Sony launches the L2 public chain Soneium, which will focus on developing GameFi, NFT, and consumer applications.

Since 2021, major tech company Sony has been continuously expanding its exploration boundaries in the Web3 field, involving multiple aspects such as the Metaverse, NFT, and investing in high-quality projects.

Today, Sony officially enters the public chain track, collaborating with a Japanese public chain developer to create the Ethereum L2 network Soneium based on OP Stack. This move adds a powerful new member to the OP Stack L2 ecosystem.

The ecosystem of Sony L2 plans not only to be compatible with existing decentralized applications in the future but also to develop new services related to Sony's business, incorporating blockchain technology into Sony's products. The official statement clearly indicates a commitment to supporting creators in expanding their creativity and enhancing their interaction with fan communities.

Given that Sony's current strongest businesses are concentrated in the entertainment industries such as gaming, music, and film, we can boldly speculate that the Sony L2 ecosystem will tend to focus on the entertainment and consumer sectors. After the mainnet goes live in the future, it may prioritize supporting and independently developing the following types of projects:

1. GameFi

Sony owns popular game IPs such as Elden Ring, The Elder Scrolls, and Horizon. Although Sony may not immediately invest heavily in developing Web3 AAA titles, it is expected to release smaller games based on these IPs, such as card games.

It is worth noting that for Web3 games to successfully penetrate the Web2 market and attract mainstream players, they need to achieve "chain abstraction" and "concept abstraction," allowing players to be unaware of the existence of blockchain. In-game transactions and currency exchanges should be simplified as much as possible, enabling players to focus on the gaming experience itself.

2. NFT

In addition to in-game NFTs, Sony is likely to more frequently integrate film and television IP into NFTs, as well as issue music NFTs. Creating its own IP NFT marketplace can not only reduce issuance costs but also attract collaboration from other IP companies.

Sony has previously explored NFTs. For example, on the eve of a movie release, Sony collaborated with a cinema chain to distribute NFTs to Spider-Man fans. In 2022, Sony also partnered with a music group to launch digital collectibles of several legendary musicians on the NFT market.

3. Consumer Applications

One of the main goals of Sony L2 is to leverage the various businesses and IP of the Sony Group to create new services that transform into infrastructure for everyday use.

As a Web2 giant, Sony has a large user base and influence. Promoting its Web3 products or rigorously vetted high-quality products to Web2 users should be a relatively easy goal to achieve.

As cryptocurrencies become increasingly popular, showcasing innovative Web3 applications to Web2 users, such as chat software that can predict token prices in the dialogue box, or social platforms where token interactions can occur directly within posts, these intersections between Web2 and Web3 may pique user interest.

These three directions have the potential to bring a large number of new users to Web3. Imagine ordinary Web2 users encountering high-quality Sony Web3 games for the first time, or movie fans purchasing NFT movie tickets and unlocking unique online experiences, or ordinary people easily accessing cryptocurrency through a Web3 social platform promoted by Sony. These scenarios could all become a reality.

If Sony's Soneium can focus on creating high-quality products and nurturing a strong ecosystem, while avoiding excessive hype and low-quality products, it could very well become an important force driving the mass adoption of Web3.