Ronin | Crypto

The Ronin team said that a more performant blockchain and Ethereum’s Wall Street appeal drove the decision to return to the ecosystem. Ronin, a purpose-built blockchain for gaming, said it will migrate back to the Ethereum ecosystem as a layer-2 network, making Ronin a general-purpose chain for applications beyond gaming. The blockchain originally spun off from the Ethereum mainnet in 2021 in search of better network speeds and cheaper transaction fees for Axie Infinity, a non-fungible token (NFT) blockchain video game. The Ronin team wrote: The team set a Q2 2026 target for the full migration from being a standalone layer-1 blockchain to an Ethereum layer-2 network. Read more

In Q1 2025, Ronin executed a pivotal transition to a permissionless architecture, enabling open smart contract deployment and catalyzing a sharp increase in developer activity. Key ecosystem highlights included OpenSea’s integration, the explosive debut of Tama Meme, and the $21M Fableborne presale. While financial and usage metrics declined QoQ amid market headwinds, native DeFi TVL increased and infrastructure upgrades like the Cerastes hardfork and Ronin Developer Console laid the groundwork for long-term scalability. With $23M in capital programs launched and several new game deployments, Ronin is positioning itself as a broader platform for gaming, DeFi, and consumer apps.