Zug, Switzerland, January 29th, 2026 - Status, a longstanding open-source initiative within the Ethereum community, has returned to prominence with a multipronged relaunch that pairs a satirical animated web series with a revamped privacy super-app and the announcement of a gasless Layer 2 network.
Over the past several years, Status has quietly continued development of an integrated platform that combines a secure cryptocurrency wallet, an end-to-end encrypted messenger, and a privacy-focused web browser into a single application. Founded in 2017, the project has persisted through the industry’s cycles and market stresses while maintaining an open-source approach to privacy tooling.
A creative relaunch: USS Status
To mark the updated software and the forthcoming Status Network, the team has debuted USS Status, an irreverent sci-fi cartoon that satirises episodes and characters drawn from crypto culture. The series follows a crew of meme-forward misfits navigating a galaxy beset by surveillance, centralisation, and governance failures.
The first episode reintroduces a notorious crypto character; the project says any resemblance to real-world figures is strictly coincidental. The animation is being distributed on multiple social platforms, including X, YouTube and TikTok. The Status team has released Episode 1 to the public and indicated additional episodes will follow; Episode 1 is available here: https://youtu.be/478Bjdcswo0.
Volodymy Hulchenko, identified as Status App Lead, framed the series as an attempt to recapture the cypherpunk ethos. Hulchenko said: "Over the past decade, crypto has traded its sense of fun and freedom for market hype and profit-first narratives. USS Status is our way of laughing at the chaos while reminding people that it’s still possible to build tools that defend privacy, free speech, and digital freedom - without losing the cypherpunk spirit that started it all." The project has invited interested viewers to join its X Community at: https://x.com/i/communities/1998042195463479359.
The software: a unified privacy super-app
The application marketed as Status offers a consolidated privacy experience across messaging, transactions and web browsing. The team has released an overhauled unified app for both mobile and desktop platforms. Built around Logos peer-to-peer messaging technology (previously Whisper) and decentralised smart contracts, the app emphasises anonymous profiles, encrypted messaging, and censorship-resistant community spaces.
Key functional elements highlighted by Status include a built-in multi-chain wallet with swap capabilities, privacy-preserving browsing, and community features designed to be resistant to censorship. The app is publicly available at: status.app.
Infrastructure: Status Network and a gasless L2
Beyond the app, Status has announced Status Network, which it describes as the first natively gasless Layer 2 blockchain. The network is built on the Linea zkEVM stack and intends to eliminate the need for paid gas by employing a reputation-based Karma system funded by native yield.
According to Status, this architecture will enable gasless private accounts. The team positions Status Network as compatible with Ethereum security assumptions while simplifying onboarding for games, social applications and DeFi use cases. Status has opened pre-deposit vaults for staking ahead of the planned mainnet rollout; interested users can access the staking hub at: https://hub.status.network/.
The project states that its operating model redistributes 100% of net revenues to the community and funds sustainable liquidity incentives, a public funding pool, and SNT buy-backs. Status Network says revenue sources will include native yield and app fees.
Timing and next steps
Status has signalled a mainnet launch targeted for Q1. Until the network is live, wider adoption questions and real-world performance of the gasless model will remain open. The team is promoting community engagement in advance of launch, including staking and participation in its social channels. Users and developers can follow updates at: https://x.com/StatusL2.
What this means
The relaunch assembles several elements in one package: a privacy-focused super-app, a narrative marketing push through animation, and a novel Layer 2 proposal seeking to remove gas friction via a reputation-and-yield mechanism. The combination targets users seeking private communications and simpler on-ramps for web3 applications.
Public relations contact for Status Network is listed as Laura Guzik at [email protected].
Contact information and platform links are provided by Status as part of the project announcement.