Last year Sony entered into a joint venture with Singapore-based startup Startale Labs. Now the first fruits of that collaboration have come to light, with the launch of Soneium, an Ethereum layer 2 blockchain, from Startale and Sony Block Solutions Labs. The platform is first being made available to developers, with plans for an eventual public launch, the goal being “to create new services by leveraging the various businesses and IP within the Sony Group so that Soneium becomes an infrastructure that everyone can use on a daily basis,” according to Sony.

Sony’s new blockchain “plans to bridge the gap between decentralized innovation and everyday consumer applications in entertainment, gaming and finance,” writes VentureBeat, which says that it is “built on Optimism’s Superchain” and “unites leading Web3 projects and infrastructure pioneers, including Astar Network, Circle, Chainlink, Alchemy and The Graph.”

“For developers and creators using Soneium, we provide tools and environments that are easy to use, efficient, and cost-effective,” Sony explains in an announcement that says a Soneium app maker “testnet” is coming soon.

Cointelegraph says the testnet is being rolled out with Astar. A Startale blog post goes into more detail.

“The purpose of this testnet is to co-create applications using Soneium’s technology with developers inside and outside the Sony Group,” the news release notes. “In the future, we will continue to work towards making Soneium ‘mainnet’ publicly available, alongside the apps developed on the testnet. Mainnet will allow users to freely access various applications and use Web3 services.”

“The Sony Group has been experimenting with incorporating Web3 technologies in its operations, and its entry into the blockchain space could further bolster Web3 adoption,” Cointelegraph writes.

“Soneium will be simplifying blockchain experiences while empowering developers, creators, and communities. Built on accessibility, scalability, and efficiency, it aims to solve real-world problems across industries globally,” explains VentureBeat, predicting that “Soneium will change the way we interact with the Internet, opening up a world of innovative applications and unlimited potential for users worldwide.”

The news release laments Internet’s “centralization of a huge amount of information and the economic sphere online,” while heralding Web3 as a way “to decentralize that concentrated power.” A Sony blog post adds that Soneium in particular was built “to stand as a versatile, general-purpose blockchain ready to serve diverse needs across all verticals” and promises it will make “everyone a creator.”

“Sony SBL said it is exploring new mechanisms for profit-sharing between creators and fans, protecting creator-generated content, and fostering interoperability across digital and real-world environments,” reports The Defiant.

Related:
Sony Pictures and Music to Help Launch Incubator for Sony’s Sonieum Web3, Blockchain Push, The Hollywood Reporter, 8/27/24