Introducing Sonic: The First Game-Focused L2 on Solana, Leading the "One-Click Chain Deployment" Gaming Revolution
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Introducing Sonic: The First Game-Focused L2 on Solana, Leading the "One-Click Chain Deployment" Gaming Revolution
From "Boring Summer" to "Gaming Bonanza": Which Projects Will Be the Key Drivers?
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsBy: TechFlow
*Originally published on September 17, 2024
On January 2, OKX announced the upcoming launch of SONIC (Sonic SVM) spot trading. Previously, Bybit and Bitget also announced on December 31, 2024, that they would soon list SONIC (Sonic SVM) for spot trading.
According to the published tokenomics, $SONIC has a total supply of 2.4 billion tokens, with 57% allocated to the community and an initial claimable portion of 7%. The eligibility verification tool will go live on January 3, allowing users to check if their wallets qualify for claiming.
Meanwhile, the SonicX TikTok airdrop campaign will remain open until January 6, offering more users a chance to obtain $SONIC.
Three months ago, we conducted a detailed analysis of Sonic’s product model and technical architecture. If you're unfamiliar with Sonica SVM's business and direction, revisiting this article can help you quickly grasp the project.
The market is dull, lacking breakout new projects to drive narrative evolution.
Yet looking back, Solana remains an ecosystem worth watching. User demand is evident, with consistently high transaction frequency and activity levels.
With liquidity and attention building up, what's needed is a catalyst to break the stagnant market structure.
Currently, Solana-based games have largely been overshadowed by meme trends—but the potential is enormous:
First, no game within ecosystems related to Ethereum has yet reached comparable scale; second, under the backdrop of mobile adoption and narrative rotation, the entire Solana gaming sector remains dormant, poised to absorb existing liquidity and attention.
From the "boring summer" to a "gaming feast," which projects will act as key drivers, pushing forward progress in technology, ecosystem development, and funding?
Sonic—the first Layer 2 built for gaming on Solana and Solana’s first modular SVM chain—may be one to watch.
The project introduces HyperGrid, a Rollup scaling framework combining Solana’s speed with customizable, game-specific rollups, creating ideal conditions for an explosion in Solana’s gaming ecosystem.
In June, Sonic secured $12 million in funding led by Bitkraft, with participation from Galaxy and Big Brain Holding. With its token expected to launch at TGE in October, anticipation is high. Publicly available information also indicates Sonic is actively running partnership and developer incentive programs aimed at bringing more games into the Solana ecosystem.
For more degenerate users, Sonic recently launched a node pre-sale, adding another compelling reason to pay attention.
This issue dives deep into Sonic, exploring its legitimacy and analyzing it across product, technology, and ecosystem resources.
Timing Is Everything: Sonic’s Internal Logic and Market Opportunity
Hold your horses.
Whether a project deserves attention often comes down to whether its value proposition is coherent in terms of demand and narrative.
Before diving into Sonic itself, you might first wonder: Does Solana, already known for speed, really need an L2? And what unique capabilities does Sonic offer to meet those needs?
At first glance, it seems full of contradictions. But upon closer inspection, new market opportunities emerge.
Take, for example, the sales of Solana’s second-generation phone: 60,000 orders within three weeks—an undeniable sign of strong demand for mobile devices. Yet while mobile hardware exists, Web3 gaming content on the platform is missing (setting aside debates over whether current Web3 games are fun—the primary issue is simply their absence).
Most prominent Web3 games today run on Polygon, BNB Chain, or Ethereum. While Solana is often called the “retail investor chain,” the most accessible form of retail entertainment—games—has yet to take off.
Data from DappRadar shows none of the top 25 games by Unique Active Wallets (UAW) are on Solana. Similarly, none of the top 10 highest-market-cap games reside on Solana either.
This duality reveals both a gap and an opportunity: if there’s no seat at the table, now’s the time to build one—and the potential rewards are significant.
As for the question of whether Solana needs an L2, evidence from technical, social, and application perspectives suggests yes.
Technically, Solana’s L1 faces foreseeable performance pressure, necessitating offloading mechanisms—and L2 rollups are a viable solution.
With dApp and DeFi activity accelerating on Solana, daily on-chain transactions exceeded 200 million in January 2024. Analysts conservatively estimate that transaction volume could surpass 4 billion by 2026.
Under such predictable strain, Solana’s TPS hovers between 2,500 and 4,000, with cluster ping times fluctuating between 6 and 80 seconds. As TPS approaches or exceeds 4,000, transaction success rates drop to just 70–85%.
During periods of heavy meme trading, other applications suffer. High-frequency interactions in games are similarly hampered by L1 bottlenecks.
On the application side, some projects are already exploring rollup-like designs.
Due to Solana’s lack of advanced data structures tailored for gaming, developers must manually implement complex logic within smart contracts, increasing development difficulty. The absence of caching mechanisms further complicates common game operations like cross-transaction calls and repeated data account access.
Non-gaming projects illustrate similar trends: Pyth is building an appchain on Solana, while Grass uses zk aggregation to batch high-frequency DePIN data before submitting it to L1—both behaviors resembling L2 solutions.
Games face similar challenges—and clearly benefit from having their own L2 rollup, enabling better fee capture, privacy, and real-time settlement.
Even in public discourse, founders of Solana-based projects frequently discuss the need for L2s.
From the perspectives of performance, ecosystem maturity, application needs, and sentiment, Solana clearly requires a dedicated gaming chain to expand its ecosystem.
Viewed through a research and investment lens, these factors converge to suggest: whoever addresses Solana’s ecosystem gaps first stands the best chance of becoming the next alpha.
This convergence of necessity and timing defines Sonic’s strategic positioning.
HyperGrid: The Secret Behind “One-Click Chain Launch”
Having established the need, let’s examine how Sonic plans to deliver its L2 solution.
Sonic’s standout feature is HyperGrid—a horizontally scalable rollup architecture specifically designed for Solana SVM.
You can think of Sonic’s L2 as being built atop HyperGrid—the first concurrency-enabled scaling framework on Solana. More importantly, the term “hypergrid” implies multiple independent grids operating simultaneously, each handling transactions autonomously while relying on Solana’s mainnet for final consensus and confirmation.
This design dramatically enhances system scalability and performance.
Think of it as a "self-governing yet centralized system":
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Independent Operations: Each grid independently processes its internal transactions, including validation, logging, and state changes. Applications within one grid do not interfere with others.
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Connected to Mainnet: Despite independence, final consensus still relies on Solana’s mainnet, ensuring data consistency and security across all grids.
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Flexible Scalability: Developers can choose shared public grids or create private ones for greater performance isolation and control.
If that’s still unclear, consider this analogy: HyperGrid is like a large shopping mall, where each grid represents an individual store.
Each store (grid) operates independently, serving customers and processing transactions (application workloads). The landlord (Solana mainnet) ensures overall safety and management, confirming every store’s records. If one store gets too busy, it can open a branch (a new grid), scaling operations without affecting others.
Architecturally, HyperGrid consists of several components:
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Solana Base Layer: Handles final consensus and data recording. It receives batched zero-knowledge proofs (ZK proofs) from HyperGrid for settlement and shares state information.
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HyperGrid: A shared sequencer network coordinating multiple grids, featuring validators responsible for processing and verifying transactions.
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Multiple Grids: Each functions as an independent application or service (e.g., a game), managing specific transactions and state transitions.
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Users: Interact with HyperGrid by submitting transactions, which are processed by validators and eventually settled and recorded via Solana’s base layer.
Architecture alone isn’t enough—usability tools make the difference.
First, an EVM interpreter allows Ethereum-based games to migrate to HyperGrid with minimal modifications. Additionally, HyperGrid features a native game engine supporting runtime loops, game-specific types, containers, and sandbox environments—significantly lowering barriers to development, integration, and debugging.
For end-user asset interaction, HyperGrid provides full payment and settlement infrastructure: embedded NFT markets, token swaps, bridges, liquidity pools, identity verification, and wallet integrations.
Together, HyperGrid and these tools enable developers to rapidly spin up customized rollups for games—without reinventing the wheel. Using ready-made frameworks and toolkits, they can handle every aspect of Web3 game development end-to-end.
The benefits to developers ultimately spill over to all stakeholders in the Solana ecosystem.
Players enjoy faster, smoother experiences—even if they don’t perceive the underlying tech. For the broader Solana ecosystem, custom rollups reduce congestion on the mainnet, encouraging more game projects to join. Each new game brings users and liquidity to in-game assets, which then flow back into Solana’s base layer.
Notably, HyperGrid implements a staking mechanism: validators must stake SOL to operate nodes, indirectly boosting SOL’s value accrual.
In summary, Sonic’s HyperGrid design greatly improves scalability and performance while maintaining data consistency and security—creating a win-win scenario where all parties in the Solana ecosystem benefit. This makes it, in our view, a rational and incentivized choice for broad participation.
What Lies Beyond Technology
While technology is crucial for any multi-beneficiary L2 infrastructure project, even more critical is the ability to attract partners and grow its ecosystem.
Thus, Sonic’s backing, partnership strength, community engagement, and market entry strategy become decisive factors.
In June, Sonic raised $12 million in a Series A round led by Bitkraft, with participation from Galaxy Interactive and Big Brain Holdings.
Beyond funding, Sonic’s development team—Mirror World—brings substantial expertise. They secured a $4 million seed round in 2022, with investments from major CEXs like OKX and Bybit. With Sonic’s token TGE on the horizon, exchange listing expectations are rising.
Moreover, Sonic and Mirror World maintain close ties with Solana.
Public records show that Solana’s APAC growth lead, gaming team, and ecosystem tech leads serve as advisors and angel investors for Sonic—lending strong legitimacy to the project.
These official connections open doors to wider networks and resources, facilitating collaborations across the Solana ecosystem.
In practice, Mirror World’s SDK has already been deployed across 50 game clients as initial distribution nodes, establishing solid relationships with existing games—making migration to Sonic easier and enabling effective cold-start of its ecosystem.
Over ten on-chain games are already live on Sonic’s testnet, including Zeebit—the first on-chain casino on Solana—and Lowlife Forms, a top-tier shooter game backed by Solana Foundation.
Sonic’s testnet is already gaining traction.
Official dashboards indicate over 2 million active wallets on Sonic. With the mainnet launch scheduled for September, we can expect even more game integrations. Should a breakout title emerge, this number is likely to grow exponentially.
But as everyone knows, Web3 games initially attract not outsiders but insiders. Revitalizing the existing user base and injecting early traffic and attention is therefore paramount.
We’ve long argued that for infrastructure projects, the ability to orchestrate partnerships and mobilize resources directly determines their floor. Here, Sonic excels—particularly in forging alliances beyond gaming, securing support in liquidity, traffic, and security.
Projects like Backpack, OKX Wallet, Metaplex, Solayer (with over $25 million in staked SOL), and Jito have joined as partners, collectively fueling this L2.
Beyond partnerships, Sonic has steadily increased its presence in the community to strengthen brand awareness.
As a globally focused L2, Sonic has recruited ambassadors worldwide and hosted community meetups in emerging Web3 markets like Turkey and Nigeria, reinforcing its position in users’ and developers’ minds.
Recent activities also reflect an accelerated outreach pace. Sonic co-hosted major Solana events like Hacker House and Breakpoint, and actively participates in speaking engagements across both Chinese and global Solana communities.
Through these efforts, Sonic emerges as a well-funded, officially supported, globally engaged, and highly active project with robust resource connectivity and early-stage ecosystem momentum.
Crucially, Sonic’s narrative leadership—as the first gaming-focused L2 on Solana—adds another compelling reason to pay attention.
Current Participation Opportunity: HyperFuse Guardian Node NFT Sale
Sonic’s $SONIC token is set for TGE in October. While direct token purchase isn't currently possible, users can familiarize themselves with its economic model and participate in the upcoming node pre-sale.
The $SONIC token serves three core roles: token holders, builders/contributors, and users/community members.
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Token Holders: Can convert $SONIC to $veSONIC at a 1:1 ratio for governance voting or delegate to validators to earn additional rewards.
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Builders & Contributors: Can join the Sonic Partner Innovation Network (SPIN) and Sonic Accelerator Program to receive ecosystem support, helping develop high-quality games, infrastructure tools, or other ecosystem components.
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Users & Community: Participate in interactive experiences within ecosystem projects. Through Sonic campaigns, users can earn points redeemable for tokens or other ecosystem rewards.
So, what opportunities exist now for users to earn token rewards?
On September 16, Sonic launched the HyperFuse Guardian Node NFT sale (visit here). These 50,000 NFTs represent rights to operate nodes within Sonic’s HyperGrid network.
Each NFT grants operational rights to a Guardian Node, with different tiers offering varying node weights and reward percentages.
What exactly does running a HyperFuse Guardian Node entail?
In HyperGrid, Guardian Nodes play a vital role in maintaining network integrity. Their responsibilities include monitoring transactions and state transitions, detecting anomalies, verifying that the HyperGrid Shared State Network (HSSN) submits correct states to Solana, and ensuring all operations within Grid rollups comply with security standards.
Think of them as “validator nodes.”
Importantly, even users without technical skills can buy an NFT and delegate node operation to others, still earning rewards.
Node operation门槛 is low—only a browser is required to run a lightweight node.
Thus, participating in HyperFuse Guardian Node operations supports network security and offers potential economic returns.
Reward allocation: 10% of the total token supply is reserved, with 9% for node operation rewards and 1% for network expansion incentives (e.g., referrals and invites). Unlock schedules vary accordingly.
The NFT pre-sale is divided into three phases:
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Lottery Phase: September 16, 2024, 13:00 UTC (24 hours)
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Whitelist Sale: September 18, 2024, 13:00 UTC (24 hours)
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Public Sale: Begins September 19, 2024, 13:00 UTC
Pricing follows a dynamic model, ranging from $155 to $554 per node. Payments accepted in SOL, USDT, or USDC on the Solana network. Different NFT tiers have purchase caps to ensure broad community participation.
Notably, starting prices are low—$155 is affordable, and 70% of nodes cost under $300.
Tier 1 (cheapest) nodes use a Fair Launch model, making participation fair and highly attractive due to low pricing—interested users should prepare ahead of time for the September 16 launch.
Tiers 2–8 are exclusive to whitelist holders, priced between $166 and $248. Whitelist access can be earned through the testnet Odyssey campaign or partner communities.
Known partner communities include prominent Solana projects like MadLads, Solayer, Send, MonkeDAO, and broader crypto communities.
For detailed rules, visit here.
Valuation-wise, the node pre-sale is good news for retail and community participants—some nodes are priced below VC round valuations.
In the first 30% of node sales, the fully diluted valuation (FDV) stays under $100 million—lower than the previous VC round. Early adopters thus gain entry at favorable prices, opening room for appreciation.
The tiered pricing rewards early supporters while accommodating investors with different budgets, helping broaden the community base.
Conclusion
Solana’s Game Summer hasn’t arrived—but those paving the way are certainly worth watching.
Sonic’s strong networking capabilities, targeted product design, and proactive initiatives provide a new destination for existing liquidity and attention. Whether you’re a professional points farmer, casual player, or game developer, a new, usable, and high-expectation project is bound to capture market interest.
But how long it remains in favor depends on Sonic’s execution and continued evolution. In Web3, success isn’t just about getting ahead—it’s about sustaining momentum. Iterating continuously amid shifting market expectations and demands is the true survival philosophy for any lasting Web3 project.
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