes that partner studios will continue to innovate and expand. The network has already attracted major blockchain games, benefiting from its extensive player base. For example, Web3 game Pixels surpassed 4.4 million users after migrating to Ronin in October 2023.
Zirlin also pointed out other advantages of the new zkEVM chain, such as a seamless cross-chain experience and potentially higher staking rewards:
“This step in our permissionless journey includes the ability for third-party builders to launch their own layer-2 blockchains on Ronin, opening opportunities for more games and players.”
Creating a Unified Web3 Gaming Ecosystem
Trung Nguyen, CEO and co-founder of Sky Mavis, emphasized their goal of creating a unified gaming ecosystem that facilitates asset transfers, token swaps, and non-fungible token (NFT) trading between layer-1 and layer-2 games:
“We believe Ronin zkEVM is crucial to help us onboard billions of gamers. With Polygon’s technology, this collaboration marks a new era of Web3 gaming.”
Polygon Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal also highlighted the significance of the Polygon CDK. He noted that Ronin is “leading the way,” combining advanced technology with substantial distribution power and user engagement. Nailwal added that the Polygon CDK would bolster Ronin’s gaming ecosystem, making the network an even more attractive destination for game studios.