Today, Sony’s Soneium blockchain went live after operating as a test network for a few months. Sony considers the Internet too concentrated, and Web3 is able to solve this problem. However, he considers most Web3 applications too complex for mainstream users. It therefore offers three services: the Soneium blockchain, its crypto exchange S.BLOX and its fan marketing platform SNFT.
The Soneium Minato testnet has 32 applications from its “Soneium Spark” incubation program. Additionally, developers and creators have launched a variety of apps including games, NFTs, social and financial apps, with 14 million accounts created and testnet transactions exceeding 47 million.
Sony plans to exploit the intellectual property of Sony Pictures and Sony Music. For example, Japanese customers who purchase titles through Prime Video will be able to download digital collections and access bonus videos, likely using a blockchain wallet.
To develop the network, Singapore’s Sony Network Communication Labs collaborated with Startale Labs as a minority shareholder and the company was renamed Sony Blockchain Solutions Labs. Startale is the founder of the Astar network. However, Soneium uses different technology. It is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain that uses Optimism, the same technology as Coinbase’s base chain.
To coincide with the launch of Soneium, crypto exchange S.BLOX, acquired and rebranded as Sony, will launch a new mobile app and offer split Bitcoin gifts to new Japanese customers.
The company’s existing NFT marketplace, SFNT, will launch a Soneium-enabled fan marketing platform in February.
Together, Sony believes its three offerings can bring blockchain to the mainstream.
