Axie Infinity's Parent Company Sky Mavis Announces Ronin Staking and Network Expansion

Sky Mavis, the company behind the popular blockchain game Axie Infinity, has announced a significant upgrade to its Ronin Network. The network has shifted to a delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism and introduced a staking feature that allows users to directly stake $RON tokens to secure the network and earn rewards.

Additionally, four gaming studios, including Directive Games, Tribes, Bali Games, and Bowled.io, will be launching games on top of the Ronin Network to onboard more users into the ecosystem. 

“With the upgrade to DPoS, we are ready to open up our infrastructure and technology to the wider Web3 world. We believe that this is the path toward creating gaming that’s community-centric, more rewarding, and above all, more fun,” said Trung Nguyen, the co-founder and CEO of Sky Mavis.

‍Kathleen Osgood, the head of business development at Sky Mavis, explained that the company reviewed 250 game studios before selecting the four studios to work with. The goal of the studio partnership is to build great games that not only attract Web3 users but also attract millions of Web2 users.

“New user and wallet generation is a massive part of our game studio strategy. Our goal is to work with teams to build great games that not only attract Web3 users but also attract millions of Web2 users,” said Osgood.‍

The Ronin Network was created when Sky Mavis launched Axie Infinity on Ethereum, but the high gas fees and network congestion limited its uptake. As a result, the company developed its own in-house dedicated sidechain to make Web3 game development efficient. After several months of hard work, Ronin is now ready to onboard new game studios to its ecosystem.

In addition to Axie Infinity, gamers can expect to see a range of top-quality titles arrive on the Ronin Network, including The Machines Arena, an explosive, cross-platform, team-based shooter from Directive Games, Tribesters: Island of Solas, an immersive story-driven game from Tribes Studio, Axie champions, an Axie Infinity inspired puzzle game from Bali Games, and Bowled.io, a cricket-themed title that will tap into the sport's 2.5 million fans.

The Ronin Network boasts 22 independent network validators, including Nansen, Delphi Digital, and Animoca Brands. They were onboarded last year to bolster security through a distributed network after Ronin suffered a major breach.

Overall, the upgrade and the introduction of staking features and new games are expected to attract more users to the Ronin Network and drive Web3 adoption forward. The partnership with game studios with a history of Web2 user acquisition will enable Axie Infinity to expose blockchain games to the masses and be a catalyst for more Web3 adoption. Here at NFT Drops Calendar, we will keep an eye out for any development in the story.