Soneium and Sony Partner to Bring Blockchain Mainstream

Sota Watanabe, CEO of Startale Labs and founder of Astar Network, is on a mission to redefine the popular Web3 greeting "GM." For him, it means more than just "good morning"; it stands for "go mainstream," reflecting his goal of bringing blockchain technology to the masses. This vision is central to Soneium, a new Ethereum rollup being developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs in partnership with Watanabe's company.

Soneium is expected to play a major role in driving mainstream adoption of Web3, with its "Minato" public testnet launching soon after the WebX 2024 conference in Japan. Watanabe emphasizes the importance of creating a blockchain that appeals not just to tech enthusiasts but to everyday users as well. “The industry lacks a real distribution channel,” Watanabe said. “We’re building a blockchain that’s accessible for the general public, who will use it over the next decade.”

This is the third blockchain deployment from Startale Labs, following the Astar Network layer-1 Polkadot parachain and the Ethereum layer-2 Astar zkEVM, based on Polygon’s technology. However, with Soneium, Astar Network will shift to an optimistic rollup using the OP Stack, marking a significant change from its previous reliance on Polygon.

Watanabe explains that the decision to switch to the OP Stack was influenced by its reputation as a more “proven” solution. Astar encountered technical issues, such as blockchain reorganizations (reorgs), which influenced this move. Although the OP Mainnet has faced its own stability problems, Watanabe is confident it will provide the stability and reliability needed to onboard major players like Sony into the Web3 space.

The Astar zkEVM could only handle three to four transactions per second (TPS), while the OP Stack promises higher capacity. However, sources close to the deal suggest that this switch was not just about technical advantages but also influenced by financial incentives from Optimism to secure the partnership with Sony. Blockworks reached out to Optimism for clarification on this claim.

Soneium will also become part of the Superchain, an initiative to unify OP Stack rollups, including Base, which has recently led in active users in the Ethereum layer-2 space. Despite potential competition between Soneium and Base, Watanabe stressed collaboration rather than rivalry, saying they aim to grow the ecosystem together.

The launch of the Minato testnet also introduces an incubation program called Spark, designed to support developers with mentorship, technical help, and funding opportunities, including investments of up to $100,000 for eligible projects.

Sony is deeply committed to Soneium, dedicating resources from its Web3 team of 30-50 software engineers and providing infrastructure support. This collaboration followed nearly 18 months of discussions, even before the launch of Astar zkEVM.

Watanabe expressed his respect for the open-source technology and the leaders at Optimism, saying, “We’ve been talking with Optimism executives, and I have great respect for them because they are genuinely trying to change society. Sony is eager to work with them.” This highlights Sony and Startale’s dedication to advancing the Web3 ecosystem through strategic partnerships and innovative technology.