Gaming blockchain Ronin has announced the upcoming launch of Ronin zkEVM, a zero-knowledge (ZK) Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) layer-2 chain built with a Sky Mavis-modified version of the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK). 

On June 18, the team revealed it would introduce a dedicated ZK chain to accommodate more users and help its game studio partners grow. This move is expected to enhance the permissionless environment, facilitating the integration of more gaming experiences in the network.

In addition, the team plans to incorporate an enshrined Polygon ZK prover into Ronin, allowing game studios to build their own zkEVM blockchains without establishing their own security and consensus.

Preparing to handle billions in transactions

The Ronin blockchain, initially developed for the popular play-to-earn (P2E) game Axie Infinity, now supports a broader gaming ecosystem. According to the Ronin blockchain explorer data, the network has already reached 1.4 million daily active addresses.

Jeff Zirlin, co-founder at Sky Mavis, the team behind Ronin, told Cointelegraph that the network is preparing to handle billions in transactions. Zirlin explained:

“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 Ronin zkEVM’s enhanced scalability, the Sky Mavis team believes that partner studios can continue to innovate and expand.

The network has already onboarded major blockchain games, which benefited from its player base. Web3 game Pixels surpassed 4.4 million users since migrating to Ronin in October 2023.

Zirlin also noted other benefits of the new zkEVM chain, including 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,” he added.

Related: 41% of top ZK airdrop wallets have already sold everything: Nansen

Creating a unified Web3 gaming ecosystem

Trung Nguyen, CEO and co-founder of Sky Mavis, said their goal is to create a unified gaming ecosystem that allows asset transfers, token swaps and non-fungible token (NFT) trading between layer-1 and layer-2 games. Nguyen explained:

“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.”

Meanwhile, Polygon Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal emphasized the impact of the Polygon CDK. Nailwal believes Ronin is “leading the way,” combining technology with substantial distribution power and user engagement.

Nailwal added that their Polygon CDK would support Ronin’s gaming ecosystem and make the network a more attractive destination for game studios.

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