Key Points

• We’re thrilled to outline our plans to enable zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (zkEVM) on Ronin! This would allow builders to launch their own Layer 2 chains on top of the Ronin mainnet, while opening the door to faster and more accessible gaming experiences on Ronin. More games, smoother transactions.
• Ronin builders will soon be able to leverage the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) to create their own zkEVM chains on Ronin.
• This is a big step towards Ronin’s infinite scalability and a permissionless ecosystem. If you’re interested in exploring our thinking on a more technical level, check out the latest Whitepaper here.

This is a moment we’ve been looking forward to for years. 

In 2018, five founders joined forces in a cramped Vietnamese office to build Axie Infinity. They shared a vision of ownership-infused blockchain games, and that vision would go on to catalyze the birth of an industry.

Years later, Ronin’s launch marked the birth of a blockchain optimized for gaming and enabled Axie to take the world by storm. 

Last year, Ronin upgraded to DPOS and paved the way for the next generation of web3 games to deploy on Ronin.

Today, we begin yet another chapter in our journey…

The time has come to scale Ronin with zkEVM.

Introducing zkEVM on Ronin

At 1.5M daily active users (DAA), Ronin is the largest gaming blockchain in the world. We’ve done this because of our focus on onboarding real users, real gamers. Real people.

The next step in our journey builds on this core DNA, and leverages the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) to continue forging ahead on our mission. 

In the future, game developers will have the ability to launch their own Layer 2 blockchains on top of Ronin mainnet. These new Ronin chains will use zero-knowledge proofs to open the door to more games, more players, and more economic freedom.

The introduction of zkEVM will also align incentives between Ronin Layer 2 chains and Ronin’s mainnet. For example, developers will need to meet the 250K RON requirement to run a Ronin validator before launching their chain – and this economic activity on the L2s can even increase staking rewards for delegators. Shared security, shared rewards. This means Ronin’s scalability, security, and decentralization will improve together.

What is zkEVM?

zkEVM allows a blockchain to process more transactions without revealing transaction data. Think of it like this: 

James is the only person who knows the location of a hidden treasure. If he reveals the treasure’s location to another person, they might claim it for themselves! So, James keeps the location secret. One day, a friend asks James for proof that the treasure is real. How can James prove that he knows the treasure’s location without revealing its exact location to the friend? James can use zero-knowledge proofs. Here’s how:

James can take a picture of himself with the treasure, and show that picture to his friend.

In this example, James can prove his knowledge of the treasure’s location without revealing its exact location. In the context of blockchains, zero-knowledge proofs allow validators to prove their knowledge of transactions without revealing the underlying data. This reduces the blockspace required and preserves privacy. As a result, the blockchain can process transactions with greater efficiency. That means faster and less expensive transactions from transfers to swaps to smart contract interactions and more.

Today, Ronin can handle up to ~40 million transactions per day. What would it take to make that number 400 million, or even 4 billion? zkEVM is the answer. Imagine the Ronin mainnet as it exists today, then picture an infinite web of chains on top. That’s how zkEVMs will help scale Ronin.

ZkEVM increases the surface area for the types of games that can onboard to Ronin.

While Ronin has comfortably supported existing games in the ecosystem with low gas costs, our exponential growth means we need to stay 5 steps ahead when it comes to scalability. Certain games, such as fully-onchain-games, have specific needs and may even want to put a majority of game actions on-chain. In the past, it’s been difficult for these types of games to onboard to Ronin because of their potential to clog up Ronin with transactions.

What This Means for the Ronin Movement

If everything goes according to plan, the first zkEVM chains may launch sometime in Q1 2025. At that time, builders will have the opportunity to make their own blockchains on top of Ronin. That means you might see a Pixels chain, an Apeiron chain, or even a Ragnarok chain! These game-specific chains will give builders stronger tools to create ownership-fueled experiences in their gaming universe. More chains, more games. However, these opportunities also bestow new responsibilities onto users.

Today, the Ronin ecosystem has a handful of live games. In a year from now, the implementation of zkEVMs will bring more builders to our ecosystem. These builders will be able to design games, dApps & tokens, and entire ecosystems! You’ll be able to transfer, swap tokens, and trade NFTs across any of these chains – and must also accept the responsibility of doing your own careful research, as users will remain 100% responsible for their on-chain actions.

Here’s a quick summary of the benefits of zkEVM. Screenshot this for reference.

• Scalability
  • zkEVM enables infinite blockspace by enabling economically aligned layer 2 chains to be deployed on top of Ronin
  • Eventually Ronin is exploring Agglayer to turn itself into a L2, leading to Ethereum alignment
• User experience
  • Seamless cross-chain experience that allows users to seamlessly tap into applications like Mavis Market and Katana from a zkEVM chain
• Economic Alignment
  • Potentially higher staking rewards since the L2 sequencer fees go to the validator running the L2 chain
  • Starting a zkEVM chain requires 250,000 RON, potentially increasing demand and utility for RON
• More games
  • Allows onboarding of game teams with technical needs that require them to run their own distinct chain
  • Permissionless deployment. Anyone will be able to deploy their games to Ronin, allowing for more competition and faster onboarding

Founders’ Thoughts

So far, a smaller number of promising games have onboarded onto Ronin. This was needed in the beginning and part of what allowed us to catalyze the first two web3 games to hit 1M DAU.

But the time to take off the weights is approaching. In order to reach our true potential, we need to drive towards faster, permissionless games onboarding.

Blockchains have the potential to create economic freedom for every user of the internet. This was crypto’s original promise but for too long, the crypto industry has been dominated by infrastructure projects that prioritize technical innovation without a clear strategy for distribution and user adoption. 

Ronin is different. We’ve actually onboarded millions of everyday people via games. 

17 million of these gamers now have crypto wallets with a majority using Defi and transferring crypto for the first time on Ronin.

This victory stems from our unique strategy:

Initially, Ronin was developed to meet the needs of a single game and its community– Axie. This focused approach allowed us to dominate and excel in a niche which helped us bootstrap a core community that fueled our expansion into larger markets.

This mirrors the approach of the early days at Amazon, which began by selling books before diversifying its offerings, and Apple, which started with personal computers and gradually broadened its product lines. Similarly, Nintendo’s initial go-to-market (GTM) strategy for their hardware revolved around the iconic Mario franchise, ensuring a strong foundation before building even more devices and publishing a larger variety of games.

Similarly, zkEVM will help Ronin to expand its scope beyond servicing a smaller number of quality games to becoming the backbone of the entire web3 gaming industry. Every great web3 game that’s ever created should be on Ronin. With zkEVM, this future is now within reach.

While this tech upgrade is exciting we want to remind the world that in web3, community is your moat and technology is only as powerful as the people that actually use it.

Final Thoughts

zkEVM and the Polygon CDK are now part of the Ronin arsenal. However, there’s still a long road ahead before gamers will taste the fruits of the seeds planted today. That’s why we’ll continue to double-down on our community and distribution as key differentiators. More games are coming soon, and zkEVM is just the beginning of a more scalable, permissionless Ronin. Ronin has risen – let’s keep pushing.

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