What is Ronin Network? A Guide to The Blockchain Gaming Chain

As the world of blockchain gaming continues to grow, several innovative projects designed to enhance the gamers’ experience have emerged. One of the projects leading this movement is Ronin Network, an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible blockchain designed for the gaming ecosystem.

Built specifically for blockchain games, Ronin aims to address limitations like Ethereum’s high transaction fees and slow transaction speeds. With these capabilities, the chain empowers developers to create a faster, more affordable, and more seamless experience for players/gamers.

Ronin has proven to be highly scalable. It has become the only blockchain to scale a single game to house millions of daily active users and process over $4 billion in non-fungible token (NFT) volumes. According to its website, total addresses on the blockchain have crossed 17.2 million, and monthly active addresses have exceeded 2.9 million.

In this article, you will learn more about Ronin and how to interact with it. Readers will also learn about popular Web3 games that you can play today on the Ronin Network. 

Ronin Network Explained

Developed by Sky Mavis, the creators of the popular play-to-earn (P2E) game Axie Infinity, Ronin Network is an Ethereum-linked sidechain specifically forged for blockchain gaming.

By being a sidechain to Ethereum, Ronin operates alongside the latter but with its own rules optimized for gaming. This allows it to offer faster transaction speeds and significantly lower fees than the Ethereum mainnet – making gameplay smoother and more affordable for gamers.

Initially, Ronin relied on a Proof-of-Authority (PoA) consensus, where chosen validators maintained the network and verified transactions. However, due to decentralization issues with this mechanism, Ronin transitioned to Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) for validator selection, allowing anyone holding enough RON tokens to become a validator. While DPoS opens validator access and improves decentralization, Ronin still enjoys the benefits of PoA, like faster transaction speeds and lower transaction fees.

RON token and Use Cases?

Launched in January 2022, RON is the native token for the Ronin Network that serves several functions within the ecosystem. These include: 

• Transaction fees: RON is the primary token used to pay for transactions on the Ronin. This makes the token essential for anyone interacting with the network, including buying NFTs or playing Axie Infinity.

• Governance: RON holders have voting rights within the Ronin ecosystem. This allows them to participate in crucial decisions regarding the future of the blockchain, such as upgrades or protocol changes.

• Staking: Users can stake RON tokens to earn rewards. Validators who are responsible for securing the network are required to stake a certain amount of RON. In return for staking their tokens, they earn rewards in the form of newly minted RON. These rewards are distributed among validators and delegators (users who stake their RON with a validator).

Sky Mavis plans to add more utility to the token via multiple apps built on the Ronin Network.

RON has gained much traction in recent months, securing listings from prominent cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase, amongst others. These listings have helped propel the token’s market capitalization above $1 billion. 

What is the Relationship Between Ronin and Axie Infinity

You might be wondering what the relationship between Ronin and Axie Infinity could be because both names usually come up simultaneously. Here’s is why:

First, both projects were developed by Sky Mavis, a Vietnamese technology-focused game studio.

Sky Mavis started developing Ronin in June 2020 to address the limitations of the Ethereum blockchain, which Axie Infinity was initially built on. As mentioned earlier, Ethereum suffers from high transaction fees and slow processing times, which hinders a smooth P2E experience on Axie Infinity.

In contrast, Ronin offers advantages like near-instant transactions and negligible fees, making Axie Infinity’s gameplay fast and affordable. This attracts more users and fosters the P2E model by enabling players to efficiently earn and trade in-game tokens, including Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) and Smooth Love Potion (SLP). In simpler terms, Ronin is the custom-built blockchain that powers the Axie Infinity game. 

Inspired by Nintendo’s Pokémon series, Axie Infinity is a monster-battling game where players acquire NFTs of adorable monsters called “Axies” and then pit them against each other in battle.

Getting Started with Ronin Network

Now that you’ve learned a lot about Ronin, let me show you how to interact with the network.

You will need the Ronin Wallet to interact with Ronin and play games. This wallet is available as a browser extension or a mobile app (iOS/Android).

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to get started:

Step 1: Go to https://wallet.roninchain.com and add the Ronin Wallet extension to your browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc).

Step 2: Open the extension and click “Get started.” You will be navigated to the Ronin Wallet setting page, where you will click the section “I’m new. Let’s get set up!”

Step 3: Create a strong password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.

Step 4: Click “Reveal Seed Phrase” and write your seed phrase in a personal note. This phrase is crucial for regaining access to your wallet if needed. Write it down carefully and store it securely offline in multiple locations. Never share it with anyone!

Step 5: Next, click “Continue,” and your Ronin Wallet is ready.

At the top of the page, you’ll see your wallet name and Ronin address, which you’ll use to deposit and receive assets.

Through this wallet, you can now interact with Axie Infinity and other decentralized applications (DApp) built on the Ronin. Connecting your Ronin Wallet to a game will establish a secure connection, allowing you to transfer your in-game assets and interact with the game’s marketplace.

Which Games Can I Play on Ronin Network

While Axie Infinity has been the most talked about, several other blockchain games are available on the Ronin. Here are some of the most popular games on the blockchain:

Axie Infinity

This is the flagship game on Ronin and the reason Ronin existed in the first place. Axie Infinity is a Player-versus-player (PvP) breeding game where you can collect, breed, battle, and trade adorable creatures called Axies. Axies are digital pets that live on the blockchain with unique genes and appearances. You can own your Axies just like physical trading cards. These digital pets can be equipped with runes and charms to enhance their powers and unlock new strategies. Axies can be traded on marketplaces.

Pixels

Pixels is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that allows players to own their pixelated world with unlimited possibilities. In this gameplay, players can create digital collectibles and use existing IP to create original characters and items. You can also earn rewards and tokens by playing the game and participating in the community.

Wild Forest

Wild Forest is a real-time strategy mobile game with PvP battles and captivating card-collecting elements. You play as a commander of an army of animals in an open world where you have to build your own base, manage your resources, and fight for your survival. You can choose from a variety of cards to collect and use in your battles. Each card comes with its own abilities. No initial investment is required to start the game.

The Machines Arena

The Machines Arena is a fast-paced hero shooter game in which players clash in intense battles delivered from a top-down perspective. You can choose from nine heroes, each with their own abilities and weapons, and compete against other players. The Machines Arena stands out among other hero shooter games because it uses blockchain to reward players with digital collectibles.

While these are just some popular games on Ronin, several other projects are also building on the blockchain to deliver a richer gaming experience.

Summary

Ronin Network is an Ethereum-linked sidechain forged specifically for blockchain games. It aims to address limitations like Ethereum’s high fees and slow speeds to offer users a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience. 

It uses a Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism and has its own native token, RON, which is used for transactions, governance, and staking on the network. 

Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis developed Ronin, which powers the popular play-to-earn (P2E) game Axie Infinity. Other popular games on the network include Pixels, Wild Forest, and The Machines Arena. A Ronin Wallet is required to interact with Ronin and play games on the network.