Ronin goes against the grain when it comes to the Web3 philosophy.
For many in the crypto world, the beauty of the blockchain is that it is permissionless and anyone can build without a centralized authority. Instead, the Ethereum sidechain gaming network currently takes a closed, curated approach.
There’s a reason for this kind of early approach, the team says – and it’s hard to argue with success given the massive increase in Ronin player numbers in recent months, plus the surge to a record high in March ahead of the recent markets. Calm down.
And there is a path to a “pervasive permissionless” Ronin network first.
“There are too many developers, too many applications and too many games,” Heavens Mavis and Ronin co-founder Jeff “Jihoz” Zirlin narrated Declutter. “There are more applications, games and developers than there are actual people using those applications.”
Many open blockchains have a “plethora” of games, Zirlin believes, while the relatively small number of gamers playing in this space struggle to separate the good from the bad. To combat this dilemma, Ronin manages the games allowed on its network.
In his personal time – and apart from crypto games – Zirlin only plays games from Nintendo, Blizzard and Supercell. They are giants in the industry known for releasing few games, and often very beloved and hugely popular games at that.
Sky Mavis co-founder Jeff Zirlin. Image: Jeff Zirlin
By curating Ronin’s game library, he believes the network is aligning itself with these game publishers. He even suggests that the Web3 element “adds another layer on top” by incentivizing gamers to support the network through its token.
“This strategy emphasizes quality over quantity, allowing us to work closely with fewer teams and ensure their long-term success in the evolving landscape of Web3 gaming,” Zirlin explains. “[A Twitter poll] showed us that 40% from everyone [Axie] gamers were brought on board by a friend or family member. So these are insane levels of evangelism.”
Ronin in turn accounts for 30% of all active Web3 gamers, the largest share by some margin, while Polygon is in second place with 17%, according to Footprint analysis. Although the model works for Ronin, most of Web3 opts against such an approach.
“To win you have to do things about which there is no consensus. That’s where most of the strategic influence lies,” Zirlin explains. “People want chaos, I think, in Web3. But to adopt a new technology you have to be more zen. You don’t want to confuse people because the technology is confusing enough as it is.”
So far, a composite approach seems to have served Ronin well. However, the doors will only remain closed for a while, as Zirlin admits that open models have long-term benefits – and Ronin does indeed have a more open future ahead.
Looking further, scalability is one of the main hurdles Ronin faces. Currently, Ronin claims the network can handle 7.5 million daily transactions without congestion. This may not be enough once the network is opened to all builders, which Sky Mavis is too actively explore scaling solutions to increase what Ronin can handle. But scaling isn’t just a technical leap, Zirlin said, it’s also a cultural challenge.
“Ultimately, the most important factor in scalability is not just technical superiority, but also user acceptance and loyalty,” Zirlin explains. “Similar to the console wars of the past, where players chose platforms based on where their friends were, our focus is on putting together games that draw players to Ronin.”
Once Ronin becomes “pervasive permissionless,” Zirlin expects the number of games wagered on Ronin to increase. He hopes one of these games will help fuel the network’s growth, like current game Pixels is currently doing and Axie Infinity did during the 2021 play-to-earn boom – but this time without such a heavy-handed approach to Ronin. .
When Ronin plans to open, the network is still undecided. Once this path ends and Ronin opens its doors, the network will begin preparing for the next big transformation – one that goes beyond just gaming.
“The end game is to create an ecosystem that seamlessly combines gaming with e-commerce and payment apps,” Zirlin said Declutter. “We believe the path to getting there is to increase adoption and attention through gaming, then expand into payments and e-commerce, disrupting the predatory banking system and credit card industry.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward
