Entertainment has become one of the most dominant industries globally, with gaming and social media leading the way.
In 2023, the gaming industry reached revenues of nearly $200 billion, while social media platforms generated around $250 billion. These industries are now central to how people interact, entertain themselves, and connect with others.
As Web3 technology continues to gain momentum, it’s reshaping these industries with decentralised solutions. GameFi, blending gaming and finance, hit a valuation of $20 billion in 2023, while SocialFi reached $1.2 billion.
Recognising the potential of these spaces, Sophon has created a blockchain specifically designed to power decentralised entertainment applications.
With its mainnet just being launched on December 18th, 2024, Sophon is creating a new hype in the crypto market, which is why its essential to understand the technology.
This article dives into what Sophon is, how it works, and why it’s set to transform the future of gaming, social media, and beyond.
What is Sophon?
Sophon is a blockchain built for entertainment. Its goal is to create an ecosystem that combines gaming, social platforms, and other applications into a seamless, decentralised experience.
Sophon isn’t just about integrating blockchain into entertainment—it’s about making that integration invisible and intuitive.
The platform is built on Validium technology and the ZKsync Elastic Network, enabling it to handle high transaction volumes while remaining user-friendly.
Sophon is currently live on its mainnet, launching on December 18th, 2024. The mainnet launch received positive response from the community, with most stating that this is a step in the right direction to achieve the project’s goal.
During the launch, the COO of Sophon gave hints of several things that users can do to test the network and participate in the community.
This includes playing games such as Petopia, interacting with the AI agent Nova, using their decentralised exchange for swap transactions, bridging to the mainnet, and more.
While there is no guaranteed rewards from this activity, by participating in the newly launched mainnet, users might be eligible and categorised as OGs, or early users, which might give rewards from other projects in the ecosystem moving forward.
Sophon ensures that the technical side of blockchain stays in the background, allowing users to enjoy the benefits of decentralisation, like ownership and security, without being overwhelmed by the complexities.
The crypto industry has struggled with challenges like fragmented liquidity, low engagement, and projects focused more on speculation than utility. Many platforms fail to create ecosystems that feel natural or engaging for users.
Community is at the core of Sophon. The platform empowers users to create, share, and monetise content. It supports initiatives like game development and decentralised communities, fostering collaboration and creativity.
How Does the Infrastructure Work?
Sophon operates as a Validium ZK chain, a type of zero-knowledge chain that enhances scalability and cost efficiency while maintaining security.
What is Validium?
Validium chains like Sophon use off-chain data availability to handle transactions, ensuring the blockchain can scale efficiently. This setup offers several advantages:
- High Scalability: Sophon can process a large number of transactions quickly.
- Lower Costs: Keeping data off-chain reduces fees significantly.
- Privacy: Sensitive data can be managed securely and privately.
Although transaction data is stored off-chain, Validium chains like Sophon provide cryptographic proofs on Ethereum. This ensures that every transaction is secure and verifiable, even with off-chain data management.
The ZK Stack and Elastic Network
Sophon is built using the ZK Stack, a framework designed for creating Ethereum-compatible Layer 2 blockchains. This framework enables:
- Simplified User Experience: Features like native account abstraction make interacting with the blockchain simple and intuitive.
- High Throughput: The platform efficiently handles large volumes of transactions, perfect for gaming and social platforms.
- Cost Savings: Sophon keeps operational costs low, benefiting both developers and users.
By being part of the Elastic Network, Sophon ensures seamless interoperability with other chains. This interconnected network allows users to move assets, interact with decentralised applications, and access liquidity across chains without friction.
What are Sophon Guardians and Nodes?
Sophon’s network runs on a decentralised infrastructure supported by Guardians and Nodes.
Guardians and Their Role
Guardians hold NFT-based memberships, which grant them the ability to operate Sophon Nodes or delegate these responsibilities to others.
This structure enables a wide range of participants to contribute to the network, from those with technical expertise to those who prefer delegation.
Earlier this year, the Sophon Guardian community achieved a remarkable milestone, with over 120,000 node licenses purchased by more than 5,800 participants.
This achievement cements the community as one of the largest and most diverse groups supporting a blockchain launch, showcasing the collective power of decentralisation.
The diversity and scale of this community not only ensure a strong foundation for the Sophon network but also highlight the platform's commitment to inclusivity and collaboration.
Guardian Membership claims are now live at guardian.sophon.xyz, inviting members to activate their roles in shaping Sophon's future.
By claiming their memberships, Guardians can actively participate in the network’s growth, governance, and stability. This process is designed to be user-friendly, enabling seamless onboarding for all participants.
To further enhance accessibility, Sophon has introduced a delegation system, empowering Guardians to delegate their node responsibilities to trusted operators, such as Dappad.
This approach lowers technical barriers and broadens participation, allowing users with varying levels of expertise to contribute to the network. Delegating a node is simple and involves the following steps:
- Visit guardian.sophon.xyz.
- Connect your wallet.
- Select "I already have a running operator address."
- Enter one of Dappad's Sophon Operator addresses.
Each operator address can handle a maximum of 20 nodes, with a 3% commission rate applied to rewards. Importantly, there are no additional costs or setup requirements.
As demand grows, more operator addresses will be made available, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to participate.
This structure highlights Sophon's commitment to inclusivity and decentralisation while also offering tangible rewards.
By engaging with the Guardian Membership program and node delegation system, participants actively contribute to the network’s security and growth while earning rewards, fostering a vibrant and collaborative ecosystem.
Node Types
- Full Nodes: These nodes validate transactions and maintain the blockchain’s history. They play a critical role in ensuring the network’s reliability and security.
- Light Nodes: These are designed for participants with fewer resources, performing simpler tasks like data availability sampling.
These nodes were distributed through a node sale, which was successfully sold, raising $60 Million for Sophon’s development.
Rewards for Participation
Sophon allocates 20% of its $SOPH tokens as rewards for Guardians and Node operators over three years. By actively participating in the network, Guardians not only contribute to its stability but also earn a share of these rewards.
After the mainnet launched on December 18th, 2024, the team behind Sophon officially announced the distribution for node holder rewards will start on Q1 2025.
This announcement is huge as a lot of people from the node sale has been anticipating this allocation, giving them rewards in the newly launched ecosystem.
Farming Campaign and Token Launch
The $SOPH token is central to Sophon’s ecosystem, serving as its native currency. While the token hasn’t launched yet, the platform has introduced a farming campaign to reward early supporters.
How Farming Works
The campaign is split into two phases:
- Ethereum Mainnet Farming: Users can deposit assets to earn Sophon Points (SP), which will later be converted into $SOPH tokens.
- Sophon Mainnet Farming: After the mainnet launch, farming will continue directly on the Sophon blockchain.
Users can also boost their SP earnings by locking additional assets on the farming platform, where there are several tokens available to be locked, However, boosted assets remain permanently locked to provide liquidity on the Sophon Mainnet.
SP Conversion
At the end of the farming period, the SP a user has earned will determine their share of $SOPH tokens. This ensures that early supporters are rewarded fairly for their contributions.
Partnerships in the Development
Sophon’s mainnet was launched on 18 December 2024, a major milestone in the platform’s development.
Users can now enjoy a gasless experience, allowing them to explore the platform without worrying about transaction fees. This approach lowers barriers to entry, making Sophon more accessible to a broader audience.
Another thing worth mentioning is that Sophon has secured investment from Binance Labs, one of the most prominent blockchain investors. This support will help Sophon grow its ecosystem, attract top talent, and develop innovative projects that push the boundaries of decentralised entertainment.
Sophon has already partnered with leading projects to enhance its ecosystem, including:
- Avail for data availability layer
- Beam for gaming applications.
- Aethir for distributed computing.
- Azuro for prediction markets.
These collaborations demonstrate Sophon’s commitment to building a versatile and impactful blockchain for entertainment.
Conclusion
Sophon is paving the way for the future of decentralised entertainment. By focusing on user experience, scalability, and community-driven growth, it is setting a new standard for how blockchain technology can integrate with gaming, social media, and beyond.
With its mainnet launch approaching and strong backing from Binance Labs, Sophon is well-positioned to lead the next wave of Web3 innovation.
Whether you’re a developer, a gamer, or someone curious about decentralisation, Sophon offers a platform that combines simplicity, functionality, and creativity.
