At the moment when the Ronin sidechain was hacked and 600 million dollars evaporated, the YGG asset manager I knew only wrote one line in Dis: "Our ship is still here, but the port is on fire."
In those days, the atmosphere in the entire community was not one of anger, but a peculiar heaviness of "shared hardship." No one sold AXS, and no one transferred assets on a large scale. Everyone was like guardians in front of a home hit by artillery fire, waiting for news of repairs. At that moment, I suddenly understood that the relationship between YGG and Ronin was no longer simply that of "user and tool," but a deeply intertwined bond akin to that of "settlers and homeland."
Why Ronin? Because of the temptation of 'customization'
In the early days of playing Axie on Ethereum, every battle required paying gas fees, making it feel like having to insert coins every time you pressed the gas pedal on the highway. The emergence of Ronin is not an optimization but a salvation for super users like YGG.
But the deeper reason is that Ronin is the first side chain deeply customized for a single game ecosystem. It is like the 'dedicated national road' built by Sky Mavis for the Axie kingdom, with rules, toll booths, and service areas designed according to the kingdom's needs. For YGG, the largest 'logistics company' and 'passenger transport group' in this kingdom, operating on this national road means:
· Ultimate cost controllability: Low and stable gas fees make large-scale, high-frequency asset leasing and micro-revenue sharing possible.
· Potential for deep integration: One can imagine more complex smart contracts in the future, such as automated scholarship sharing and dynamic leasing contracts based on on-chain data, which are difficult to achieve on the congested Ethereum mainnet but can be customized and developed on Ronin.
· Common interest defense line: The success of Ronin directly determines the survival of the Axie ecosystem, and thus determines the value of YGG's largest asset pool. This chain has become a digital lifeline that both parties must jointly defend.
YGG's ecological position on Ronin: from 'largest user' to 'shadow governor'
YGG has long surpassed the identity of the 'largest user' on Ronin. It plays three key roles:
1. Stress testing and demand generator: YGG's massive transaction behavior is the truest pressure test for the Ronin chain. Its business needs (such as requiring more efficient batch transfer tools) directly drive Ronin's technical iteration roadmap. To some extent, YGG is Ronin's 'Chief Product Demand Officer.'
2. Cornerstone of liquidity and pillar of confidence: After the hacking incident, market panic ensued, and YGG's public statement and 'wait-and-see' approach to assets became the stabilizing anchor for community confidence. Its massive asset stock and usage behavior itself are important endorsements for the activity and security of the Ronin chain. A chain without major users settled is just an empty highway.
3. Ecological incubator: The Ronin chain cannot rely solely on the Axie game for development. YGG is actively introducing other potential game projects into the Ronin ecosystem using its capital and community. What it does for Ronin is not just 'using vehicles,' but also helping 'attract investment and prosper the economy along the way.'
A gamble, like a double-edged sword
This deep bundling is a gamble. YGG has extremely bound its fate to a side chain and even a game IP. When Ronin thrives, YGG benefits greatly; when Ronin declines, YGG suffers significant damage.
It's like building headquarters and all core warehouses in a new economic zone. When the zone thrives, you are the biggest winner; when the zone's policies change or it encounters disasters, you will bear the most direct impact. Hacking incidents have already proven that this risk is real.
However, YGG seems to believe that this risk is worth taking. By deeply participating in and even influencing the development of a dedicated game chain, it has obtained a more valuable asset: near-infrastructure-level discourse and customization rights within a specific ecosystem. This is much deeper than being an ordinary big player on a 'public continent' like Ethereum.
Future: The ambition from 'settlers' to 'co-builders'
Looking ahead, YGG's role on Ronin and in other dedicated game chains may further evolve. It will not be satisfied with just being a 'super user' or 'tester.'
It may wish to become a core participant in the governance structure of the game chain, holding significant voting rights on the future development direction of the chain (such as fee models and new feature priorities).
It is more likely to deeply integrate its 'guild protocol' with the game chain, making itself the 'default operating system' of the on-chain game guild ecosystem.
At that time, the relationship between YGG and Ronin will complete its final evolution: from a large and loyal 'resident' to a 'shadow government' and 'city construction partner' that participates in law-making, city planning, and operating core public services.
This dedicated game chain is not only YGG's 'home field,' but it may also become the first and most critical 'kingdom laboratory' to validate its highest strategy—becoming the underlying protocol for Web3 games.
