Ethereum Layer-2 Blast to Shut Down, Tells Users to Withdraw by Oct. 26

Blast's exit shows that even a once highly valued L2 can be undone by the simple arithmetic of running costs outpacing fee revenue, a reminder that scale and valuation do not guarantee a sustainable chain. The immediate burden falls on users holding assets on Blast, who face a hard withdrawal deadline, while the broader L2 field is left to demonstrate that its economics can survive without subsidy-era assumptions. Whether this becomes an isolated failure or signals deeper stress across layer-2 operators is the open question.