Ronin's New zkEVM: Boosting Speed and Scalability for Web3 Games

The Ronin gaming blockchain, led by Sky Mavis, is set to launch Ronin zkEVM, a zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) layer-2 chain. This new development, announced on June 18, aims to support more users and help its game studio partners scale. The integration of the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) will let developers create their own zkEVM blockchains on Ronin without needing independent security and consensus mechanisms.

From Axie Infinity to a Wider Ecosystem

Originally built for the popular play-to-earn game Axie Infinity, the Ronin blockchain has grown to support a broader gaming ecosystem. The network now handles 1.4 million daily active addresses. Jeff Zirlin, Sky Mavis co-founder, mentioned to Cointelegraph that the network is preparing to handle a massive increase in transactions. With 1.5 million daily active users, Ronin is currently the largest gaming blockchain. The network manages up to 40 million transactions daily, but future expansions could see this number rise to 400 million or even four billion daily transactions. The zkEVM is key to reaching these numbers.

Source: Ronin explorer

The introduction of Ronin zkEVM will significantly boost scalability, helping partner studios innovate and expand their market reach. For example, the game Pixels, which moved to Ronin in October 2023, has seen its user base grow to over 4.4 million. Zirlin highlighted other benefits, like better cross-chain interactions and possibly higher staking rewards. He also noted the expansion of opportunities for third-party developers, including the launch of their own layer-2 blockchains on Ronin. This move will enrich the gaming landscape and increase player engagement.

Sky Mavis CEO and co-founder Trung Nguyen shared a vision for a unified Web3 gaming ecosystem. This ecosystem will support smooth asset transfers, token swaps, and NFT trading across both layer-1 and layer-2 games. Nguyen stated that Ronin zkEVM is crucial for their plan to onboard billions of gamers. The collaboration with Polygon marks a new era for Web3 gaming.

Impact of Polygon CDK on Ronin's Ecosystem

Polygon Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal praised the impact of the Polygon CDK on Ronin’s gaming ecosystem. He noted that Ronin's mix of groundbreaking technology, extensive distribution, and strong user engagement makes it an attractive destination for game studios. Nailwal believes the Polygon CDK will enhance Ronin’s appeal even further.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin has risen in the NFT market rankings, surpassing Ronin in all-time NFT sales. Bitcoin now stands among the top three blockchain networks for NFT sales, following Solana and Ethereum. Data from NFT tracker CryptoSlam shows that Bitcoin-based NFTs have achieved an all-time sales volume of $4,271,928,280, just edging out Ronin's record of $4,271,675,550. In the past 30 days, Bitcoin-based NFTs generated $148 million in sales, ranking second for monthly sales after Ethereum’s $157 million and ahead of Solana’s $77 million.

Source: CryptoSlam
Despite these impressive sales figures, the NFT market has experienced a downturn. The top three chains have each seen at least a 40% decline in sales volume over the past month, according to CryptoSlam. This decrease reflects broader market trends affecting even the most successful blockchain networks.