Neo Legacy Shutdown and N3 Migration: A Necessary Blockchain Technology Upgrade
On October 31, 2025, the Neo Legacy mainnet, which has been running for nine years, will officially shut down, with the testnet ceasing service earlier on June 1. This decision marks Neo’s full transition to its next-generation blockchain platform, Neo N3, which has undergone major technical upgrades since its launch in 2021. For users, completing asset migration before October 31 is the only way to avoid permanent loss.
Launched in 2016 under the name “AntShares,” Neo Legacy once supported early smart contract innovation. However, as blockchain technology rapidly advanced, its limitations in performance, scalability, and developer-friendliness became apparent. Neo N3 addresses these with a rebuilt infrastructure, dynamic governance model, and native cross-chain capabilities, making it a fully functional platform for the smart economy of the future.
Migration Timeline and Urgency
- Testnet shutdown: June 1, 2025 (Developers must cease contract deployments).
- Mainnet shutdown: October 31, 2025 (Unmigrated assets will be permanently lost).
- Incentive window: September 1 to October 31, 2025, with tiered NEO migration rewards of up to 1%; early movers benefit more.
Failure to migrate in time may result in unrecoverable assets and expired smart contracts. For instance, DeFi protocols on Neo Legacy not rebuilt on N3 could see their liquidity permanently frozen.
How to Safely Migrate Assets
Use Official Channels
NEO/GAS migration: Use Neo’s official portal, compatible with wallets like NeoLine and O3.
Other NEP5 assets: Use the dedicated platform nepmigration.com.
Note the Fee Rules
Migrations of ≥10 NEO or 20 GAS are free; smaller transfers incur a 1 GAS fee.
Avoid UTXO fragmentation: If transaction inputs exceed 15 UTXOs, merge before migrating to reduce costs.
Smart Contract Migration
Developers must redeploy contracts on Neo N3 and leverage its enhanced features (e.g., built-in oracles, MEV-resistant sidechains). Technical support is available through the Neo developer community on Discord.
Neo N3 Innovations and Ecosystem Opportunities
Neo N3 is not a simple upgrade but a technological leap rebuilt from the ground up:
- Performance Boost: The dBFT 2.0 consensus achieves single-block finality, improving transaction speeds by 10–100x over Legacy.
- Enhanced Features: Natively integrates decentralized storage (NeoFS), digital identity (NeoID), and cross-chain protocols; supports multi-language smart contract development.
- Optimized Economic Model: 80% of GAS block rewards go to voters, incentivizing community governance.
For investors, N3’s upgrades may offer long-term value. Its dynamic governance appeals to institutions, and an EVM-compatible sidechain (expected by end of 2025) could attract Ethereum developers.
Looking Ahead: The Next Phase for Neo Ecosystem
As Neo Legacy retires, resources will focus on N3 expansion. Planned AI integration, enhanced data privacy, and compliance frameworks will further promote blockchain-real economy convergence. For everyday users, timely migration is not just a precaution—it’s a gateway to participate in the next-generation Web3 infrastructure.
Neason Oliver
