Arweave AR Token Plummets 13% as Storage Platform Faces Hard Fork Controversy
Updated on:12/08/2025 04:54 PM Arweave AR Token Plummets 13% as Storage Platform Faces Hard Fork Controversy
Decentralized storage network Arweave's native AR token has experienced a significant 13% price drop amid growing controversy surrounding a potential hard fork of the blockchain network. According to market data from CryptoSlate, the AR token fell to $8.90 at the time of reporting, erasing a 15% gain it had achieved over the previous seven-day period.
As the fourth-largest file-sharing blockchain platform by market capitalization, Arweave operates as a pioneering decentralized permanent storage solution designed to preserve humanity's most critical digital assets indefinitely. The platform has gained substantial traction within the NFT community, with numerous digital artists and collectors choosing Arweave to secure their valuable creations. Its technological significance is underscored by strategic partnerships with major industry players like Meta, as well as integrations with prominent blockchain networks such as Ethereum and Solana to enhance their NFT ecosystems.
The current controversy erupted on December 17th when Sam Williams, Arweave's founder, publicly accused Irys (formerly known as Bundlr), a storage solution provider, of orchestrating plans to fork the Arweave network. Williams characterized Irys' proposed fork—which would involve dropping the existing dataset and resetting the token supply—as fundamentally motivated by greed rather than technological advancement.
"The integrity of permanent storage requires careful consideration of any proposed changes," Williams stated, emphasizing that while forks may occasionally be necessary for permanent storage platforms, Irys had chosen an unethical path forward that would undermine the network's core principles.
In response to these allegations, Arweave has advised Irys users to transition to alternative bundling service providers or develop their own bundling solutions. The decentralized storage platform has also announced measures to revoke Irys' privileges to "optimistically display their content on Arweave's main gateways before on-chain settlement," effectively limiting their integration within the ecosystem.
Conversely, Irys has vehemently denied these accusations, asserting that Williams' actions constitute unjust targeting and that Arweave is actively engaging in platform censorship. The bundling service provider has encouraged its user base to utilize its dedicated gateway to circumvent the restrictions imposed by Arweave.
"We remain fully committed to advancing innovative provenance technology while ensuring uninterrupted service for our existing users," an Irys representative affirmed. "All ongoing projects and data accessibility will remain unaffected as we continue to develop new features that benefit the entire decentralized storage community."
