The Soneium project supported by Sony plans to issue a native token
Sony-supported Ethereum Layer 2 network Soneium plans to issue its native token $SONEIUM to connect entertainment creators, intellectual property holders, builders, fans, and investors. The plan was announced on October 26, 2026, with the core focus on tokenizing intellectual property, covering products such as royalty-backed assets, entertainment investments, and automated revenue sharing. The network is developed by Sony's blockchain division, Sony Block Solutions Labs.Soneium states that tokenizing intellectual property is used to represent the future economic value of creative works on-chain, allowing creators to raise funds from fans and investors and share commercial profits through automated revenue sharing. The related tokens can represent creators, studios, or individual works, taking the form of collectibles for fan activities or fungible tokens circulating within the intellectual property economy.The Soneium Portal is positioned as an entry point for the discovery, issuance, and investment of intellectual property, with royalties automatically paid through smart contracts. IP Vault aims to support royalty-backed assets and provide indirect participation in opportunities such as music catalog funds; IP Bonds will be supported by the entertainment business.The first projects focus on Asian pop culture, with partners including Super State Holdings and DayOneDream's WAVIST platform. The former starts with the character Moriusa, while the latter targets concert business royalties through WAVIST, involving artists such as BTOB and Lee Chae-yeon.The Soneium mainnet will go live on January 14, 2025, based on Optimism's OP Stack, with transaction fees paid in ETH, and the stablecoin USDSC has been used for settlement. It hosts over 250 applications, with approximately $9.38 million locked in the applications. Sony invested $13 million in early 2025 to infrastructure partner Startale Labs.