While NFTs and Web3 games are growing rapidly in the blockchain world, Ethereum's slow and expensive transaction structure has long been one of the biggest obstacles to this development. This is precisely where Immutable X emerged. It developed a Layer-2 solution that maintains Ethereum's security while offering users fast and environmentally friendly transactions without paying gas fees.
The company, named Immutable ("immutable"), was founded in Australia in 2018 by brothers James and Robbie Ferguson and Alex Connolly. In fact, it all began with the unexpected success of Gods Unchained, the blockchain-based card game the team developed. The ability for players to freely trade NFT cards generated significant interest, but transaction fees on the Ethereum network were a challenge for both players and developers. To address this issue, the team partnered with StarkWare to launch the Immutable X protocol, powered by ZK-rollup technology.
Today, Immutable X is a completely gas-free (no transaction fees), carbon-neutral platform capable of scaling up to 9,000 transactions per second. Users can mint NFTs, buy and sell their assets, or instantly trade in-game items. All of this happens without compromising Ethereum's security. The platform's native token, IMX, provides discounts on transaction fees, staking rewards, and governance rights.
Thanks to Immutable X's global orderbook, NFT liquidity can be shared among platforms like Rarible, GameStop Marketplace, and TokenTrove. So, how exactly did Immutable come about, how did it grow, and why is it so talked about? In this guide, you'll find step-by-step answers to all your questions, including what Immutable is, what the IMX token does, and how the platform works.
Immutable's Definition and Origin
Immutable is an Ethereum Layer-2 protocol developed to make buying and selling digital assets faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. The platform's goal is to create a gas-free infrastructure, particularly for blockchain-based games and NFT projects. During 2017–2018, the Ethereum network was so congested that minting an NFT or selling in-game assets sometimes cost tens of dollars. This posed a significant obstacle for both small developers and gamers. To solve this problem, the Immutable team turned to ZK-rollup technology. This technology aggregates transactions off-chain and writes their hash to the Ethereum main chain, improving both speed and efficiency.
The project was developed by the Australian-based company Immutable. The company's founders are brothers James and Robbie Ferguson, and technical director Alex Connolly. Immutable's story actually began with the popular blockchain game Gods Unchained. This game, which allowed players to trade their cards as NFTs, quickly gained significant traction, but its popularity also brought with it high transaction fees. Due to Ethereum's limited capacity, players were forced to pay significant gas fees for almost every transaction. The Immutable team wanted to solve this problem, not only for themselves but for the entire ecosystem, forming a strategic partnership with StarkWare and laying the foundation for the Immutable X project.
Built on StarkWare's StarkEx engine, Immutable X maintains Ethereum's security while scaling up to 9,000 transactions per second. Users benefit from completely on-chain security without paying any gas fees when minting, trading, or transferring NFTs. The Immutable team aimed to make a difference not only from a technical perspective but also in terms of environmental sustainability. With Ethereum's transition to Proof-of-Stake in 2022, Immutable made all its transactions carbon neutral, distinguishing itself in the NFT space with its environmentally friendly approach.
Immutable X's vision is to deliver blockchain technology without the user even noticing it. The team's goal is to provide a seamless experience for millions of players and developers, without them even realizing they're interacting with the blockchain. Players can freely buy and sell in-game assets without having to deal with complex wallet transactions. Immutable continues to pursue this vision: building an ecosystem that manages complex blockchain processes in the background while providing users with a simple, fast, and enjoyable digital asset experience.
Immutable's History: Key Milestones
Immutable quickly became one of the most well-known Layer-2 projects in the blockchain world. What began as a game studio startup in 2018 evolved into a billion-dollar ecosystem within a few years. Below are some of the most notable milestones in Immutable's development:
2018: Company Founding and the Birth of Gods Unchained
Immutable was founded in Sydney in 2018. At the time, founders James and Robbie Ferguson, along with technical director Alex Connolly, were developing a blockchain-based card game called Gods Unchained. The game quickly gained significant traction with its idea of "storing and trading players' cards as NFTs." However, Ethereum's limited transaction capacity and high gas fees made it difficult for the game to achieve mass growth. This led the team to seek solutions, and the idea for Immutable X was born during this period.Immutable also closed a $15 million funding round in 2018 with the following investors:
2019-2020: StarkWare Collaboration and Development of the ZK-Rollup Infrastructure
To address Ethereum's scalability issues, Immutable turned to a zero-knowledge proof-of-concept (ZER)-based technology. This technology was StarkWare's StarkEx system. Through this collaboration, the parties began work on a Layer-2 protocol specifically for NFTs. The goal was to create the first solution that enables "gasless NFT trading." Infrastructure testing was conducted during this period, and the protocol's alpha version was released to developers at the end of 2020.
2021: Immutable X Launch and IMX Token Release
The Immutable X platform was officially announced in March 2021. Later that year, the platform's native token, IMX, was launched. This token, produced under the ERC-20 standard, was designed to be used for transaction fee payments, staking rewards, and governance voting. The launch of IMX was a turning point for Immutable X in the NFT world. Users could now mint NFTs without paying gas and trade their in-game assets almost instantly.
That same year, Immutable secured a $60 million Series B round; investors included major names such as Coinbase Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, and Galaxy Digital. This funding allowed Immutable X to be launched globally.
2022: GameStop partnership and web3 gaming breakthrough
In February 2022, Immutable announced a major partnership with GameStop. This agreement built GameStop's NFT marketplace on Immutable X's infrastructure. A $100 million grant fund was also established to incentivize game developers. This development demonstrated Immutable's rise to leadership in web3 gaming infrastructure, beyond NFTs. That same year, Immutable's platform was adopted by ambitious games such as Illuvium, Guild of Guardians, and PlanetQuest.
2023-2024: Immutable zkEVM and ecosystem expansion
At the end of 2023, the Immutable team took a new step and announced its second-generation blockchain infrastructure, Immutable zkEVM. Because this new architecture is fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), developers could easily migrate existing Ethereum projects to the Immutable ecosystem. zkEVM minimized transaction costs while maintaining a balance of security and scalability.
2024 was a year of significant growth for Immutable. More than 150 million transactions were successfully completed, and the number of active developers on the platform surpassed 500. The Immutable Passport wallet reached over 4 million users, and its one-click login feature made it a favorite tool for Web3 gamers.
2025: Chain convergence and mobile gaming expansion
In 2025, Immutable announced its most significant technological update in its history: the unified chain called Immutable Chain. With this update, the Immutable X (Layer-2) and zkEVM infrastructures will be combined into a single structure. All games and NFT projects will be able to run on this chain without requiring users to manually migrate. Testing for the merger began in September 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
At the same time, Immutable established a new Mobile Games Division to enter the $120 billion mobile games market. With this initiative, it aims to develop NFT marketplaces and in-game asset systems integrated into mobile games. Ubisoft's Might and Magic: Fates, announced in partnership with Immutable in early 2025, was one of the first examples of this strategy.
Today: The Immutable ecosystem
Today, Immutable is considered one of the strongest infrastructures in the Web3 gaming industry, with over 500 games, over 2 million monthly active users, and hundreds of millions of NFT transactions. The company's goal by the end of 2025 is to bring all these chains under one roof, creating a "game-focused super ecosystem." As of October 2025, the IMX price is changing hands at $0.51.
Why is Immutable Important?
Immutable X stands out by offering numerous innovations for decentralized NFT and gaming trading. Here are its key advantages:
High-performance infrastructure without gas fees
Immutable X operates without gas fees, preserving the security of Ethereum thanks to StarkWare's ZK-rollup technology. While the standard Ethereum network processes ~30 transactions per second, Immutable's layer-2 can handle up to 9,000 transactions per second. This is critical for supporting thousands of users of games and NFT marketplaces without delay.
Furthermore, with Ethereum's transition from PoW to PoS, transactions on Immutable X have become carbon neutral. Immutable powers all NFT transactions with green energy without purchasing carbon credits, making it particularly popular with environmentally conscious artists and gamers.
Global liquidity and shared marketplaces
Immutable's shared global order book integrates NFTs with leading platforms like Rarible, GameStop, and TokenTrove. This way, when an NFT is listed, it automatically becomes visible in all these markets, increasing liquidity exponentially. Users can trade from a single interface without the need for a bridge between different platforms.
Extensive Partnerships and a Fast-Growing Ecosystem
Immutable partners with major games like Illuvium, Guild of Guardians, and PlanetQuest. Collaborations with giants like GameStop and Ubisoft expand its user base. By 2025, Immutable had 2 million monthly active users on zkEVM and over 500 games integrated across the platform. The presence of strong investors like Temasek, Coinbase Ventures, and BITKRAFT backs it, further boosting confidence.
User-Friendly Products and Developer Tools
Immutable offers two different interfaces based on technical level. Players can easily create accounts with their email addresses thanks to the Immutable Passport wallet. Developers can access REST APIs, SDKs (e.g., wallet integration with the Link SDK), and payment infrastructure tools like Immutable Checkout. All of these products aim to simplify the work of game and marketplace developers. These features make Immutable a standout among NFT and Web3 gaming platforms. Immutable's success stems from its ability to combine user experience (fast transactions, low costs), technical infrastructure (security, scalability), and economic incentive mechanisms (staking, reward programs).
IMX Token Economy
At the heart of the Immutable ecosystem, the IMX token drives the platform's entire economic cycle. This token plays an active role in many areas, including staking rewards, transaction fees, governance votes, and community incentives. However, to understand IMX's long-term value, it's important to examine its distribution structure and vesting schedule. Immutable has a total supply of 2 billion IMX tokens. This supply is divided into different categories and will enter circulation gradually between 2021 and 2025. The chart below from its whitepaper represents Immutable's official "Full Vesting Schedule":
Foundation Reserve – A portion allocated to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. This portion is typically used for new product development or grant programs in the coming years.
Public Sale 1 & 2 – Tokens sold to investors during IMX's public sale periods. These sales strengthened project funding following Immutable X's 2021 launch.
Ecosystem Development – This portion comprises the largest portion of the token supply. This portion funds game studios, NFT projects, partner incentives, and community rewards. This portion plays a key role in Immutable's strategy to grow its gaming ecosystem.
Project Development – A portion allocated to fund the Immutable team, engineering, and operational expenses. This portion supports the long-term development of the platform's technical infrastructure.
The chart shows a vesting period of approximately four years, from November 2021 to October 2025. While only a small portion of the token supply is released during the first year, the amount in circulation increases rapidly by 2023. In the 2024–2025 period, the majority of the shares allocated specifically to ecosystem development and project funds are released.
Immutable's Founders and Team
Immutable's core team consists of experienced Web3 game and blockchain infrastructure experts. The company was founded by James Ferguson, Robbie Ferguson, and Alex Connolly, who left the God Unchained team in 2018. Based in Sydney, Immutable includes expert developers from companies such as Wizards of the Coast, Gameloft, and Riot Games.
The project also has strong investor support. Major funds such as Temasek, Coinbase Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, and AirTree Capital have invested in Immutable. This capital finances both the development of the infrastructure and the expansion of the gaming ecosystem. The Immutable team, working with institutional support and the broader community, is committed to taking the platform to a professional operating level. The community also participates in the project through the governance process; token holders can vote on network parameters and treasury management.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about Immutable:
What is Immutable (IMX) and what does it do?: Immutable (IMX) is a gas-free Layer-2 platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. It focuses primarily on buying and selling NFTs and Web3 game assets. Users can mint and trade NFTs while freely holding the assets in their wallets. The $IMX token provides transaction fee payments, staking rewards, and governance rights.
What networks does IMX work on?: Immutable X is a L2 solution that primarily runs on the Ethereum network. The IMX token is hosted on the Ethereum blockchain using the ERC-20 standard. Immutable zkEVM, which launched in 2024, is a new Ethereum-compatible chain; all Immutable X transactions will be merged onto this unified network by the end of 2025. In short, the Immutable ecosystem utilizes Ethereum's Layer-2 solutions.
Who founded Immutable?: Immutable was founded in Australia in 2018 by former God Unchained developers James Ferguson, Robbie Ferguson, and Alex Connolly. The team behind the project has specialized experience in card games and blockchain infrastructure. The project is also backed by Temasek, Coinbase Ventures, and other investors.
When was the IMX coin released, and what was its price like?: The IMX token was released alongside the launch of Immutable X in November 2021. During the initial listing, the price of IMX opened at around $5.6 (Token Generation Event). Significant volatility occurred during the launch period; later, the market stabilized and the price fell. The current value may be volatile because IMX is still a relatively new project token.
What does the IMX token do?: IMX is the utility token of the Immutable ecosystem. A portion of the fees charged for every transaction on the platform is converted to IMX and transferred to a staking pool. Users earn rewards from this pool by staking IMX. IMX holders can also participate in governance votes for the future of the network. In short, IMX offers transaction fee discounts, staking revenue, and management authority.
Has an airdrop been held for Immutable, or will there be another?: There is no known official airdrop campaign for Immutable. The coin is listed after investor token distributions are collected, and users have not been rewarded with an airdrop. Instead, the platform distributes IMX tokens to its users through the Trading Rewards Program. Users who buy, sell, or stake NFTs can earn IMX by taking advantage of these reward mechanisms.
Is Immutable reliable and worth investing in?: Immutable is an innovative project with a strong technical infrastructure and community support. The support of major investors like Temasek and Coinbase, as well as well-known partnerships with Ubisoft and GameStop, increases confidence. However, it's important to remember that new projects in the crypto space still carry volatility and technical risks. It's important to monitor market developments and act according to your risk tolerance before investing. It's generally recommended to start with small amounts and follow official announcements.
What other products does Immutable offer? The Immutable ecosystem is not just a DEX; it consists of various applications and tools. For example, Immutable Passport is a non-custodial (you control) wallet service that allows you to create wallets via email. The Global Orderbook mechanism increases liquidity by spreading assets across marketplaces like Rarible and GameStop. Additionally, Immutable Play offers in-game mission and reward systems, and Immutable Checkout offers features like credit card/fiat payments to developers. These products aim to simplify the Web3 gaming experience for developers and players.
Don't forget to follow the JR Kripto Guide series to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in Immutable and the Web3 gaming ecosystem.
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