ENS has deserted the Namechain L2 rollup as Ethereum gasoline bills decreased by 99%. ENSv2 will reside on L1 because it doesn’t want an extra layer because of scaling.
Ethereum Title Service canceled its Namechain Layer 2 rollup. Gasoline prices on the Ethereum mainnet dropped so drastically {that a} separate layer turned pointless.
ENS Labs introduced the choice this week. The group will deploy ENSv2 completely on Ethereum L1. Namechain improvement has ceased totally.
Why Ethereum’s Breakthrough Modified Every part
Ethereum L1 scaled quicker than predictions advised. The Fusaka improve doubled the gasoline restrict to 60 million in 2025. Builders now goal 200 million by 2026.
ENSv2 will probably be deployed completely on Ethereum.https://t.co/lCUmvhcRmH
— ens.eth (@ensdomains) February 6, 2026
Supply: Ensdomains
ENS registration prices fell from practically $5 to beneath 5 cents in gasoline charges. This represents a 99% discount over twelve months. In response to the ENS domains weblog, the gasoline restrict elevated from 30M to 60M throughout this era.
The maths shifted dramatically. Subsidizing each 2025 ENS transaction would value roughly $10,000 at present costs. Even peak post-Fusaka charges would whole solely $250,000. Operating a devoted L2 exceeds each figures considerably.
The Concorde Second: Altering Course Mid-Flight
ENS began planning Namechain two years in the past when L1 gasoline costs spiked recurrently. Fundamental transactions value tens of {dollars}. The Ethereum roadmap emphasised L2s because the scaling answer.
The group invested closely in Namechain partnerships and technical improvement. Many customers considered ENSv2 and Namechain as inseparable. Altering course now carries actual reputational prices.
ENS Labs drew parallels to the Concorde supersonic jet. Britain and France continued improvement regardless of shifting economics. The 1973 oil disaster made fuel-hungry Concorde out of date earlier than widespread service started.
“If we had been beginning at present, would we construct our personal L2?” the workforce requested. The reply turned clearly unfavorable.
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What Survives the Strategic Pivot
ENSv2 improvement continues with out interruption. The brand new registry structure ships as deliberate. Customers acquire single-step registration and stablecoin purchases from any chain.
The ENS App and ENS Explorer entered public alpha testing. Streamlined registration movement eliminates handbook bridging. Multi-chain assist covers over 60 blockchains, together with Bitcoin and Solana.
L1 avoids any CCIP-Learn gateway. Legacy names don’t want further decision layers, and therefore the structure is less complicated and fewer susceptible to failures.
The deployment to L1 leaves Ethereum with its elementary safety intact. This don’t alter any belief assumptions, due to this fact decentralization stays at its fullest as in comparison with any rollup.
Gasoline subsidies to the holders of Eth: When ENSv2 is launched, ENS Labs might wish to take into consideration gasoline subsidies. Even the price of avoiding L2 infrastructure is value efficient sufficient to do that.