ENS Abandons Its Own L2: ENSv2 Launch Shifts Back to Ethereum Mainnet

In a strategic pivot that's raising eyebrows across crypto, the Ethereum Name Service is reportedly shelving its dedicated Layer-2 chain. The upcoming ENSv2 upgrade is now slated to launch directly on the Ethereum mainnet.

The Layer-2 Dream, Deferred

Plans for a bespoke scaling solution appear to have hit the back burner. Instead of migrating to its own optimized environment, ENS is doubling down on Ethereum's foundational layer for its next major protocol iteration. This move suggests a recalibration of priorities—emphasizing security and network effects over potential transaction cost savings.

Mainnet Momentum

The decision signals a vote of confidence in Ethereum's long-term roadmap and its existing scaling ecosystem. It bypasses the fragmentation risk of launching another app-chain, opting to leverage the mainnet's established liquidity and developer mindshare. The team is likely betting that Ethereum's own upgrades will solve the cost issues that once made an exclusive L2 seem necessary.

The Bottom Line

For users, it means continuity on the chain they know. For speculators, it kills a potential token airdrop narrative—proving once again that in crypto, the most profitable roadmap is often the one whispered on Twitter, not published on GitHub. ENSv2's return to the mothership is a pragmatic, if unsexy, bet on Ethereum's enduring dominance.

The ENS says Ethereum will offer the best possible infrastructure guarantees

ENS said that when it first chose to build its own L2, Ethereum’s main network was simply too costly for most users, which often made simple ENS interactions surprisingly expensive. It further contended that at the time, Ethereum’s roadmap didn’t include major L1 upgrades, and the industry consensus was that L2s were the answer.

Now, the team notes that the shift to Ethereum will streamline name resolution, allowing users to get results faster by relying on a single chain. L1 scaling on Ethereum has already picked up serious momentum. Gas limits jumped to 60 million with the Fusaka upgrade, and Core devs are already targeting 200 million next year, ahead of any ZK gains. 

Originally, ENS intended for almost every name to resolve via CCIP-Read gateways at launch, with legacy and new names alike depending on it on the L2. But the team now believes that Ethereum L1 can offer unmatched security, decentralization, and reliability that L2s cannot fully replicate. It asserted that choosing L1 means they are sticking with the strongest infrastructure guarantees.

It added, however, that insights gained from Namechain will now inform ENS’s work on better interoperability with a range of L2s. It insisted that staying on L1 doesn’t mean they will ignore L2s. ENSv2’s flexible design enhances L2 interoperability, and the streamlined registration Flow handles cross-chain complexity. Besides, ENS supports over 60 chains, including Bitcoin, Solana, and Celo.

At the same time, the team has already released public alpha versions of the ENS App and ENS Explorer to allow users to sample the simplified registration flow, upgraded multi-chain support, flexible ownership, and improved name management. The newly developed contracts and apps FORM the backbone of ENSv2. 

Ethereum announced its funding to Shielded Labs

The Ethereum network is still expanding its involvement in building crypto infrastructure. Recently, the network’s founder, Vitalik Buterin, provided funding to Shielded Labs to support Crosslink, a proposed Zcash consensus improvement designed to LAYER on top of Zcash’s current proof-of-work protocol. Simply put, Crosslink adds a second layer of confirmations to speed up and secure transaction settlement, reducing the risk of chain reorganizations, rollbacks, or double-spends.

Ethereum’s latest support for development reflects a broader pivot in Buterin’s public messaging toward valuing privacy and resilience over convenience or growth. Lately, he’s stressed that blockchain design must prioritize handling worst-case scenarios rather than focusing solely on ideal user experience. That involves standing up to censorship, keeping trust assumptions to a minimum, and protecting users under adverse conditions. In his view, privacy should be treated as CORE infrastructure, not an add-on. In one of his recent posts on X, he had asserted, “2026 is the year that we take back lost ground in terms of self-sovereignty and trustlessness.”

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