As Ethereum enters a new era of modularity and multi-chain interoperability, the OP Superchain is emerging as a model for next-generation blockchain network architecture. In a multi-chain Superchain ecosystem, a key challenge is how to incentivize users, developers, and protocols to collaborate and participate meaningfully.

In April 2025, the Optimism Foundation officially launched SuperStacks — an experimental pilot points system designed to explore how on-chain behavior data can power sustainable, composable, and scalable network-wide incentive models.This article will help you understand the new incentive paradigm represented by SuperStacks and explore how it could shape the future of on-chain incentive systems.

What is SuperStacks?

SuperStacks is the Optimism Foundation's first incentive experiment across the Superchain, running from April 16 to June 30, 2025.The program distributes points (XP) to reward user liquidity activities with interoperable assets (like USDT0) across multiple OP Chains, including:

• Providing liquidity for cross-chain assets

• Earning more XP the longer you participate

• Surprise bonuses may be introduced throughout the campaign

Participants can view their XP, rankings, and leaderboards through the official interface, ensuring transparency.

It’s important to note:

• XP is not a token, cannot be transferred or redeemed, and does not guarantee any future OP or other rewards.

• XP serves as a proof of participation in the early design and testing of the Superchain incentive model, recording user behavior data from this experiment.

How is it Different from an Airdrop?

Optimism has previously rewarded ecosystem participants through multiple airdrops and the RetroPGF program. However:

• Airdrops are typically outcome-driven (what you have achieved in the past).

• SuperStacks is behavior-driven, rewarding present activities that demonstrate cross-chain interaction and network collaboration value.

Unlike static airdrops, SuperStacks operates as an ongoing points mechanism, allowing dynamic adjustments to participation criteria and reward structures based on real-time ecosystem developments.

Why Does the Superchain Need "New Incentives"?

Traditional public chains often offer incentives independently at the chain or protocol level to drive isolated growth.In contrast, the Superchain is building a multi-chain, interoperable ecosystem with shared incentives, where:

• Applications can be deployed across chains

• Assets can move seamlessly between different OP Chains

• Users can participate in liquidity incentives across multiple chains and earn cross-chain XP through SuperStacks

SuperStacks marks Optimism’s first experimental effort to move beyond siloed incentives and encourage collaborative behavior in a multi-chain environment.

This new network structure demands more coordinated, unified incentives — designed to reward users for creating value across the entire network.SuperStacks rewards composable usage behaviors: real interactions that demonstrate the utility of Superchain assets and applications across chains.

It’s an Experiment — But a Meaningful One

The Optimism Foundation has emphasized in its official announcements:

• SuperStacks is a pilot project — rules may change or not continue.

• XP has no monetary value and carries no promises of future benefits.

Yet it is precisely this experimental nature that gives SuperStacks its unique value:

• It could become an early exploration for the Superchain’s economic model, building a foundation of behavioral data for future incentive designs.

• The results may offer behavioral references for upcoming programs.

• It demonstrates Optimism’s strategy of building a sustainable ecosystem through progressive experimentation.

SuperStacks is a critical experiment for the Superchain economy, providing valuable insights into cross-chain incentive models.

A Leap Toward the Future of Incentives

SuperStacks is both an experiment and a signal.

Its results may influence the future of Web3 incentive systems — shifting from isolated point rewards to network-level collaborative incentives.In this new model, users are not just app participants, but co-creators of network-connected value.

It also signals that projects built on the OP Superchain could natively integrate and innovate around SuperStacks' incentive framework in the future.

For the ecosystem as a whole, this represents a leap toward a more coordinated, sustainable, and compounding incentive future.