Blockchain
By Julie Binoche
1 / 15
Why Layer 2 Matters for Gaming Chains. Gaming blockchains face a weird problem. They need high throughput because games generate tons of…
2 / 15
What Axie Players Can Expect. The upgrade should make things smoother once it's live.
3 / 15
Broader Layer 2 Trend. Ronin's not alone here. Tons of blockchain projects are moving to Layer 2 or launching there from…
4 / 15
Ronin went dark today. The Ethereum-based gaming chain supporting Axie Infinity started a planned 10-hour downtime on May 12 to migrate to a Layer 2 network through a hard fork.
5 / 15
The move is big for Ronin. Layer 2 tech is basically a way to process transactions off the main blockchain, then settle them back on-chain later. It's faster. It's cheaper.
6 / 15
Users got advance notice. But 10 hours is still a long time when you can't move assets or play.
7 / 15
Gaming blockchains face a weird problem. They need high throughput because games generate tons of small transactions—buying items, claiming rewards, trading NFTs.
8 / 15
Ronin's migration is a hard fork, not a soft one. That means nodes running the old software won't recognize the new chain after the upgrade. Everyone had to update.
9 / 15
Axie Infinity is the main reason this matters. The game peaked in 2021 with millions of daily players, and even though activity has cooled, it's still one of the biggest…
10 / 15
The upgrade should make things smoother once it's live. Faster transactions mean less waiting when you're trying to claim rewards or move assets between wallets.
11 / 15
Read also: Crypto Holders Lost $100M to Kidnappings and Coercion in Four Months
12 / 15
But there's a catch. Layer 2 networks sometimes introduce new complexities—bridging assets back to Ethereum can take time, and if something breaks during the migration, it could…
13 / 15
Ronin got hacked in 2022. Attackers stole over $600 million worth of crypto in one of the biggest DeFi heists ever. The network recovered, but trust took a hit.
14 / 15
The hard fork approach is less common, though. Most projects either launch on Layer 2 from day one or use gradual bridges to move assets over time.
15 / 15
After the migration, Ronin's team said they'd focus on optimizing the new setup. No word on what comes after that—whether they'll add more features, integrate with other Layer 2…
The Currency Analytics
Want the full story?