NEW ESSAY: The Economics of L3s
L3s promise 10,000x lower fees, but face major economic hurdles. Our analysis reveals the challenges for L3s to reach profitability, current L3 use cases, and the future pathways to valuable L3 networks.
Our analysis shows that L3s struggle to breakevent unless they achieve L2-like transaction volumes (50M+ per month) or keep fees within 3x of L2s. Today, L3s serve as "cost centers" and an economic tool to bootstrap network and app growth. For example, onchain games (ex: Skyoneers, Pirate Nation) can significantly lower operational expenses and improve UX through L3s. On today's L2s, even a moderately popular onchain game or app could cost $5+ million in gas a year.
But there are breakthrough economic models on the horizon. Future value will come from priority fees, native gas/staking tokens, and disruptive new models for how L3s are designed/operated that unlock new revenue, markets, structural advantages, and forms of economic agency.
While current L3 economics are challenging, they're evolving rapidly. The future will bring novel value creation and capture mechanisms for chain operators, developers, and users alike.
Read the full essay:
https://lnkd.in/ggTEqx4r