The Immutable zkEVM Testnet, featuring all of Immutable’s platform products, is officially live!  Existing smart contracts and Solidity code can be migrated directly into Immutable’s zkEVM Testnet environment for free. It’s time to experience the future of gaming! 

A few months ago, Polygon Labs and Immutable announced a strategic collaboration and the plans to create Immutable zkEVM powered by Polygon. Now, the Immutable zkEVM Testnet is here. Cutting-edge gaming technology with a robust ecosystem meets infinite scaling infrastructure powered by best-in-class ZK knowhow.

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What is Immutable zkEVM?

The Immutable zkEVM chain is the first of its kind - a dedicated chain for games that offers EVM compatibility, low cost, massive scale, and enterprise-grade security. It combines the benefits of zk-rollup technology with the power of the Ethereum ecosystem, all while offering access to the entire suite of Immutable gaming products. 

In contrast to general purpose chains, which are designed to support a broad set of applications and smart contract functionality, Immutable zkEVM is built for games. While friction and high transaction costs may be acceptable in other markets, games need to optimize for scale, speed, and native user experiences. Games also need an ecosystem where they can thrive. That’s why Immutable zkEVM goes beyond developer tooling and focuses on making game studios successful through massive liquidity, player community, and powerful network effects. 

Immutable zkEVM enables you to grow your game’s revenue streams, protect your community, and create frictionless experiences for your users. Now that the Immutable zkEVM Testnet is live, it’s free and easy to begin developing, or migrating, smart contracts on Immutable zkEVM. Mint in-game assets, experiment with economy design, and accelerate your development journey in a low-risk sandbox environment with access to all of Immutable’s platform products. 

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Why does Immutable zkEVM matter for games?

Immutable zkEVM represents the next step in developing a gaming ecosystem that benefits players, studios, and developers. Most importantly, it makes it easier to build great Web3 games. Here’s how:

• Immutable platform with zkEVM tech: a chain for games that offers EVM compatibility, low cost, massive scale, and Ethereum security, all while providing direct integration into Immutable’s full-stack gaming platform. One partner with all of the solutions you need to succeed. 
• Network effects: gain access to the combined network of Immutable and Polygon to make acquiring gamers, tools, and funding easier than ever. Build on the most cutting-edge technology in gaming with the largest ecosystem in Web3. 
• Decrease development costs: easily migrate existing smart contracts to the Immutable zkEVM environment or use our smart contract templates so you don’t have to start from scratch and can spend more of your resources building a great game. 
• Enhanced gameplay mechanics: Implement advanced functionality within your game to provide optimal player experiences. Staking, crafting, upgrading, and incorporating NFTs that can equip other NFTs are all possible with Immutable zkEVM
• Seamless interoperability: With Immutable zkEVM, game developers can create games that are seamlessly interoperable with other games or platforms in the Ethereum ecosystem, enabling broader ecosystems and economies of scale.
• Secure gaming environment: allowlisting (Mainnet only) as a quality control measure has been implemented to protect studios and users from malicious activity, poorly designed contracts or validators, and conserve the chain’s bandwidth for gaming-specific activity.

Who is building on Immutable zkEVM?

The level of enthusiasm and support Immutable zkEVM has received from the community has been astounding. Many of our game studio and marketplace partners have already begun transitioning to Immutable zkEVM, re-enforcing the network effects that will help every game on Immutable succeed. Their involvement not only validates the quality of Immutable’s newest rollup, but also highlights the growing demand and excitement within the industry. 

The list of partners that have committed to Immutable zkEVM is growing by the day and already includes games like MetalCore, Shardbound and Infinite Victory, and ecosystem partners like AQUA Marketplace, TokenTrove Marketplace, BlockScout, and GameStop. Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon.

How is Immutable zkEVM different from other zkEVM solutions?

Although it's rapidly becoming the industry standard scaling solution, zkEVM technology cannot be considered intellectual property by any one company. Each zkEVM rollup offers comparable technical functionality within the Ethereum ecosystem. With that being said, it's the Immutable platform built on Polygon scaling technology that makes Immutable zkEVM truly unique.

Immutable is a full end-to-end Web3 gaming platform that now offers a zkEVM rollup. All of Immutable’s products, including Passport, Orderbook, and Checkout, will be compatible with Immutable zkEVM and offer all of the solutions your game needs to succeed. While zkEVM enables massive scalability, Ethereum security, and smart contract compatibility, the Immutable platform enables streamlined user onboarding, asset liquidity, and other capabilities required by games.

Instead of having to build your own solutions or source them from multiple partners, Immutable offers a one-stop-shop approach to Web3 gaming infrastructure. Immutable provides an end-to-end EVM solution in an environment built specifically for the needs of game developers. 

What’s next for Immutable zkEVM?

The Immutable zkEVM Testnet release represents the culmination of a massive amount, but it will continue improving as the teams push towards the Mainnet release currently slated for Q4. One major improvement will be the introduction of  Polygon Zero, a Type 1 zkEVM Validity proof scheme, as part of the process of progressively removing the training wheels to ensure stability for the developer community. The main priorities center around achieving optimal reliability, performance, and upgrade mechanisms before introducing Zero. 

The average gas cost will probably sit between Polygon PoS and Polygon zkEVM. The actual gas cost will depend on the demand and activity at the time. The congestion mechanism is based on EIP-1559 with a standard target of half the block limit. At launch, there will be a Block Explorer live that will reference a block's latest average gas cost and the team will continue to share this information with the community. 

Learn more about the functionality and migration procedures for Immutable zkEVM Testnet and start building now! Tune into the Polygon Labs Blog and our social channels to keep up with updates about the Polygon ecosystem.

Together, we can build an equitable future for all through the mass adoption of Web3!

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