A fast-growing web3 community is emerging around Soneium, a new Ethereum Layer 2 from Sony Block Solutions Labs that aims to bridge the gap between crypto and the average user. Soneium stands out in the crowded field of blockchain networks because of its association with Sony Group, a global leader in entertainment and technology. Its potential to onboard new users with real-world applications for blockchain is attracting attention from creators and developers alike.
Ava Protocol recently brought together a roundtable of key players in the Soneium ecosystem to discuss the importance of bringing web3 to the masses. The event, moderated by Ava Protocol head of marketing Sam Shev, brought together developers and project leaders like Mingshi S. from Astar (Startale Labs), KDragon from SuperVol, Taka from Very Long Swap, Mojo from Sake Finance, and Matt from Macaron Finance.
“Soneium likes to say ‘GM’... go mainstream,” said Sam, setting the tone for a conversation focused on accessibility and utility. “If we're going to grow as a community, we have to expand beyond the faithful.”
Building Out
Mingshi S. kicked off the discussion by explaining the project’s central goal. “Our mission at Startale Labs is to bring web3 to billions. That’s also the mission for Soneium and Astar,” he stated, noting that Startale is a core constituent of Sony Block Solutions Labs. “As one of the most experienced blockchain builders in Japan, we started the joint venture together with Sony Group to build this blockchain out.”
Soneium is already well-positioned to move beyond crypto-native audiences. “The true issue we’re facing here is how to tap into the users in the real world and how to bring them on-chain — how to bring blockchain technologies to serve the real-world demand,” Mingshi said.
After all, focusing entirely on DeFi would limit Soneium’s reach and impact. “If it’s only a farming application, it’s not going to really have mass adoption,” he added. “The key point is still how to serve the real-world demand.”He pointed out that Japan, with its strong IP industry, presents an ideal environment for integrating blockchain into everyday use cases.“
If you read the annual report from Sony Group, you will find that Sony started to recognize themselves more as an IP management company instead of a traditional hardware manufacturing company,” Mingshi noted. “A lot of things that Sony said there regarding how to monetize with IPs, how to build a great economy that can maximize the efficiency of the IP monetization flow, is perfectly aligned with the vision of web3. And it's a perfect angle for blockchain mass adoption.”
A Partnership Approach
Development around Soneium appears to be geared toward combining the openness of decentralized technologies with the business resources, opportunities, and user bases of creative industries — a powerful combination.
As an example, Mingshi mentioned a project called Yay, “one of the largest web2 social applications in Japan with over 5 million users," which is building on Soneium to create an on-chain creator economy.
Projects that already draw inspiration from gaming and entertainment in particular are eager to see what such forward-thinking integrations can deliver for users. KDragon from SuperVol, a gamified crypto options trading platform, highlighted the importance of this synergy. “As soon as we decided to build our product on Soneium, we knew Sony’s presence in entertainment and gaming would align with our goal of gamifying the trading experience,” he said.
Mingshi recalled the early mobile internet days, where partnerships with hardware manufacturers helped apps gain traction by directly reaching retail users. Similarly, Startale is a core constituent within Sony Block Solutions Labs to leverage IP resources and retail touchpoints through the Soneium blockchain. This partnership has the capacity to open up significant access to real-world users and opportunities within Sony’s ecosystem.
“How we envision Soneium is that it's going to serve billions of real-world users leveraging Sony’s touchpoints,” he remarked.
The User Experience
A recurring theme of the discussion was the need to simplify the web3 user experience across varied use cases. Sam stressed that ease of use is critical to how Ava Protocol enables automated super-transactions.
“Automation should be intent-based and streamlined. It should be private and secure,” he said. “There should be an ease of use and composability aspect for both developers and users.”
This principle extends equally to SuperVol and other projects. “We’re trying to redefine the trading experience for average consumers,” said KDragon. "We just want to simplify every trading process into the most granular version, so that even your grandma doesn't feel the trading experience is difficult,”
The focus on simplicity and familiarity will be crucial for growing mainstream adoption — a sentiment echoed by Mojo from Sake Finance.
“Sake Finance is focused on supercharging DeFi.... the first thing we want to do is to make DeFi simple for everyone,” said Mojo. “The idea of going mainstream is one thing that we see is lacking on web3, which is why we decided to build on Soneium. We truly believe that our integrated liquidity solution is going to be powering lots of these traditional things by bringing people on board.”
Web3 platforms typically require users to manage private keys and gas fees, making onboarding challenging, especially for non-technical users, said Matt from Macaron Finance, a leveraged farming and margin trading platform.
For Soneium to succeed, he added, it must deliver a powerful package to developers and users. “It would need to offer robust layer-two infrastructure with low gas fees, high security and rapid transaction throughput, similar to Base.”
Key Takeaways
Soneium’s ability to leverage Sony’s expansive touchpoints, coupled with the drive to build real-world applications, sets it apart from other layer 2 solutions. But beyond technological innovation, the focus of developers and projects on user experience will truly make the difference between niche adoption and genuine mainstream momentum.
By combining decentralized infrastructure with Sony's IP and entertainment power, Soneium is uniquely positioned to connect blockchain-based applications and services with everyday users. The challenges of scaling web3 remain, but the opportunities are clear. Soneium’s collaboration with creative industries and commitment to utility signal that it’s not just another chain, but a gateway to a more connected, user-friendly future for web3.
For developers and creators alike, it offers tools and a vision for making blockchain not just accessible, but essential.
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