James Richardson
The Aavegotchi community has officially voted to transition its ecosystem from Polygon to Base, the Ethereum Layer 2 solution backed by Coinbase. This major move includes the retirement of Geist, Aavegotchiโs custom Layer 3, developed by Pixelcraft Studios.
The decision comes as the NFT and gaming sectors struggle to regain momentum following the end of the pandemic-era bull market. The switch also aligns with a broader trend of consolidation among Ethereum rollups, as fragmentation in liquidity and user engagement continues to pose challenges in the web3 space.
In a governance proposal published in February, Aavegotchi founder coderdan highlighted the need to reduce operational costs and remain competitive in the evolving Layer 2 market.
โWhile technically a game can exist on any chain, practically, attention and liquidity go hand-in-hand,โ said coderdan. โPolygon PoS has seen stagnating TVL since 2022, making it increasingly difficult to justify continued investment.โ
The Aavegotchi DAO vote passed with over 95% approval on Snapshot, clearing the path for a migration to Base. Smart contracts on Polygon will be upgraded to freeze transfers and state changes, while all Aavegotchi assets โ including NFTs, wearables, badges, REALM Parcels, Forge items, and FAKE Gotchis โ will be reminted on Base at a 1:1 ratio.
The migration and audit process is expected to take between four to six weeks.
Why Base Was Chosen Over Arbitrum and Ronin
The DAO considered several other chains, including Arbitrum and Ronin, but ultimately selected Base due to its strong ecosystem support and deep Coinbase integrations.
Key reasons for choosing Base include:
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High EVM activity (second only to BNB and Tron)
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Onboarding support from Coinbase
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Native integration with Coinbase Wallet and Farcaster
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Existing GHST token liquidity on Aerodrome and Uniswap (Base deployments)
โDespite a difficult market cycle for crypto gaming, we believe the EVM gaming narrative is still alive,โ coderdan wrote. โBase represents the strongest growth potential among EVM chains and offers the stability we need for long-term development.โ
Geist Layer 3 to Be Retired, Regardless of Outcome
While the DAO vote dictated the chain migration, Pixelcraft Studios had already decided to sunset Geist, their experimental Layer 3, regardless of the proposalโs outcome. The studio cited limited adoption across the L3 space and a need to streamline resources.
Pixelcraft recently implemented significant team reductions to extend its financial runway, reflecting the broader slowdown in NFT and altcoin markets.
Aavegotchiโs Origins and Funding Journey
Aavegotchi was born out of a collaboration between Pixelcraft Studios and Aave, one of the largest DeFi lending platforms. Governed by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), Aavegotchis are ERC-721 NFTs that can be staked with interest-bearing aTokens generated from Aaveโs lending pools.
The project completed a multi-year token sale in 2023, raising $30 million without any venture capital participation โ a rare feat in the space. Of that, $22.5 million was allocated to the DAO treasury, while Pixelcraft Studios received the remaining portion.
Conclusion: Aavegotchi Eyes a Fresh Start on Base
With the migration to Base, Aavegotchi positions itself for renewed growth and user engagement. As Ethereum rollups mature and gaming infrastructure onchain evolves, Base may offer the right foundation for Aavegotchiโs next chapter โ both as a web3 gaming platform and a tokenized collectibles ecosystem.
