ENS Labs scraps Namechain L2, shifts ENSv2 fully to Ethereum mainnet

ENS Labs has decided to scrap the development of its custom app-specific Layer 2 solution, Namechain, and will deploy the upcoming ENSv2 update exclusively on the Ethereum mainnet. Co-founder Nick Johnson cited Ethereum's rapid scaling, noting a 99% reduction in ENS registration gas costs over the past year, making the L1 infrastructure robust enough. This decision follows Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin's recent comments suggesting the base layer is scaling faster than expected while L2s face decentralization challenges. While significant investment was made in Namechain, which was originally planned as a ZK-powered rollup to lower costs, ENS Labs stated the learnings from that development will be used to enhance ENSv2's interoperability across various L2s, ensuring .eth names remain accessible regardless of the underlying EVM chain.

(Source：The Block)