NFT protocol Aavegotchi, focused on Web3 gaming, has decided to stop using the Polygon blockchain and fully migrate to Base — the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by Coinbase. The decision was supported by 93,5% of participants in a governance vote held on April 8.
Why Aavegotchi Is Leaving Polygon
The proposal, titled Make Aavegotchi Based Again, was introduced by project founder Dan back in February. He cited close collaboration with the Base team and described the platform as more promising in the current market cycle. In his post, Dan stated that the Aavegotchi team considers it most beneficial to shut down all smart contracts on Polygon and complete the migration to Base.
According to him, Pixelcraft Studios — the core development studio behind Aavegotchi — recently implemented significant staff reductions to cut costs and extend financial sustainability amid the market downturn. NFTs and meme tokens have been among the hardest-hit sectors of Web3 in 2025. The situation worsened after former president Donald Trump announced plans to impose large-scale import tariffs, shaking financial markets.
Technical Reasons for the Migration
Aavegotchi cited Polygon’s technological lag as a key reason for the move. According to Dan, the network has failed to introduce significant upgrades that would improve gaming protocol integration or contribute to ecosystem growth. He emphasized that Polygon lacks PoS innovations to enhance user experience in gaming.
Meanwhile, he described Base and Arbitrum as more resilient and technologically advanced. In his view, they offer high performance and long-term development potential. He also highlighted Base’s strong orientation toward retail users.
Polygon’s Challenges and Competitor Growth
Aavegotchi’s migration reflects a broader trend — declining activity and liquidity on Polygon. According to DeFiLlama, the network’s TVL (total value locked) dropped from nearly $10 billion in 2021 to $725 million by April 8, 2025. During the same period, competitors Base and Arbitrum each maintain over $2 billion in TVL.
TVL is considered a key indicator of user trust and liquidity in the DeFi sector. The drop in Polygon’s TVL points to a general decline in developer and user interest in the network.
What Aavegotchi Is About
Aavegotchi was created as a joint initiative between Pixelcraft Studios and the decentralized lending protocol Aave. It offers NFT collections in the form of digital characters that can be customized with accessories, hats, glasses, and other items. These tokens can be bought, sold, and traded like standard NFTs.
The migration to Base is not just a technical move but also an attempt to redefine the project’s position within the evolving Web3 space. Base operates as an optimistic rollup launched by Coinbase in 2023 and is positioned as a scaling solution for Ethereum.
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