Optimism’s (OP) native token continues to slide after Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer‑2 network Base announced it will move away from relying on Optimism’s OP Stack, an open-source software framework for building Layer‑2 networks.
Over the past three days, OP has fallen more than 32%, from around $0.19 to approximately $0.129, hitting its lowest level in over three years.
The decline accelerated following Base’s announcement that it will adopt a unified, in‑house technology stack, reducing its reliance on Optimism’s framework.
Sponsored
As part of this shift, Base will no longer share sequencer revenue with the Optimism Collective, which had previously accounted for a significant portion of Optimism’s income.
The revenue sharing had totaled over 8,000 ETH, roughly $16 million, during the partnership, representing a substantial share of Optimism’s on-chain revenue.
Base Moves to its Own Unified Tech Stack
In its announcement, Base explained that it is consolidating its infrastructure into a single, Base-operated codebase, moving away from deep reliance on the OP Stack.
Base cited the primary goal to simplify the codebase, speed up development cycles, accelerate development cycles, and allow for more frequent, predictable upgrades, targeting six smaller releases per year instead of fewer, larger updates.
Base emphasized that it will remain compatible with existing specifications and continue collaborating with partners, including Optimism, for ongoing support during the transition.
OP Labs Perspective
OP Labs CEO Jing Wang noted on X, that the move is a short-term hit to Optimism’s on-chain revenue, but it was expected and reflects a broader business evolution.
He highlighted that the OP Stack remains technically dominant and widely adopted, with Optimism pivoting to a service-based revenue model rather than relying solely on Superchain-style revenue sharing.
Wang also pointed out that Optimism code still processes 13% of all crypto transactions, underscoring the stack’s continued relevance despite Base’s fork.
Why This Matters
Base’s fork signals a shift toward self-managed, enterprise-style chains, where Layer‑2 networks may increasingly operate independently.
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People Also Ask:
Optimism is a Layer‑2 scaling solution for Ethereum, designed to process transactions faster and cheaper while still benefiting from Ethereum’s security. Its native token, OP, is used for governance and protocol participation.
A Layer‑2 blockchain operates on top of a base layer (like Ethereum) to increase transaction throughput and reduce fees, while relying on the base layer’s security. Examples include Optimism, Base, and Arbitrum.
The ending of revenue sharing from Base is a short-term hit to Optimism’s on-chain revenue. OP token prices may be volatile as markets adjust to these changes.
