Share this article
Venture-Backed Ethereum Project Optimism Delays Launch
The throughput-boosting Layer 2 project said rushing its mainnet launch could have consequences for unprepared projects.
By Danny Nelson
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:32 p.m. Published Mar 26, 2021, 1:27 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Ethereum-scaling system Optimism delayed its mainnet launch to July after the venture-backed startup’s promise of a debut in March proved to be “overeager,” the project announced Thursday.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
- In a blog post, Optimism, which last month raised $25 million from Andreessen Horowitz and others, admitted the original timeline was unworkable and took many projects by surprise.
- Rushing its tech salve for raging Ethereum gas fees could have dangerous consequences. “There is a very real risk of” projects getting fraudulently forked by bad actors, the post said.
- Optimism called July a “rough estimate” for its mainnet launch. A hacker-ready testnet will debut in late April.
Read more: Andreessen Horowitz Leads $25M Round in Ethereum Scaling Solution
More For You
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
MegaETH mainnet to go live Feb. 9 in major test of ‘real-time’ Ethereum scaling
This follows its October 2025 $450 million token sale that was heavily oversubscribed.
What to know:
- MegaETH, the much-watched high-performance Ethereum layer-2 network, announced that its public mainnet will go live Feb. 9, marking a major milestone for a project that has gained a lot of attention in the scaling landscape.
- MegaETH positions itself as a “real-time” blockchain for Ethereum, designed to deliver ultra-low latency and massive transaction throughput.
Top Stories
