Crypto Mass Adoption Eludes Launchpads Alone
Crypto mass adoption remains out of reach as Base’s launchpad experiments struggle to retain users. Virtuals Protocol and Zora each saw initial revenue booms on Base—Virtuals generated nearly $11 million in net revenue between December 2024 and January 2025 (13 000 agents tokenized), and Zora reached $1.3 million revenue and 1.1 million posts in August—but both have since fallen sharply. Virtuals revenue dropped to $105 000 last month, while Zora daily income halved to $20 000 with active posting accounts down 60%. Base’s top app, Aerodrome AMM, recorded about $15 million in revenue last month, accounting for 40% of Base’s blob traffic on Ethereum mainnet, yet remains a trading app rather than a mainstream “app” in the eyes of general users. With only around 20 000 regular experimenters on Base and no consumer-facing utility beyond financial speculation, crypto risks remaining a niche gaming venue rather than evolving into mass-market platforms like Uber or Spotify. Broad adoption will require apps that deliver tangible non-speculative value.
Neutral
The article highlights persistent challenges in achieving crypto mass adoption beyond trading. Both Virtuals Protocol and Zora saw impressive initial revenue but failed to sustain user growth, illustrating a broader pivot point: mainstream users demand real-world utility apps rather than speculative platforms. With only around 20 000 active participants on Base and limited non-financial use cases, immediate market impact is muted. Traders may note long-term potential if consumer-focused dApps emerge, but in the short term, this underscores the sector’s utility gap rather than driving bullish or bearish price action.