ENS Abandons L2 Namechain, v2 to Launch Directly on Ethereum Mainnet

Major Shift in ENS Roadmap

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) has announced that its v2 update will now deploy directly on the Ethereum mainnet, abandoning its proprietary Layer 2 solution, Namechain. This decision comes as Ethereum’s L1 scalability has improved significantly, especially after the Fusaka upgrade increased the gas limit to 60 million, leading to a 99% drop in ENS registration gas costs over the past year, with average fees now under $0.05.

User Experience Remains Strong

Despite halting Namechain development, ENS core contributor nick.eth emphasized that all planned v2 features—including single-step registration, cross-chain stablecoin payments, and a redesigned registry—remain intact. The team believes staying on L1 removes additional trust assumptions introduced by L2 solutions and leverages Ethereum’s most robust infrastructure.

Community and Ecosystem Backing

The new ENS App and ENS Explorer are already in public Alpha testing. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin praised the decision, calling it a smart move to enhance security and long-term viability.