From hack to OP Stack: Ronin to migrate from gaming sidechain to Ethereum Layer 2 four years after Lazarus attack

Ronin, the gaming-focused blockchain developed by Sky Mavis, will migrate from an independent Ethereum sidechain to an OP Stack-based Layer 2 network on May 12, a transition expected to trigger approximately 10 hours of scheduled downtime.

During the downtime window, all network transactions, including transfers, swaps, and smart contract interactions, will pause, according to an announcement.

Onchain game actions for titles running on Ronin, including Axie Infinity and Pixels, will also halt, the network announced via its official security account on Monday. Users can track the migration's start time on Ronin's block explorer.

The upgrade, executed via hard fork, moves the network away from the independent sidechain model it has operated since 2021 and to an Ethereum Layer 2 using the OP Stack, the same framework underlying Base and Optimism.

Among the most immediate structural changes is a significant tokenomics shift. The upgrade will cut RON's annual inflation rate from above 20% to below 1%, the network said.

How Ronin got here

Sky Mavis, the studio behind Axie Infinity, launched Ronin in 2021 as an EVM-compatible sidechain built for fast, low-fee transactions for in-game assets and play-to-earn mechanics.

The network has processed billions of dollars in NFT volume since launch. The migration arrives four years after Ronin's most consequential security incident.

In March 2022, a bridge exploit drained roughly $625 million in ETH and USDC via compromised validators, making it one of the largest cross-chain bridge hacks in DeFi history, The Block previously reported.

The attack was attributed to North Korea's infamous Lazarus Group.

Sky Mavis subsequently raised $150 million from Binance to reimburse affected users and replace the compromised validators.

U.S. law enforcement and Chainalysis later recovered $30 million from the stolen funds, while authorities in Norway returned an additional $5.7 million in 2024.

The upgrade plays out against a difficult backdrop for blockchain gaming.

An estimated 93% of Web3 gaming and GameFi projects launched since 2020 are now effectively defunct — defined by token prices falling more than 90% from peak and near-zero daily active users — according to an April 2026 market analysis by Caladan.

Total capital deployed into the sector from 2020 through early 2026 is estimated at $12 to $15 billion, with gaming token prices down roughly 95% from 2022 highs and VC funding for blockchain gaming studios collapsing by an estimated 93% over the same period. Axie Infinity, which drove Ronin's initial growth, has reportedly seen its own daily active users fall more than 90% from its peak.