Ronin Launches zkEVM for Game Projects to Develop Their Own Layer-2

Ronin Network, the gaming sidechain, is integrating zkEVM into its protocol. In the future, developers can use Polygon CDK to build zkEVM Layer-2 solutions on Ronin's mainnet.

Ronin Launches zkEVM for Game Projects to Develop Their Own Layer-2

Ronin Network, a gaming-focused sidechain, has announced the launch of its Layer-2 infrastructure called "Ronin zkEVM."

According to the announcement, developers can utilize the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) to build their own zkEVM Layer-2 solutions on Ronin.

Ronin currently supports games within its ecosystem efficiently at low costs. However, fully on-chain games face integration challenges on Ronin due to high transaction volumes potentially congesting the network.

Therefore, the integration of zkEVM on Ronin is expected to facilitate the creation of more games and accommodate higher user volumes by enabling game projects to build their own Layer-2 solutions.

zkEVM (zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine) is a virtual machine that creates zero-knowledge proofs to verify accuracy. zkEVM is part of zero-knowledge rollup technology, which enhances Layer-2 scalability on Ethereum by processing transactions off-chain.

In the future, Ronin aims to evolve into a Layer-2 as an AggLayer, linking the Layer-2 solutions of various game projects built on it to create unified liquidity using Cross-Chain Relayer, ensuring seamless transactions across multiple zkEVM chains.

The first zkEVM Layer-2 on Ronin is expected to launch in Q1 2025. By then, users might see Pixels Chain, Apeiron Chain, or even Ragnarok Chain on Ronin.

Operational model of Cross-Chain Relayer on Ronin. Source: Ronin

Sky Mavis co-founder, the company behind Ronin, Jeff Zirlin, stated that Ronin is preparing to handle billions of transactions in the future. He said:

"Currently, Ronin can process up to 40 million transactions a day. However, we are not stopping there; we are looking towards a future where we can handle 400 million, or even 4 billion transactions a day. zkEVM will be the key tool to achieve this." Sky Mavis CEO and co-founder Trung Nguyen mentioned that Ronin aims to create a gaming ecosystem that allows token transfers and NFT transactions between Layer-1 and Layer-2. He affirmed:

"We believe Ronin zkEVM plays a crucial role in helping us reach billions of gamers. With Polygon's technology, this collaboration marks a new era for Web3 gaming." Ronin currently holds a dominant position in blockchain gaming with over 1.5 million daily users and more than 18 million Ronin wallet downloads. These numbers far surpass other gaming-focused Layer-1s like Endurance, which has just over 1,000 daily users.

Daily active addresses on Ronin. Source: Ronin explorer (19/06/2024)

Ronin is also the first blockchain to have two games with over 1 million users, including Axie Infinity and Pixels. The game Pixels has attracted over 4.4 million users since migrating to Ronin.

The price of RONIN has surged nearly 7% following the announcement on the evening of June 18. Currently, RONIN is trading around $2.4 USD.

4-hour chart of the RONIN/USDT pair on Binance at 11:45 AM on June 19, 2024