Sony Group, in partnership with Startale, has launched Soneium, a public Ethereum layer-2 blockchain. This development is part of Sony’s strategic expansion into the blockchain ecosystem, leveraging its extensive distribution networks in entertainment, gaming, finance, and electronics. Soneium aims to mainstream Web3 technologies and integrate them into daily consumer applications, promising to enhance user experience with blockchain’s benefits.

“Soneium, by Sony Block Solutions Labs is building a public Ethereum layer 2 next-generation blockchain ecosystem designed to invoke emotion and empower creativity. Soneium will connect the blockchain technology (Web3) with the everyday internet services (Web2). This connection will make things easier for users, helping more people start using blockchain,” the official announcement reads.

Sony Aims To Bring Ethereum Into Mainstream

Soneium is developed as an Ethereum layer-2 solution that builds upon the existing Ethereum infrastructure. It utilizes the Op Stack developed by the Optimism Foundation to improve scalability and efficiency, while maintaining compatibility with Ethereum’s security features. This is aimed at addressing issues of slow processing speeds and high transaction costs that are often associated with Ethereum’s layer-1 solutions.

Jun Watanabe, Chairman of Sony Block Solutions Labs, explained the strategic importance of the new blockchain solution: “We think the development of a comprehensive Web3 solution based on blockchain is very significant to the Sony Group, which has developed a wide variety of businesses under its purpose of ‘Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology’.”

Soneium is designed to be a versatile, general-purpose blockchain that can cater to a wide range of needs across different industries and user bases globally. The aim is to create a robust, developer-friendly environment that supports innovation and empowers communities, creators, and developers.

Notably, Sony is bringing something to the Ethereum ecosystem that no other company has done on this scale. “The industry has been making something web3 people want because of the lack of general user touchpoints and their feedback. Sony Group has strong distribution channels in multiple industries and existing users in our daily lives. Through Soneium, we will make something people want and go mainstream beyond web3,” Watanabe said.

Soneium plans to support the creation of innovative applications that push the boundaries of what blockchain technology can achieve. This includes a mix of entertainment, gaming, finance, and other applications that leverage the unique properties of blockchain to provide new types of user experiences.

The development environment for Soneium is being tailored to meet the needs of modern blockchain developers. Sony plans to offer a fully-featured testnet environment that mirrors the mainnet conditions, which will allow for thorough testing and refinement of projects.

Sony and its partners are committed to ensuring that developers and creators have the tools they need to succeed. “We believe in empowering developers and creators with the tools they need to succeed,” said Sota Watanabe, Director of Sony Block Solutions Labs. Extensive documentation and third-party developer tools will be made available to make it easy for developers to get started and advance their projects.

In terms of partnerships, Sony has announced collaborations with several key entities in the blockchain and Web3 space, including Optimism, Chainlink, Alchemy, Circle Internet Financial, and The Graph. These partnerships are intended to bring various technologies and services into the Soneium ecosystem, enriching the platform’s capabilities and ensuring it becomes a central hub for innovation and user engagement.

Ryan Wyatt, Chief Growth Officer at Optimism Unlimited, reflected on the significance of Sony’s entry into the blockchain space: “Like other global giants, Sony Group has chosen Optimism’s OP Stack and enters the Superchain, joining its growing network of chains. As part of the Superchain, Soneium will contribute network revenue back to the Optimism Collective, further supporting its ever-expanding ecosystem.”

The launch of Soneium’s testnet is an imminent step that will provide developers with their first hands-on experience with the platform. Sony plans to release detailed technical documentation and tools in the coming weeks to support community engagement with the testnet.

“As a first step to realize our mission, we will be launching Soneim testnet in the coming days. Developers and creators can start experiencing the development environment of Soneium and start to build their own applications on the testnet. Hereunder, we are revealing the details of the testnet in advance of its launch,” the press release reveals.

At press time, Ethereum traded at $2,677.

Featured image from Unsplash / Nikita Kostrykin, chart from TradingView.com