Cryptocurrency investment carries high risks, and prices may fluctuate dramatically. You may lose all of your principal. Please carefully assess the risks.
In an era where high TPS and low transaction fees have become standard, merely creating a new public chain can no longer impress users and builders. Today, developers in the crypto world are turning to a new survival rule: "First build a super app, then platformize it into a chain". This "App-First" wave is quietly rewriting the development logic of blockchain.
A chain without an app is just a cold and deserted highway. As Four Pillars researcher Ponyo recently pointed out, using Hyperliquid and Abstract as examples, he tried to prove that "a true host must have a game that players love".
He noted that over the past decade, many blockchain projects focused on building "universal infrastructure" like L1/L2, hoping developers and users would naturally flock in. However, as former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said: "A platform without applications will ultimately get stuck in the mud".
Just as Office made Windows successful and Outlook supported Exchange Server, a chain without its own flagship application finds it difficult to kickstart network effects.
Today, every new chain claims to be faster and cheaper, but such technical marketing has long numbed the market:
A chain without killer apps is like a game console without games - no matter how powerful the performance, no one will care.
[The rest of the translation follows the same professional and accurate approach, maintaining the original meaning while translating to English.]On the other hand, Ethereum L2 expansion solution Abstract, which focuses on Web3 game entry, started with the "Portal App", integrating social account login, intuitive gas payment, and a unified wallet system. So far, it has launched 33 mini-games, attracted over 2 million users, and completed 76 million transactions. Its strategy is clear: "First, let users have fun, and then gradually turn the games into a platform."
These projects not only prove that the App-First strategy is feasible but also subvert the default development path: "It's not necessary to have a chain before having a product."
The Microsoft and Apple of Web3 will be born from products
The rise of Microsoft and Apple was built on the explosion of applications after mature basic hardware. The same story will be repeated in the crypto world. Today's on-chain infrastructure is quite mature, with L2, DA layers, and ZK technologies readily available. The key in the future is no longer about creating a chain with better technology, but who can first deliver a "truly useful and fun killer product".
The real next-generation standard is no longer about doing only infrastructure or only applications, but a powerful combination of both: "First attract users with an App, then lock them into the ecosystem with the chain."
Risk Warning
Cryptocurrency investment carries high risk, and its price may fluctuate dramatically. You may lose all of your principal. Please carefully assess the risks.
