The Evolution of Rollup Economics: Reconfiguring Value Flows within Multi-Layer Ecosystem Structures

The fundamental framework of Rollup economics that began over two years ago explained simple value relationships among users, operators, and the base layer. However, the reality we face today is much more complex. As new elements such as shared ordering, decentralization, proof mechanisms, and Rollup alliances emerge, multi-layered economic relationships that cannot be explained by the existing framework are forming.

Re-examining the Basic Economic Principles of the Rollup Ecosystem

The core of early Rollup economics was based on balancing three elements. All can be explained by a simple equation: L2 cost(congestion pricing and MEV included) - operational costs( - issuance and operator rewards) - data availability costs = Rollup protocol surplus.

Rollup operators must manage three key areas. First, optimize congestion pricing on L2 to determine user fee levels. Second, decide how to extract and redistribute the value(MEV). Third, reduce costs of recording data on L1 through technical optimizations and strategic token issuance.

These three choices determine the budget balance of the L2 ecosystem, and when surplus arises, it can be invested in public goods, development funding, and ecosystem growth.

Decomposition of Cost Structure in Standalone Rollups

Many current Rollups are seeking independence from auxiliary chains, aiming for security and decentralization. In this process, three core cost areas have become clear.

Sequencing cost: Incurs during the process of determining transaction order and constructing blocks. This also includes incentives to attract sequencers.

Data availability (DA) cost: Recording transaction history on L1, historically the largest cost component. Fortunately, upgrades like Ethereum’s EIP-4844 are expected to significantly reduce this cost.

State verification (SV) cost: For zk Rollups, the cost of generating proofs directly increases operational expenses.

Each Rollup must choose between security and efficiency. Opting for cheaper data layers reduces costs but weakens security. In the long term, innovations like off-chain shared provers could realize economies of scale.

Emergence of Economic Cooperation Among Rollups

Relying on only one or two Rollups has limitations. To achieve common goals, multiple Rollups are forming economic cooperatives where they jointly purchase certain services.

For example, if there is a shared batching and data availability service, multiple Rollups can subscribe to it, obtaining faster recording at lower costs than recording data on L1 individually. Furthermore, shared ordering services go beyond cost savings, making it easier to atomically settle transactions between different Rollups, lowering trade barriers among them.

In these cooperative models, new economic actors emerge. Shared service providers also need to balance their budgets. Two important economic issues arise:

Fair cost sharing: How to fairly distribute the total service cost among participating Rollups?

Decentralization of services: How many Rollups should jointly operate the service to balance performance and robustness?

Political Economy of Rollup Alliances

Unlike economic cooperatives, Rollup alliances involve political integration beyond simple economic cooperation. Similar to federal states, multiple Rollups are connected via shared cross-chain bridges and operate joint governance systems.

Major current Rollup systems(Optimism’s Superchain, Polygon 2.0, zkSync’s Hyperchains)are evolving into this model. They are becoming platforms of interoperable independent Rollups.

A key variable in alliance structures is the native L2 token. This token is more than a governance tool; it holds core rights to allocate resources and influence economic flows. For example, decentralizing core services like ordering, proof, and verification requires staking tokens within a consensus protocol.

The problem is excessive token issuance. If native tokens provide security through staking, over-dilution weakens security. Even if used only for governance, dilution can lead to token holders selling off, ultimately concentrating ownership.

Additionally, if the L2 ecosystem becomes overly dependent on native tokens, it risks losing the security provided by external currencies like Ethereum.

The Rise of L3 Layer and Economic Layering

Recently, customized execution environments(L3)for specific applications such as gaming, social media, and NFTs are rapidly spreading. These are settled on L2, offering lower execution costs and easier deployment, at the expense of some security.

Platforms like Arbitrum Orbit make it easy to deploy L3 chains. AltLayer and Caldera even offer no-code solutions to build custom Rollups without coding.

From the perspective of L3, L2 is another cost source. L3 must independently balance its own budget.

L3 revenue sources: User fees, game subscription fees, NFT revenue sharing, and other mechanisms are possible.

L3 costs: System operation costs and computation/data costs for recording on L2.

If hosting services in the form of RaaS platforms operate L3 on behalf of users, they become new service providers that also need to balance their budgets.

Future Economic Structures of the Rollup Ecosystem

The current Rollup ecosystem has evolved from a simple single-layer model to a complex multi-layer structure encompassing independent Rollups, economic cooperatives, Rollup alliances, and L3 layers.

Each layer has its own economic logic. Participants(Rollup, service providers, and applications)must balance costs and revenues. Shared services offer scalability but add complexity. Native tokens provide governance rights but carry dilution risks.

Patterns are becoming clearer in this complex ecosystem. Rollups pursuing economic efficiency will converge toward shared services. Large ecosystems seeking security and decentralization will strengthen internal governance through their native tokens. Certain application-specific layers like L3 will optimize experiences for specific use cases.

Ultimately, the economics of Rollups 2.0 are not just theoretical—they are the result of real ecosystem choices. Regardless of which economic model a Rollup adopts, it must navigate the eternal trade-offs among cost efficiency, security, and decentralization to find its position.