Immutable zkEVM and X Merge: Unified Chain to Power Web3 Gaming in 2026

Immutable is finishing a major change to its ecosystem by merging Immutable X and Immutable zkEVM into one unified chain. This comes at a key time for Web3 gaming, as the industry is now focused on consolidation and building sustainable infrastructure instead of chasing hype.

Instead of focusing on quick growth, the industry is settling down. Immutable’s move matches this trend and puts the platform in a good spot as the market picks up again.

Immutable’s Position in Web3 Gaming Infrastructure

Immutable has spent years creating tools for large-scale games. Games like Gods Unchained, Guild of Guardians, and Illuvium depend on fast transactions, stable costs, and secure NFT ownership.

Those requirements shaped Immutable’s early design decisions. These needs also explain Immutable’s early choices, leading the company to run two Layer-2 solutions simultaneously. This approach worked initially, but as the market matured, the downsides became more apparent. Immutable X, an Ethereum Layer-2 using StarkWare’s ZK-rollups, addressed a real problem: gas fees made in-game NFTs impractical. Zero-fee minting and trading allowed games to issue millions of assets without pricing out players.

However, Immutable X had limitations. It didn’t support general-purpose smart contracts, so developers had to work within predefined flows. Immutable zkEVM, which reached mainnet in early 2024, addressed that gap. Built with Polygon’s Chain Development Kit, it offers full EVM compatibility. Studios can now deploy Solidity contracts, integrate DeFi primitives, and use ERC-1155 standards for high-volume assets.

Operating two chains fragmented liquidity, increased complexity, and created user confusion. The merge resolves these issues effectively.

The consolidation plan was announced on April 8, 2025. After months of staged migrations, the final phase begins in February 2026.

Key steps include:

Bridge Contract Upgrade

Scheduled to begin as early as February 11, 2026, Immutable will upgrade its bridge contracts. A mandatory two-week delay follows for security validation.

Automatic Asset Migration

Asset migration from Immutable X is expected around February 25, 2026, following the two-week security delay. Wallet addresses remain unchanged, and most users won’t need to take action.

Immutable X Deprecation

Also scheduled to begin as early as February 11, Immutable X write operations will stop. Minting and trading APIs will become read-only, and Immutable Link will be phased out.

Users who prefer to exit can withdraw to Ethereum Layer-1 before the cutoff. Passport users transition seamlessly. MetaMask and other EVM wallets display balances directly. Magic Wallet users may need to export keys.

What Developers Need to Change

Developers must migrate to the unified @imtbl/sdk and replace Immutable X RPC calls with zkEVM equivalents. Interactions now follow standard EVM patterns.

Immutable offers guides, sample code, and help for upgrading assets. Many studios are changing ERC-721 collections to ERC-1155 to boost liquidity and improve marketplace results.

Doing this work now makes future maintenance easier and allows for more advanced game features.

Web3 Gaming in 2026: Post-Hype, Not Post-Progress

Web3 gaming is not failing. It is just slowing down after a very active period in 2024 and early 2025.

Daily Unique Active Wallets (dUAW) reached almost 7 million in early 2025, but dropped as funding slowed, play-to-earn lost popularity, and weaker projects closed. By Q3 2025, gaming dUAW averaged about 4.7 million.

Gaming dUAW trend (DappRadar):

• Q1 2025: 5.8–6.0 million (-6% QoQ)

• Q2 2025: ~4.8 million (-17% QoQ)

• Q3 2025: ~4.66 million (-4.4% QoQ)

Complete Q4 2025 and early 2026 data isn’t public yet. Even so, gaming still represents roughly 25% of total dApp activity. Capital has rotated toward AI and memecoins, and token performance remains uneven. Those pressures explain the quieter market.

Why Immutable Still Shows Strength

Despite the downturn, Immutable’s metrics remain steady rather than volatile.

• Over 227 million total transactions processed

• Around 169,000 daily transactions on average

• Approximately $148K in 24-hour DEX volume

• Consistent NFT trading activity

• zkEVM DeFi TVL near $11.4 million, reflecting a gaming-first focus

Other gaming-focused chains show resilience as well. Ronin continues to lead in engagement, validating the idea that specialized infrastructure outperforms general-purpose chains for games.

Immutable stands out through breadth. More than 680 games are building or live on the platform. Recent and upcoming launches include emoji™ Marble Dash with Epic-based quests, Zombie World free-to-play quests, and Ubisoft’s Might & Magic: Fates arriving February 4. Live titles such as Villains, Miomi, and Guild of Guardians continue to onboard players.

Guild of Guardians has already shown that big audiences are possible with blockchain when the process is smooth for users.

Why the Merge Matters Now

The timing of the merge aligns with the market’s needs. During expansion phases, fragmented tooling slows teams down. During consolidation phases, it becomes a liability.

By unifying liquidity, assets, and developer workflows, Immutable reduces overhead at a moment when studios are more selective. The platform becomes easier to build on, cheaper to maintain, and simpler to explain to players.

Immutable’s Role in the Next Growth Cycle

The Immutable merge won’t cause an immediate comeback, but it sets the stage for future growth.

Having one EVM-compatible chain with strong NFT support gives studios the confidence to invest again. Players will have fewer wallets and bridges to manage, and can keep ownership across games. Marketplaces will have more liquidity instead of being split up.

As Web3 gaming shifts from trying new things to actually building, solid infrastructure is more important than hype. Immutable’s unified chain shows this change and puts the platform in a good spot for the next growth phase.