The blockchain network Ronin, which supports gaming platforms such as Axie Infinity and Pixels, is set to transition into a genuine Ethereum layer-2 scaling network on May 12. This marks a significant transformation following four years of operation as an Ethereum sidechain.
This migration will commence at block 55,577,490, transitioning Ronin onto the OP Stack, the Ethereum layer-2 infrastructure that facilitates millions of daily transactions across other networks. The developers have informed users to anticipate roughly 10 hours of mainnet downtime from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET during this changeover period, potentially rendering games inaccessible.
There will be considerable economic changes accompanying this shift. RON token inflation is expected to drop significantly from over 20% to less than 1%, while marketplace fees directed to the Treasury are set to increase by 2.5 times, rising from 0.5% to 1.25%. Additionally, 90 million RON tokens previously earmarked for staking will be diverted to the Ronin treasury.
A novel “proof of distribution” system is slated to launch with this migration, automating RON rewards for developers and replacing manual allocation processes as the network reintegrates into Ethereum’s ecosystem.
This timing underscores increasing pressure on standalone gaming chains to adopt established infrastructures instead of sustaining costly independent networks. During Axie Infinity’s 2021-2022 peak, Ronin processed billions in NFT trading volumes. However, maintaining this infrastructure has become challenging as the crypto gaming market waned.
Ronin was launched in 2021 specifically to manage Axie Infinity’s transaction demands when Ethereum’s mainnet fees rendered gaming economically impractical. The sidechain solution facilitated the play-to-earn phenomenon, drawing millions of daily users and generating unprecedented trading volumes for blockchain gaming.
Now, Ronin developer Sky Mavis indicates that advancements in layer-2 technology offer similar benefits—low costs and high throughput—while also inheriting Ethereum’s security assurances.
Although the RON token has risen approximately 11% over the past week to a recent price of $0.097, it experienced a severe decline in the last two years as crypto gaming momentum largely dissipated. RON has decreased by nearly 81% in the past year, according to CoinGecko data, and is now down about 98% from its March 2024 peak of $4.45.
Tokens from top games on Ronin have also plummeted, with Axie Infinity’s AXS token down over 99% from its November 2021 peak, and Pixels’ PIXEL token experiencing a similar drop from its March 2024 high. However, this trend is not unique to Ronin or its games, as other major gaming tokens like Immutable (IMX) and Gala Games (GALA) have also fallen by at least 98% from their respective peaks.
Throughout 2025, numerous prominent crypto games were shuttered, with developers often citing insufficient funding and player interest. This trend persisted into 2026, evidenced by the closure of games such as Forgotten Runiverse on Ronin and Xociety on Sui.
Industry experts informed Decrypt in late 2025 that the wave of crypto game closures was largely due to the disappearance of venture capital funding amidst declining blockchain gaming momentum, compelling many projects to either pivot or cease operations. This downward trend has continued into the current year.