Immutable and Polygon Join Forces To Attract Web3 Game Developers

Two powerhouse Ethereum scaling solutions have teamed up to build a gaming blockchain in a push to accelerate the adoption of Web3 gaming.

Immutable announced Monday that it would use Polygon’s zero-knowledge technology to create a new network called Immutable zkEVM, a roll-up designed to make the process of developing Web3-enabled games faster and easier.

It “will allow both large game studios and independent developers to build high-quality games that support true asset ownership,” Immutable said in a statement.

The network isn’t live yet and has to wait for the launch of Polygon’s zkEVM, which utilizes the power of zero knowledge proofs to reduce transaction costs and processing time while being fully Ethereum-compatible. 

After launching a public testnet in October, the mainnnet is slated to go live on March 27. Some of the biggest DeFi platforms, including Aave and Uniswap, will be among the first protocols to deploy on the zkEVM as they continue to scale their decentralized apps.

Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal said all gaming studios building on Immutable will end up using Polygon (MATIC) validators. These studios will launch their own app-specific chains, which will require staked MATIC, and gas fees, paid in Immutable’s token (IMX), from all such chains will go to MATIC stakers, he added.

Consequences for Gaming

Immutable and Polygon’s strategic alliance will build “an Ethereum-centric gaming ecosystem that is poised to take Web3 mainstream and bring digital ownership to millions of people around the world,” said Robbie Ferguson, co-founder at Immutable.

Gaming is one of the fastest-growing subsections of the blockchain industry, with brands like Ubisoft, Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Epic Games diving into decentralized gaming. Both projects combined reported nearly $2 billion invested in Web3 games in 2022.

“Billions of dollars of skins are sold each year with no rights for players — we’re changing that, so players are in control, and ownership is the expectation.” The Immutable zkEVM will be an additional option for game developers. It does not replace the platform’s Starkware-based solution, Immutable X.

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