Ronin, the gaming-focused blockchain behind Axie Infinity and Pixels, will officially transition from an independent sidechain to an Ethereum layer 2 on May 12, 2026. The migration, announced in April, involves a hard fork at block 55,577,490, causing approximately 10 hours of downtime starting around 15:16 UTC. The move aims to enhance security, tokenomics, and scalability, particularly after Ronin suffered a $625 million bridge exploit in 2022—the largest DeFi bridge hack in history. By adopting the OP Stack and EigenDA for data availability, Ronin will inherit Ethereum's security while maintaining high throughput. During downtime, a 'Proof of Distribution' model will replace passive staking, reducing token inflation from over 20% to below 1%. Additionally, 90 million RON tokens previously allocated for staking rewards will be redirected to the Ronin Treasury, and marketplace fees will increase from 0.5% to 1.25%. The RON token has rallied 30% in the last 30 days amid the migration announcement, though it remains below its 2024 peak. All network transactions and games on Ronin will be paused during the downtime.

Key facts

• Ronin migrates from sidechain to Ethereum layer 2 on May 12 via hard fork.
• Downtime of ~10 hours expected; all transactions and games paused.
• New 'Proof of Distribution' model cuts token inflation from 20% to under 1%.
• 90M RON tokens redirected to Treasury; marketplace fees double to 1.25%.
• Migration aims to improve security after $625M bridge exploit in 2022.

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