Sky Mavis Co-Founder Accuses Ronin Game of Secret Blockchain Deal

In 2021, Sky Mavis launched a crypto gaming chain called Ronin. Four years later, Ronin has grown massively. It currently boasts over 1.7 million monthly active addresses, with top gaming titles like Axie Origins, Fableborne, Nifty Island, and even Ragnarok Monster World.

With retention stats three times higher than Base and seventeen times higher than Solana, Ronin has since become a home for Web3 gaming.

On February 12th, 2025, Ronin announced its decision to go permissionless. This means the Ronin Network is no longer exclusive. Developers are now able to build on its ecosystem without needing Sky Mavis’ approval.

Shortly after this transition, tensions began to rise between Sky Mavis and the developers behind Ragnarok: Monster World (RMW), known as 0x&. In a public post on X (formerly Twitter), Sky Mavis co-founder Aleksander Larsen expressed concern over RMW's direction. He stated that the game’s developers had ignored key advice from Sky Mavis and were no longer in good standing with the community.

Larsen also accused the team behind Ragnarok: Monster World of making a secret deal with another blockchain network, allegedly breaching their prior agreement with Sky Mavis. He said this violation of trust left the company no choice but to sever ties with 0x&.

Initially, Sky Mavis announced that RMW assets would be removed from Ronin-affiliated products and platforms, including the Ronin Market. However, a follow-up statement revised this position. Larsen clarified that while the assets would remain on the Ronin Market, they would lose their verification badge. This checkmark typically signifies that an asset or collection is officially endorsed by Sky Mavis. By removing it, Sky Mavis publicly distanced itself from RMW without entirely deplatforming the game.

At the time of the announcement, RMW’s Genesis Land Launchpad and Presale remained visible on the Ronin Market homepage. Notably, its Landverse collection still displayed the gold verification badge, adding confusion about whether the split was fully implemented.

Ragnarok: Monster World's Response

In response to the allegations, 0x& released a statement via RMW’s official X account. The team said they were “deeply saddened” by Sky Mavis’ announcement and believed the situation had broader implications. They stressed that it wasn’t just about a business disagreement—it was about the future of their community, which had grown within the Ronin ecosystem.

They denied any breach of contract and refuted the claim of a secret deal. According to the team, they had been transparent with Sky Mavis about ongoing conversations with other blockchain networks. They maintained that all contractual obligations were met both legally and in good faith.

“We honored all our commitments,” the statement said, “and communicated openly.” The RMW team emphasised that framing the situation as a loss of trust was one-sided and misleading.

Community Reactions and Industry Buzz

As the news spread, members of the Web3 gaming community took to social media to weigh in. The debate centred on whether RMW’s move was a betrayal or simply a survival strategy in a rapidly evolving space.

Some observers speculated that the shift toward multichain support was driven by funding needs. It’s well known in the industry that blockchain foundations and DAOs often provide grants to game developers in exchange for ecosystem integration.

Moku co-founder Hantao Yuan voiced support for the idea that RMW’s move was strategic. “Them moving to another ecosystem for a grant just means they have survived for now,” he said. “At least, they’re still building and not rugged.”

What’s Next?

As of now, neither Sky Mavis nor 0x& has made additional statements. The broader implications for Ragnarok: Monster World remain unclear. Players and investors are watching closely to see whether the game can maintain its player base and momentum outside of Sky Mavis’ backing.

This situation highlights the challenges faced by Web3 games in balancing decentralisation, platform dependencies, and funding. Whether this incident will lead to clearer standards across blockchain partnerships remains to be seen.