Sony Group, in partnership with Stratel, has launched Soneium, a public layer 2 blockchain based on Ethereum. The 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 integrate Web3 technologies into everyday consumer applications, promising to enhance user experience through the benefits of blockchain.
“Soneium, founded by Sony Block Solutions Labs, is building a next-generation public blockchain ecosystem for Ethereum Layer 2 designed to ignite emotion and enable creativity. Soneium will connect blockchain technology (Web3) to everyday internet services (Web2). This connection will make things easier for users, helping more people get started with blockchain,” according to the official statement. advertisement Reads.
Sony aims to bring Ethereum into the mainstream
Soneium was developed as a layer 2 solution for Ethereum that builds on the existing Ethereum infrastructure. It uses the Op Stack developed by the Optimism Foundation to improve scalability and efficiency, while maintaining compatibility with Ethereum’s security features. This aims to address the issues of slow processing speeds and high transaction costs that are often associated with Ethereum layer 1 solutions.
Jun Watanabe, Chairman of Sony Block Solutions Labs, explained the strategic importance of the new blockchain solution: “We believe that developing a comprehensive blockchain-based Web3 solution is extremely important for the Sony Group, which has developed a wide range of businesses under its goal of ‘filling the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology.’”
Soneium is designed to be a versatile, general-purpose blockchain that can serve a wide range of needs across industries and user bases globally. The goal 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 that people using Web3 want because there is no common user touchpoint and feedback,” Watanabe said. “Sony Group has strong distribution channels across multiple industries and users that are present in our daily lives. With Sonium, we will make something that people want and go beyond Web3.”
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 technology to provide new types of user experiences.
Soneium’s development environment is designed to meet the needs of modern blockchain developers. Soneium plans to provide a fully-featured test environment that mirrors the mainnet conditions, allowing for accurate testing and optimization 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 provided to make it easier for developers to get started and develop their projects.
In terms of partnerships, Sony has announced collaborations with several major entities in the blockchain and Web3 space, including Optimism, Chainlink, Alchemy, Circle Internet Financial, and The Graph. These partnerships aim to bring diverse technologies and services to the Soneium ecosystem, enrich the platform’s capabilities, and ensure it becomes a central hub for innovation and user engagement.
Ryan White, Chief Growth Officer at Optimism Unlimited, spoke about the significance of Sony’s entry into the blockchain space: “Like other global giants, Sony Group has chosen Optimism’s OP Blockchain and entered Superchain, joining its growing network of chains. As part of Superchain, Soneium will contribute network revenue to the Optimism Collective, further supporting its ever-expanding ecosystem.”
The launch of the Soneium 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 towards our mission, we will be launching the Soneim testnet in the coming days. Developers and creators can start experimenting with the Soneium development environment and begin building their own applications on the testnet. Below, we reveal details of the testnet ahead of its launch,” the press release reads.
At the time of publishing this report, Ethereum was trading at $2,677.
Featured image via Unsplash / Nikita Kostrykin, chart via TradingView.com