Metropolis Ahead: Ethereum Developers Set September Date for Testnet Launch
Ethereum is inching closer to its 'Metropolis' upgrade, announcing today the date for the launch of a new testnet.

A launch date for the 'Byzantium' testnet, the next critical step toward a major upgrade for ethereum, has been announced.
The testnet will be deployed on September 18, following a discussion between ethereum core developers today. Byzantium is the first of two phases in the 'Metropolis' update, set to be followed by 'Constantinople' at a later time.
The actual network upgrade release will likely be launched in early October, depending on the length of the testing period and any issues that may arise during that time. Observers had predicted that the Metropolis upgrade could come as early as this month, but ongoing development pushed that date to later in the fall.
As developer Hudson jameson, the unofficial release manager for Metropolis, said during the meeting:
"For all the coin media that keep saying September – it's not September. It's October 9 unless something goes wrong with the testnet."
Vitalik Buterin, the creator of ethereum, said during the meeting that he anticipates the Byzantium test phase will last between three and four weeks.
In response, developer Péter Szilágyi posited that the timeline for that could shift, noting "if things go wrong....they will go wrong fast."
Calendar pages image via Shutterstock
More For You
Pudgy Penguins: A New Blueprint for Tokenized Culture

Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Bitcoin remains subdued as gold races to new record above $5,400 following Jerome Powell remarks

Gold fans rushed in to buy as the Fed chair said he took no macro signal from the raging bull market in precious metals.
What to know:
- Gold soared to a new record on Wednesday afternoon, quickening its rise as Fed Chair Jerome Powell spoke at his post-meeting press conference.
- Bitcoin continues to trade in a very tight range around $89,000.
- "Crypto is underperforming some of the very assets it was designed to supplant," said one analyst.











