Polygon Immutable Faqs

FAQs

Why have Immutable and Polygon entered into a partnership?

Immutable zkEVM is a new EVM-compatible zk-rollup powered by Polygon technology and with full Immutable platform support. Building on Immutable zkEVM with the Immutable Platform will make developing web3-enabled games faster, easier and less risky for large game studios and independent developers alike. This new relationship will transform the web3 gaming landscape and solidify a new home for decentralized gaming.

What is Immutable zkEVM?

Immutable zkEVM is a solution purpose-built for game development that offers low cost, massive scale, enterprise-grade security, and Ethereum smart contract compatibility. Building on Immutable zkEVM with the Immutable Platform will make developing web3-enabled games faster, easier and less risky for large game studios and independent developers alike.

Why choose Immutable zkEVM?

The user experience between Immutable X and Immutable zkEVM based games is very similar. However, if a game developer wishes to build a richer economy, utilising features such as on-chain crafting and staking, then Immutable zkEVM allows them to do that leveraging custom smart contracts which are not possible on Immutable X.
Immutable zkEVM is a better-together solution of Platform and Protocol for web3 Games:

The platform layer: set of tools provided by Immutable to make building mainstream-quality web3 games easier. This includes tools like Immutable Passport, a non-custodial wallet and authentication solution that streamlines user onboarding for web3 games through passwordless sign-on and automated wallet creation.
The scaling layer: the Polygon blockchain rollup layer where games mint assets.

Why did Immutable choose to build on Polygon?

This partnership crystalises the collective ambition of Immutable and Polygon Labs to accelerate the adoption of Web3 in Gaming. Immutable conducted extensive research to identify the leading zkEVM in the market and we are confident that the zkEVM solution technology developed by the Polygon Labs team is leading the way. Polygon Labs has some of the best zk-rollup teams in the space, and has a very strong position in Gaming, so they’re a strong fit from a technology perspective. In addition, Polygon Labs business development and marketing teams have developed strong relationships in the web3 community and the Polygon gaming ecosystem is strong. Lastly, the two companies are also aligned philosophically in their commitment to Ethereum.

When will Immutable zkEVM be live?

Immutable zkEVM is currently in development. Starting today, developers can get their hands on early documentation and MVPs for our zkVM-compatible products, such as: Identity, Wallet, Indexer and basic minting (e.g. template ERC721) so they can start to explore the benefits of building on Immutable zkEVM.
A testnet version of Immutable zkEVM, including all MVP products, is expected to be available in late Q2 2023.

Will Immutable still use Starkware? What does this mean for our StarkWare relationship with Immutable?

Yes. Immutable will continue Immutable X and will continue its relationship with Starkware.

What’s the difference between Immutable X (StarkEx) and Immutable zkEVM? When would I use each to architect?

Immutable zkEVM is a solution for games that offers EVM compatibility, low cost, massive scale, and Ethereum security. It’s the most cutting-edge technology in gaming with the largest ecosystem in web3.
Immutable X allows developers to mint millions of NFTs for free and unlock truly scalable web3 games. It’s built for games that prioritize high performance and low cost over advanced web3 game mechanics, while still maintaining the underlying security of Ethereum.

What are some game mechanics executions where one solution makes sense over another?

The user experience between Immutable X and Immutable zkEVM based games is very similar.

If a game developer wishes to build a rich game economy, utilizing features such as on-chain crafting and staking, then Immutable zkEVM allows them to do that leveraging custom smart contracts.

Immutable platform solution’s comparison here:

Immutable X:

Mints millions of low value digital assets (zero gas)
High transaction throughput
Mature solution
Can’t support custom smart contracts

Immutable zkEVM powered by Polygon:

All-round solution for games who may want more advanced features in future
Supports custom smart contracts
more familiar to work with for crypto native partners
Small gas fee per transaction

What about gas fees?

Immutable zkEVM introduces the concept of ‘gas’ payments to cover the cost of transactions. The good news here is that the gas fee is low thanks to the power of Polygon zkEVM technology. Immutable zkEVM does not offer ‘zero gas’ like Immutable X, but we expect the gas cost on Immutable zkEVM to be acceptable to the average game. It is expected that gas price for an average transaction (e.g. transfer) is expected to be low (but vary based on smart contract complexity).

How do fees work on StarkEx vs. zkEVM? Who pays these fees?

The 2% platform fee charged by Immutable will still exist on Immutable zkEVM as it does on Immutable X.

What will happen to games which are already on Immutable X?

While Immutable zkEVM will have clear benefits to Games, there is no mandated requirement for existing customers to build or migrate to Immutable zkEVM. For those who do wish to migrate, we will be providing guidance on that prior to launch of Immutable zkEVM.

Will Polygon Labs’ existing gaming pipeline all migrate to Immutable zkEVM?

Polygon has enabled this as an opportunity to take advantage of Immutable’s amazing full stack capabilities to power the very best of gaming in web3 while retaining all the benefits of building on Polygon. However, as a decentralized protocol, anyone is able to build and deploy on Polygon with whatever solution they feel is best suited for them.

Who is building on Immutable zkEVM?

We are excited to announce upcoming titles that have committed to building on Immutable zkEVM in the coming days - stay tuned!

Polygon Immutable FAQs

Key Messaging & Partnership Background:

FAQs