Sony Takes a Leap Into Blockchain With Soneium: Key Details and What’s Next

Key Takeaways

• Sony’s new blockchain aims to accelerate Web3 innovation and bring blockchain technology to the mainstream.
• Soneium will be built with a new layer-2 network on top of the Ethereum blockchain. 
• Soneium is expected to go live in the next few days.

Japanese electronics and gaming giant Sony announced it is launching its own blockchain to accelerate Web3 innovation. 

Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony SBL), a joint venture between Sony Group and Singapore-based Startale Labs, said on Friday, Aug. 23 , that Soneium will be built with a new layer-2 network on top of the Ethereum blockchain.

Transak Partners With Soneium

Web3 payments infrastructure provider Transak will assist Sony Block Solution Labs in onboarding mainstream users into the blockchain project, the company announced on Thursday, Aug. 30. 

The partnership “will have a profound impact on the gaming industry,” Transak said in a press release. Gamers will be able to easily purchase, trade, and transfer in-game assets and non-fungible tokens using everyday payment methods. 

Transak said added accessibility will foster a broader adoption of blockchain technology within the gaming community, enhance player engagement, and enable new monetization opportunities.

“This collaboration underscores our commitment to bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3, empowering industries such as gaming and entertainment with innovative solutions that enhance user experiences and drive digital transformation,” Transak Co-Founder and CEO Sami Start said.

Pyth To Bring Real-Time Data to Sony’s Blockchain

Pyth announced on Aug. 28, it was collaborating with Sony Group and Startale Labs to deploy its real-time price feeds on Soneium.

Developers on Soneium will be able to use Pyth Price Feeds to analyze 500+ ultra-low-latency price feeds to ensure their apps are powered by precise market data “of the same caliber as institutional players,” the company said.

In a statement , Pyth wrote: “This collaboration is set to advance the blockchain experiences for developers, apps, and users, with Pyth accelerating the adoption and growth of Sony’s Web3 infrastructure.”

Sonieum Testnet Goes Live

On Aug. 26, Sony SBL released Sonieum Minato, its “risk-free” testnet for Sonieum. 

In what the company has called the first step towards its vision, the testnet serves as a public blockchain “accessible to all developers and creators interested in building applications.”

“Soneium Minato offers a fast and cost-effective development environment, providing tools that are compatible with Ethereum, which is widely used for existing Web3 app development,” the company wrote in a blog post.  “This environment allows developers and creators to experience Soneium’s specifications firsthand.”

The Sonieum Minato testnet does not use the production blockchain. Sony said it instead employs a test version of crypto assets for in-app payments, allowing users to try services without risking their own assets. 

“This risk-free environment encourages more people to explore and engage with Web3 applications,” the company said. 

What Is Soneium?

Soneium plans to take full advantage of the Optimism blockchain ecosystem’s OP Stack. 

This highly customizable and flexible toolkit allows developers to mold their own networks using Optimism’s technology, which can connect to other networks in the same ecosystem through the “Superchain.”

Sony SBL stated that its new blockchain aims to simplify Web3 experiences with boosted accessibility and efficiency. Soneium plans to deliver apps covering gaming, finance, entertainment, and more. 

Soneium Will Look to Solve Web3 Challenges

In its mission statement for Soneium, Sony SBL said Web3 faced two challenges: the current community is limited to just a few core users, and no killer use case has gone mainstream yet. 

Soneium aims to tackle these two challenges by creating diverse businesses and “new use cases with the aim of reaching as many users as possible with the customer value that can be enjoyed only with Web3 technology,” said Jun Watanabe, chairman of Sony Block Solutions Labs.

Sony SBL stressed that it was focusing on exposing new audiences to Web3 technologies through its massive distribution network to mainstream markets. 

“The new blockchain unites leading web3 projects and infrastructure pioneers, including Astar Network, Circle, Chainlink, Alchemy, and The Graph… to bridge the gap between decentralized innovation and everyday consumer applications in entertainment, gaming, and finance,” Sony SBL said.

What’s Next for Soneium?

The tech giant said it will work towards making Soneium’s “mainnet” publicly available in the future, giving users free access to its applications and Web3 services.

Soneium’s testnet launch is being achieved in partnership with Astar Network. The partnership will see Astar zkEVM integrate its assets and infrastructure with the blockchain.

This initiative will help Soneium with an initial cash flow boost  and provide it with a range of fungible and non-fungible digital assets, creating an exciting and diverse blockchain ecosystem from the day of release.

Sony’s entry into the blockchain space may highlight a return of interest and investment from major corporations in the technology.

Jun Watanabe and Sota Watanabe will be on stage at WebX, which will be held in Tokyo on Aug. 28th and 29th, to provide more details on the overview and direction of Soneium.

About the Author

Kurt Robson

Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN with a diverse background across several prominent news outlets. Having transitioned into the world of technology journalism several years ago, Kurt has developed a keen fascination with all things AI. Kurt’s reporting blends a passion for innovation with a commitment to delivering insightful, accurate and engaging stories on the cutting edge of technology.

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