- Astar zkEVM is seeking to bolster ecosystem growth.
- The network has launched a product in partnership with Sequence as part of these efforts.
- The network is also offering a grant to incentivize developers further.
Since launching on March 6 as the first Ethereum Layer 2 to be connected to Polygon’s AggLayer, Astar zkEVM has made efforts to consolidate its position as a leading Layer 2. As part of these efforts, just 24 hours after its launch, the project announced a partnership with Pyth Network to make secure real-time data available to dApps.
The project has announced a new product in partnership with Sequence, a Web3 developer-focused infrastructure provider, to bolster ecosystem growth.
Astar zkEVM Unlocks “Easy Mode” for Developers
On Monday, May 20, Astar zkEVM announced the launch of Astar Studio, a platform that aims to provide all the tools Astar zkEVM developers need in one place. Astar zkEVM suggested that the platform, built in partnership with Sequence, will allow developers to focus more on the end product and user experience and less on the complexities of Web3. With Astar Studio, the team intends to bolster its ecosystem by attracting and playing host to more quality applications with a good product-market fit, eventually leading to greater adoption.
Sponsored
Per a press statement, the Astar Studio will serve as “the official Astar zkEVM ‘Developer Console’, placing innovation and control directly in the hands of developers.” Features of the Astar Studio include customizable UI kits, gas sponsorship mechanics, and SDKs for Unity, Unreal Engine, and mobile.
Commenting on the product launch, Astar Network CTO Shaun Wang asserted that Astar Studio unlocked “easy mode” for dApp builders.
"The integration with Sequence is going to be very beneficial for the developers building on Astar zkEVM. By combining Astar zkEVM with Sequence's development platform, we're empowering developers to build next-generation web3 dApps in easy mode."
Meanwhile, as a further incentive, Astar zkEVM also offers grants to developers interested in Astar Studio.
$200K in Grants Up for Grabs
Astar zkEVM and Sequence disclosed that they would be offering “a special Astar Studio Credit Grant” of up to $200,000. As the teams explained, developers can use these credits for any of the tools within the development platform.
Sponsored
Per the grant application form, the criteria for selection include whether the project is live and its number of active users.
With the product launch, Astar zkEVM will be hoping to slow the decline in activity the network has experienced in the past few days. Per the Astar zkEVM Explorer, daily active accounts have dropped from a peak of 8,251 on May 17 to 4,468 on May 19, while new transactions on the network have come to a similar idle in recent weeks, dropping below 50,000 on May 19.
On the Flipside
- There is no guarantee that the Astar Studio will see wide adoption.
- Astar zkEVM faces stiff competition from Immutable X and Polygon itself in the gaming space.
Why This Matters
Gaining and sustaining users can be an uphill task for relatively new crypto projects like Astar zkEVM. The first step to solving this problem is usually attracting projects with a good product-market fit. Astar Studio is the solution Astar zkEVM has turned to tackle exactly that.
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