At present, the popularity of Ethereum Layer2 network remains high. However, apart from the OP series consisting of Optimism and Arbitrum, the development of the ZK series, including Starknet and zkSync, lags behind. Upon closer observation, the lack of token incentives and wealth expectations is a major factor that discourages projects from joining the ZK series.
As a background, the founder of Scroll criticized StarkNet as a group of “beggars,” to which the community retaliated by saying that they would destroy the project even if they didn’t claim the airdrop. Additionally, Starknet has updated its roadmap for the “coin countdown” and has organized seven major DeFi protocols.
Layer2 scaling solutions for Ethereum have always been a hot topic in the cryptocurrency world. Among them, the Layer2 networks led by the “Four Kings” can be divided into two factions: the OP series and the ZK series. The community has long discussed and compared the strengths and weaknesses of these two factions, but it seems that a consensus has been reached. However, the reality is that the OP series is far more developed and prosperous than the ZK series.
Compared to the ZK series, the OP series has lower construction difficulty and higher replicability, allowing it to quickly occupy the heat and traffic of Layer2. For ordinary users, the wealth effect of its tokens and continuous ecological incentives are more important. Leading projects in the OP series, such as Optimism and Arbitrum, have already launched tokens and established long-term ecological incentive models, attracting a large number of projects to join.
On the other hand, the ZK series, despite recent actions by Starknet, such as testing the functionality of STRK on the Testnet and testing airdrop claims, has repeatedly been a story of “the boy who cried wolf.” zkSync, another one of the Four Kings, has left everyone waiting for three years, and even though its mainnet Era has been online for almost a year, there is still no sign of its token.
However, on February 3rd, Twitter KOL Maran’s Crypto observed a new folder called “Snapshot Creator” in the Github repository of Matter Labs, the parent company of zkSync. This inevitably filled everyone with anticipation for the upcoming token snapshot. Twitter KOL gm 365 stated:
“With these three points in mind, gm 365 even consulted ChatGPT for its interpretation of the document.”
GPT: “It’s a normal dockerfile document and doesn’t have such a snapshot. It’s more like an airdrop snapshot in blockchain.”
A whistleblower clarifies the situation
However, on February 4th, Twitter KOL gm 365 debunked the rumors and stated that all of his previous statements were speculative, based on feedback from various sources.
Although the token release of zkSync is once again a story of “the boy who cried wolf,” the community’s expectation for zkSync’s token release is evident. An eco-project related to zkSync has also revealed to Odaily that they have recently communicated with the official team, and zkSync has indeed planned to release its token in 2024.
Currently, the popularity of Ethereum Layer2 is still high. However, apart from the development of Optimism and Arbitrum, the popularity of Starknet and zkSync is actually lower than that of the new L2 Base and opBNB built using the OP system.
The lack of token incentives and wealth expectations in the ZK series is clearly one of the reasons. The “fortune” of the ZK series may arrive this year, and when that happens, the Layer2 landscape will once again rise, becoming a major boost for the bull market.
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