Ronin

Introduction to Ronin

Ronin emerged as a purpose-built blockchain for gaming, created by Sky Mavis to support Axie Infinity’s massive user base. When Ethereum gas fees made gaming transactions impractical, Ronin provided the scalable infrastructure needed for millions of daily players.

The chain became infamous for suffering one of the largest hacks in crypto history—over $600 million stolen in 2022. Yet Ronin recovered, expanded beyond Axie, and now positions itself as the premier destination for on-chain gaming, proving that purpose-built infrastructure can serve specific verticals better than general-purpose chains.

How Ronin Works

EVM Sidechain

Technical foundation:

• EVM compatible
• Proof-of-Authority initially
• Delegated Proof-of-Stake now
• Gaming-optimized parameters through smart contracts

Validator Set

Network security:

• Selected validators
• Sky Mavis operated initially
• Progressive decentralization
• Gaming company partnerships

Free Transactions

User experience focus:

• Sponsored transactions
• Gas-free gaming
• Developer-paid fees
• Seamless onboarding

Technical Specifications

Metric	Value
Block Time	3 seconds
Consensus	DPoS
EVM Compatible	Yes
Free Transactions	Sponsored
Validators	22+
Bridge	Ronin Bridge

The RON Token

Utility

RON serves multiple purposes:

• Staking: Network security
• Gas Fees: Transaction costs
• Governance: Protocol decisions
• Rewards: Validator incentives

Tokenomics

Supply dynamics:

• Fixed maximum supply
• Staking rewards
• Fee burn mechanism
• Ecosystem incentives

Staking Model

Delegated system:

• Delegate to validators
• Earn staking rewards
• Validator selection
• Slashing for misbehavior

The $600M Hack

What Happened

March 2022 attack:

• Ronin Bridge compromised
• Validator keys stolen
• Social engineering suspected
• $625 million taken

North Korea Attribution

Lazarus Group:

• State-sponsored hackers
• Sophisticated attack
• Bridge vulnerability exploited
• Industry wake-up call

Recovery

Response and restoration:

• Users made whole
• Bridge redesigned
• Security improvements
• Continued operations

Gaming Ecosystem

Axie Infinity

Flagship game:

• Play-to-earn pioneer
• Millions of players
• NFT-based gameplay
• Economic model experiments

Pixels

Farming game:

• Social farming simulation
• Large active user base
• Free-to-play elements
• RON integration

Additional Games

Growing portfolio:

• Multiple game studios
• Various genres
• Native RON support
• Shared infrastructure

Mavis Hub

Gaming Platform

Distribution system:

• Game discovery
• Wallet integration
• Identity management
• Social features

Developer Tools

Builder support:

• SDKs and APIs
• Account abstraction
• NFT standards
• Analytics tools

Bridge Infrastructure

Ronin Bridge

Asset transfers:

• Ethereum connectivity
• Multi-sig security
• Improved post-hack
• Threshold signatures

Security Improvements

Post-hack changes:

• More validators required
• Circuit breakers
• Monitoring systems
• Regular audits

Competition and Positioning

vs. Other Gaming Chains

Chain	Focus	Ecosystem
Ronin	Gaming	Axie, Pixels
Immutable	Gaming	Gods Unchained
Beam	Gaming	Merit Circle
Flow	Gaming/NFT	NBA Top Shot

Ronin’s Advantages

Key differentiators:

• Proven gaming scale
• Free transaction model
• Integrated ecosystem
• Sky Mavis backing

Sky Mavis

Company Background

Studio profile:

• Founded in Vietnam
• Axie Infinity creators
• Gaming-first approach
• Substantial funding

Strategic Direction

Company focus:

• Gaming infrastructure
• Multiple game studios
• Platform expansion
• Developer ecosystem

Challenges and Criticism

Centralization

Network structure:

• Limited validators
• Sky Mavis influence
• Gaming company validators
• Trust requirements

Axie Dependency

Ecosystem concentration:

• One dominant game
• Player count fluctuation
• Economic sustainability
• Diversification needs

Play-to-Earn Skepticism

Model questions:

• Sustainability concerns
• Token price dependency
• User motivation
• Long-term viability

Recent Developments

Network Growth

Ecosystem expansion:

• New game launches
• User base growth
• Transaction volume
• Developer interest

Technical Upgrades

Platform improvements:

• Decentralization progress
• Performance optimization
• Security enhancements
• Developer tools

Future Roadmap

Development priorities:

• Games: More titles on Ronin
• Decentralization: Expand validator set
• Technology: Performance improvements
• Developer Experience: Better tools
• Ecosystem: Strategic partnerships

Conclusion

Ronin demonstrates both the potential and risks of application-specific blockchains. The chain solved real scalability problems for gaming, enabling experiences impossible on Ethereum mainnet. The catastrophic hack tested whether purpose-built chains could survive existential threats—and Ronin proved they could.

The recovery and continued growth show that strong product-market fit can overcome even massive setbacks. Whether Ronin can expand beyond its Axie origins and become the definitive gaming chain depends on attracting diverse games and developers.

For game developers seeking battle-tested infrastructure with millions of onboarded users and gaming-specific features, Ronin offers proven capability—with the caveat that its centralized elements require trusting Sky Mavis as a competent steward.