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About Shape
Shape is an Ethereum Layer 2 for art and culture, built on OP Stack and started by the team behind the NFT curation platform Deca. Its central design is Gasback: up to 80% of the Layer 2 sequencer fee a user pays when calling a contract is returned to the creator or application involved rather than kept entirely by the network. It targets general-purpose Layer 2s that collect fees with no connection to the content ecosystem, where creators generate activity but share none of the infrastructure revenue.
Writing fee rebates into the protocol gives art applications a built-in subsidy, which distinguishes it from general-purpose Layer 2s such as Base and Arbitrum, at the cost of structurally thinner network revenue and long-term reliance on outside support. No verifiable milestone with a date appeared in 2026, public material stops at mainnet launch and the Gasback mechanism, and the network runs in steady state. The risks are twofold: the Layer 2 field is crowded and users concentrate in leaders, while demand depends on the NFT and art cycle, so rebates shrink when the market is cold.
Shape, an Ethereum L2 tailored for NFTs and onchain objects, launched its public testnet on July 18, 2024, followed by mainnet activation on September 30, 2024. On day one, the Shape Rotation campaign saw 40+ collectors and the team jointly inject $500,000 into NFT purchases, boosting early liquidity. A landmark moment came on October 16, 2024, when artist DeafBeef's 'Moveable Type' open-edition mint sold out 100,000 NFTs within hours, showcasing the network's capacity for programmable objects. In March 2025, Shape introduced the $SHAPE token, with 70% of supply dedicated to the community and a 'Gasback' mechanism returning 80% of sequencer fees to builders. The token also enabled Structura, a DUNA-based governance framework, allowing holders to guide the protocol both onchain and offchain. These milestones—testnet, mainnet, the Gasback model, and decentralized governance—underline Shape's long-term vision of a creator-owned, community-driven ecosystem.
Over the past six months (2026-03-01 to 2026-09-01), Shape has made significant progress. In March 2026, the $SHAPE token officially launched, marking a key step in decentralization. The protocol established Structura, a Wyoming DUNA legal entity, bridging on-chain governance with off-chain legal reality. Gasback v2 was introduced, enabling real-time, automatic distribution of sequencer fees to builders, with a customizable buffer and governance-controlled split. A buyback contract was deployed, directing a share of sequencer fees and other on-chain sources to buy $SHAPE, with 40% burned and 60% sent to Structura.
Looking ahead, Shape's roadmap focuses on full decentralization: 70% of $SHAPE supply is dedicated to the community, with a Full Decentralization Incentives (FDI) pool locked until the network achieves sufficient decentralization (e.g., validator or sequencer decentralization). Governance will control buyback parameters and fee splits. The remaining 250M+ $SHAPE will be distributed via future airdrops. Shape aims to build a sustainable flywheel: more builders → more ETH into buyback → more $SHAPE bought back and burned, ultimately strengthening ecosystem alignment.
bonafidehan (founder & CEO of Deca) created Shape, an Ethereum L2 for NFTs and onchain objects that went live on mainnet in September 2024, built by the team behind the Deca NFT curation platform. Wider core-team info is limited publicly.