Ronin set to transition to Ethereum layer 2 from independent sidechain
Key takeaways
- The purpose behind the migration is to enhance security, tokenomics and scalability, said Ronin, which suffered the largest De Fi bridge exploit on record in 2022.
- Ronin, which announced the migration in April, will execute a hard fork at block 55,577,490, a process that will result in about 10 hours of downtime for users, the network said Monday on X.
- “Four years ago, we launched Ronin because Axie Infinity needed a faster and more efficient network,” Ronin said when announcing the migration. “It worked.
The purpose behind the migration is to enhance security, tokenomics and scalability, said Ronin, which suffered the largest De Fi bridge exploit on record in 2022. By Olivier Acuna|Edited by Sheldon Reback May 11, 2026, 12:11 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on After four years of operating as a sidechain, Ronin is to become an Ethereum L2. Gaming (Mateo/Unsplash) What to know: Ronin, the gaming-focused blockchain behind Axie Infinity, will hard fork on May 12 to migrate from an independent sidechain to an Ethereum layer 2, causing about 10 hours of network downtime.During the migration window, all Ronin transactions and onchain game actions will be paused.The transition to the OP Stack and a new Proof of Distribution model will sharply cut RON token inflation and aim to improve security, scalability and costs after the network’s history-making $625 million bridge exploit.Ronin, the gaming-centric blockchain once synonymous with the industry’s infamous $625 million exploit, is officially shedding its sidechain skin on May 12 to become an Ethereum layer 2 to improve security while maintaining throughput.
Ronin, which announced the migration in April, will execute a hard fork at block 55,577,490, a process that will result in about 10 hours of downtime for users, the network said Monday on X. According to onchain data, the migration is expected to begin on Tuesday around 15:16 UTC.
“Four years ago, we launched Ronin because Axie Infinity needed a faster and more efficient network,” Ronin said when announcing the migration. “It worked. Axie Infinity onboarded millions of gamers to crypto, and Pixels proved that it was possible to do it again.” The time has come to plug "back into the mothership."