Arbitrum Gaming Ventures offers Ronin 750K ARB to become Orbit chain

Ronin’s L2 choice isn’t just up to its cofounders alone

article-image

wacomka and Ronin/Shutterstock and Adobe modified by Blockworks

share

This is a segment from The Drop newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


Arbitrum’s gaming investment group is offering Ronin up to 750,000 ARB spread across three consecutive years to join them as an “Orbit” chain.

Currently, that’s worth about $367,500, which doesn’t seem like a whole lot.

But in this down-and-out gaming market, maybe that’s enough. 

Ronin’s cofounders shared screenshots on social media of the offer from Arbitrum Gaming Ventures (AGV), noting that it would also include Gaming Content Creator Program access (social content support funded by Arbitrum DAO). 

They’d also get financial assistance with audit costs via an existing $10 million Arbitrum ecosystem audit program.

“Cool to see Arbitrum throwing their hat into the ring,” Jeff “Jihoz” Zirlin, one of the founders, wrote in a pretty neutral-seeming response to the offer, which came from AGV councilmember and Offchain Labs Head of Gaming and Consumer Partnerships David Bolger.

Loading Tweet..

The proposal emphasizes Arbitrum’s continued interest in gaming.

Despite some controversy earlier this year around how much money AGV more broadly was committing to gaming, they’re still pushing forward in the sector. 

AGV was previously known as the Arbitrum Gaming Catalyst. Its founding partner, Daniel Peng, told me back in March that they were talking to over 100 game teams (some of those talks seemed to have resulted in investments since).

Arbitrum Gaming Ventures is now helping fund titles like Wildcard (a fun MOBA-style creature battler), plus gaming startups like Xai Games and Proof of Play (the latter of which recently killed its onchain game Pirate Nation).

“Studio Chain” is also building with Arbitrum, which is a gaming- and entertainment-focused Orbit chain from the My Pet Hooligan-affiliated Karrat Foundation.

Ronin’s founders don’t seem totally sold on the idea of jumping on the ARB train just yet. They’re still open to offers from other sequencers. 

Loading Tweet..

Ronin and Sky Mavis cofounder Aleksander Larsen specifically mentioned Optimism and zkSync as other possible vectors for Ronin to become an L2 besides going the Arbitrum route.

Zirlin also emphasized that these decisions are “not fully up to Sky Mavis.”

“They will be worked on and decided in conjunction with the governing validators,” he explained.

Last week, Ronin’s leaders announced they were planning to rejoin Ethereum, moving away from being a sidechain to turn into a true Ethereum L2. 

The change could help speed up transactions and make Ronin more than just a gaming chain. 

Where will they land? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

But it’s probably a sign that sidechains are over. At least, for now.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template.png

Research

Institutional staking providers specialize in offering secure, compliant, and scalable solutions for organizations, asset managers, and individuals who wish to stake large volumes of digital assets. Staking-as-a-Service Providers (SaaSPs) act as intermediaries, running blockchain nodes and managing the technical complexities of staking on behalf of clients, often providing custody, reporting, and yield optimization features across a broad range of assets and networks.

article-image

Phantom expands its wallet into a money app, powered by Bridge’s CASH stablecoin and Visa-backed payment integration

by Blockworks /
article-image

Robinhood explores overseas expansion as regulators debate whether contracts are financial products or gambling bets

by Blockworks /
article-image

Partnership will bring EURC and USDC to regulated trading, settlement and custody infrastructure under MiCAR rules

by Blockworks /
article-image

New AJUP product on SIX Swiss Exchange gives investors institutional exposure to Solana’s core liquidity engine

by Blockworks /
article-image

Sponsored

Oasis Vault is a self-custody wallet designed to eliminate issues that affect traditional wallets

by Sponsored /
article-image

The SEC’s approval of the generic listing standards opens the door for Litecoin and Solana ETPs