Sony switches on Soneium mainnet

Sony’s blockchain unit has launched the Soneium mainnet.

Today is the day. Soneium Mainnet is LIVE! ?

Launched by Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony BSL), a @Sony Group company, Soneium is a Layer 2 blockchain that empowers creators, fans, and communities to protect their rights, connect globally, and build an open internet that… pic.twitter.com/4pTxYdueHY

— Soneium ? (@soneium) January 14, 2025

Built with Optimism’s OP Stack and Superchain tooling, the Ethereum Layer 2 is conceived as a “general-purpose network” for an ecosystem of finance and entertainment applications. It is aimed at content creators and their communities.

The network is developed by Sony BSL, a joint blockchain venture between Sony Group and Singapore-based Web3 firm Startale Labs.

In late August 2024, the team opened the Soneium Minato testnet with technical support from Optimism Foundation, Circle, Alchemy, The Graph and Chainlink. In parallel, it launched Soneium Spark, an incubator programme for application developers.

According to Sony’s press release, the test period saw 17 million accounts registered, more than 47 million transactions processed and about 1,700 applications created. The team says testnet builds are by default compatible with the mainnet.

Alongside Soneium, Sony BSL released an updated version of the S.BLOX crypto exchange — a reincarnation of the WhaleFin trading platform after rebranding and upgrades. Sony Group bought WhaleFin in August 2023.

As a promotional campaign, the creators offered a reward of 3,000 yen in bitcoin equivalent ($19 or 0.0002 BTC) for registering a new account. In February they will distribute NFTs dedicated to the Ghost in the Shell franchise.

Also in February, SNFT Inc will launch Fan Marketing Platform, an NFT platform, on the Soneium blockchain.

In December, Deutsche Bank announced an Ethereum Layer 2 solution based on ZKsync.