Immutable’s zkEVM Testnet Set for Regenesis as it Shifts to Geth-Based Client

Immutable, a prominent player in the layer-2 blockchain arena, has announced a transition for its Immutable zkEVM Testnet.

Starting November 20, the testnet will undergo a regenesis, transitioning to a Geth-based client from its current Polygon Edge framework.

Immutable zkEVM Testnet Embarks on Major Regenesis

On November 15, Immutable announced that its layer-2 blockchain, the Immutable zkEVM Testnet, is set to undergo a regenesis for a smooth transition to a Geth-based client. This involves replacing the chain’s initial EVM client from Polygon Edge with Geth.

This transition aims to maintain the proximity of Immutable zkEVM to Ethereum, enabling it to gain advantages from subsequent updates and ensuring its complete compatibility with the Ethereum tooling ecosystem.

Immutable’s initial announcement highlights the aspiration for the Immutable zkEVM to support all primary Ethereum clients, fostering diversity among clients and enhancing the chain’s resistance to bugs at the client level.

“We are determined to work hand in hand with Polygon to ensure client performance is not the bottleneck for games building on Immutable zkEVM.” stated the announcement.

Adopting a strategy that involves multiple clients will allow Immutable to tap into significant performance enhancements from clients such as Erigon and Reth as they continue to develop.

Implications for Developers

The team also informed developers on Immutable zkEVM that between November 20-23, the Immutable zkEVM Testnet and its associated services will be offline.

This pause will allow the Immutable team to upgrade platform integrations, enhance EVM monitoring, refine the transaction relayer, and more, ensuring the new client operates optimally. Services are expected to resume fully by November 24.

Following the completion of the regenesis, developers will need to take specific actions to ensure a smooth transition. Although existing product integrations will be retained, it will be necessary to redeploy all smart contracts and remint assets on the Testnet. The procedures for contract deployment and asset minting remain unchanged.

Developers with previously deployed smart contracts or minted assets should prepare to resubmit these once the Testnet becomes operational again on November 24.

To minimize disruptions in their development workflows, developers should follow these key steps: redeploy their smart contracts, remint their assets, and stay updated with the latest version of UnifiedSDK by regularly checking its changelog.

Meanwhile, the crypto team at Polygon recently announced the completion of the zkEVM Mainnet Beta upgrade. This upgrade is intended to transform Polygon into a network that enables anyone to generate, trade, and schedule value.