ETH Drama: ENS Dumps Namechain and Chooses L1-The Real Reason

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In the cold theatre of numbers, ENS declares that ENSv2 will be carried only by Ethereum L1, and that the name of Namechain’s L2, with its bright promises and wary whispers, is put to sleep. A fusaka-driven surge in gas to sixty million, and a year of gas costs shrinking by ninety-nine percent, persuade the ledger that the open sky of L1 is the more humane stage for this act.

In a blog post by nick.eth, ENS recites the decision as a preservation of ENSv2’s charm-single-step registration, multi-chain asset purchases, and a redesigned registry-while trimming the arms of trust and centralization tangled to the burden of a dedicated L2, as if removing an unnecessary coat in a very public hallway.

The note says the move leaves the ENSv2 roadmap intact, with the ENS App and ENS Explorer in public alpha and the new registry architecture, ownership model, and name-expiration handling still scheduled to ship; lighter L1 costs could fuel future gas subsidies for .eth holders, and ENSv2 will remain interoperable with more than 60 blockchains and L2s where the road allows.

FAQ 🧭

  • Why is ENS abandoning Namechain? – The prologue says faster-than-expected Ethereum L1 scaling, a whisper of much lower gas costs, and the added theater of running an L2 as reasons to lay Namechain aside, like a suit that no longer fits the future’s ballroom.
  • How will this affect ENS users in the U.S. and globally? – People everywhere will call on ENSv2 on Ethereum L1 with a streamlined single-step registration and support for assets from multiple EVM chains, without the detour of a separate Namechain.
  • Will .eth resolution still work with other blockchains like Bitcoin or Solana? – Yes; ENSv2 is built for interoperability, and ENS promises continued resolution for more than 60 blockchains, including Bitcoin and Solana.
  • When can users test the new system? – ENS says the ENS App and ENS Explorer are in public alpha as of early February 2026, inviting brave souls to test the new registration and management flows.

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2026-02-09 12:57