TLDR
- Ronin Network will migrate to Ethereum on May 12 after four years as an independent sidechain.
- The migration will reduce RON inflation from above 20% to below 1%.
- Sky Mavis will introduce Proof of Distribution to reward builders based on measurable impact.
- The network will track gas spend, user growth, and trading activity to allocate rewards.
- The upgrade will require around 10 hours of downtime with no on-chain activity.
Ronin will shift its blockchain infrastructure to Ethereum on May 12, Sky Mavis confirmed this week. The move ends four years of operating as an independent sidechain for Axie Infinity. The team said the upgrade will reduce RON inflation and introduce a new builder reward model.
Ronin Network Migration Details and Token Changes
Sky Mavis built Ronin in 2020 to support Axie Infinity when Ethereum fees surged. The company launched the Ronin mainnet in February 2021 to offer lower costs and faster transactions. Now, the team will migrate the Ronin Network to Ethereum through a scheduled hard fork at block #55577490.
The migration will require about 10 hours of downtime, and no on-chain activity will run during that period. Node operators must upgrade their systems before the hard fork to maintain compatibility. The team said the shift will cut RON inflation from above 20% to below 1%.
Sky Mavis stated that the lower inflation rate will align long-term incentives across the ecosystem. The company also plans to expand treasury inflows through staking allocations and sequencer revenue. Increased marketplace fees will also contribute to treasury growth under the new structure.
The team said the updated framework will support a more secure and efficient network. It explained that Ethereum’s infrastructure now offers mature layer 2 tools and lower data availability costs. As a result, Ronin will integrate into a more established blockchain environment.
Proof of Distribution and Ecosystem Incentives
Ronin will introduce Proof of Distribution to reward ecosystem contributors based on measurable impact. The system will track gas spend, user growth, and trading activity across applications. Sky Mavis said the model will automatically allocate rewards to builders who drive activity.
The company stated, “Proof of Distribution will reward contributors based on measurable impact.” It added that the mechanism will strengthen alignment between developers and network growth. Rewards will be distributed according to verified performance metrics recorded on-chain.
Ronin originally launched as an independent chain because Ethereum scaling options remained limited. At that time, high gas fees restricted Axie Infinity’s growth potential. Therefore, Sky Mavis created a dedicated network to handle millions of player transactions.
The independent model enabled rapid expansion during early 2022. However, in March 2022, the Lazarus Group exploited the Ronin bridge and stole about $625 million. The breach marked one of the largest crypto hacks recorded to date.
Since then, Ethereum’s ecosystem has matured with battle-tested layer 2 solutions. The OP Stack now processes millions of daily transactions across several chains. Sky Mavis said these developments support its decision to migrate the Ronin Network to Ethereum on May 12.