According to Cointelegraph, Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony BSL) has launched the Soneium Minato public testnet and Soneium Spark incubator on August 28. The layer-2 Soneium blockchain, developed by Singapore-based Startale Labs, a Sony subsidiary, debuted a week earlier, marking Sony’s significant move into the Web3 space.
Soneium Spark aims to provide developers with a range of benefits, including investments of up to $100,000 and additional funding opportunities through the program’s partners. Eligible developers will also receive official support from Sony Group, Astar Network, and Startale, as stated by Sony Block Solutions Labs director Sota Watanabe.
The Astar Network, a special partner of the new blockchain, will support Soneium Spark participants along with USD Coin (USDC) issuer Circle, Ethereum layer-2 solution developer Optimism, development platform Alchemy, decentralized indexing system The Graph, and oracle network Chainlink. Soneium utilizes Optimism’s OP Stack codebase. Sony subsidiaries, including its music, film, educational arms, innovation fund, and Inzone gaming headset division, will also participate in Soneium Spark. Sony Block Solution Labs chairman Jun Watanabe expressed enthusiasm for fostering a fan community centered on creators and collaborating with partners who share Sony’s vision.
Sony’s journey into Web3 began in June 2023 when Sony Network Communications invested $3.5 million in Startale, the developer of Astar. This subsidiary was renamed Sony BSL with the launch of Soneium. Sota Watanabe, who serves as Sony Block Solutions Labs’ director, is also the CEO of Startale and the founder of Astar, a parachain operating on the Polkadot ecosystem.
Sony has been actively investing in the Web3 space. In April 2021, Sony, known for producing the PlayStation gaming console, invested in Epic Games’ metaverse initiative. In 2022, Sony Music invested in MakersPlace, an NFT market dedicated to digital art, and patented an NFT app covering music and artists under the Columbia Records logo. Additionally, in April, Sony Bank announced it was experimenting with its own stablecoin for payments from businesses using its intellectual property.
