Shaping the Future of Astar: Sota Watanabe on Soneium, Astar, and the Road to Web3 for Billions of Users
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Shaping the Future of Astar: Sota Watanabe on Soneium, Astar, and the Road to Web3 for Billions of Users
Optimism is a competitive advantage. Refine your product during bear markets, reap the rewards during bull markets— Sota
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsSoneium and Astar Join Forces to Accelerate Web3 Adoption Through Entertainment and Finance
Soneium is a Layer2 network supported by Japanese tech giant Sony and led by Startale, the development team behind Astar. It is headed by Astar founder Sota Watanabe. Soneium and Astar are deeply integrated in resources and strategy. ASTR, the core asset of the Astar ecosystem, is expected to become a flagship asset on Soneium, playing a key role across its use cases and holding potential for token swapping with Soneium.
Recently, Evie, founder of JE Labs, sat down with Sota for an in-depth conversation about two pivotal projects under his leadership: the public blockchain Astar and Soneium, the Sony-backed Layer2 network. During the interview, Sota discussed the strategic evolution from Astar to Soneium and revealed new initiatives bridging Web3 and Web2.
From High-Profile Blockchain to Web3 Mass Adoption Platform: Astar’s Three-Stage Evolution
In the interview, Sota outlined Astar’s full transition path from a standalone blockchain to a platform for mass Web3 adoption. He stated: “We introduced the Astar Evolution three-phase plan, aiming to build a world where billions can use Web3 technology—not just cater to the tech-savvy.” Through a joint venture with Sony Group forming the Sony Block Solution Lab, Startale developed the Layer2 blockchain Soneium as a complementary ecosystem to Astar, together driving large-scale Web3 adoption.
Long-Term Vision: Co-Building a Positive-Sum Ecosystem with Astar and Soneium
As both founder of Astar and director of Soneium, Sota is driving deep collaboration between the two ecosystems, building a positive-sum network grounded in long-termism.
Currently, Soneium does not have a standalone token and uses ASTR as the shared ecosystem asset. Through a mechanism called ACS (Astar Contribution Score), developers and users earn rewards in ASTR and OP (Optimism token) for contributing to the Soneium ecosystem. As a result, Astar has become the representative asset on Soneium.
“We’re not working for short-term returns—we’re preparing for 2030, even 2040,” said Sota. As a serial entrepreneur, he firmly believes technology should empower individuals and bring Web3 into the mainstream. “We’re playing a game that lasts over ten years, aiming to become one of the top three to five blockchains globally,” Sota emphasized. Since launching the ACS program, TVL has doubled. Just two months after mainnet launch, Soneium has already climbed to rank 14 globally, with ambitions to reach the top 3.
Entertainment-First Strategy: The Key Breakthrough for Web3 Mass Adoption
Sota highlighted entertainment and social engagement as powerful drivers for Web3 adoption, sharing details about Yoake—a flagship decentralized entertainment platform built on Soneium where fans vote on-chain to decide idol performance content. The project attracted over 10,000 offline participants and 20,000 voters. Crucially, users can participate seamlessly in voting and interaction without needing to understand blockchain.
“The biggest advantage of on-chain voting is immutability—even we cannot alter the results,” Sota stressed.
Building Long-Term Moats: From Financial Infrastructure to Star Applications
Soneium’s strategy unfolds in two layers: first establishing robust financial infrastructure (such as DeFi integration), then supporting large-scale Web2-grade applications in entertainment and social. “Before building the entertainment layer, I want to solidify the financial foundation. On that base, we’ll develop real-world applications,” Sota revealed, noting ongoing collaborations with blue-chip DeFi projects like Uniswap. He added: “At our core, success will be measured by how many Web2 users we attract. We don’t want to play a zero-sum game—we aim to create a positive-sum outcome.”
For Soneium, true victory isn’t merely migrating existing Web3 users, but attracting Web2 users who’ve never touched Web3 within the next one to two years—this is the core mission of becoming a “next-generation mainstream blockchain.” Combining entertainment with Web3 is key to drawing in Web2 users and breaking the cyclical pattern of “airdrop-driven signups followed by exit during bear markets.”
Global Ambition with Local Roots: Japan’s Strategic Advantages and Opportunities
Despite Startale’s team spanning over 20 countries and 80+ employees, Sota places strong emphasis on the Japanese market. He noted Japan’s improving regulatory landscape, with favorable stablecoin and tax policies encouraging more capital and users to enter. Startale is also partnering with Startbahn, a proven success story, to further expand its footprint in Japan.
Sota expressed strong confidence in Japan’s market potential: “If tax rates drop from 55% to 20%, Japanese investors will flood into the space.”
Next Phase: Redefining How Blockchains Connect with the Masses
Sota stated that while the current Web3 space is crowded, most projects lack practical applications. Soneium will prioritize “user-first” design to bridge Web2 and Web3, creating a sustainable ecosystem loop spanning finance to entertainment.
Facing market cycles and industry competition, Sota clearly defined Soneium’s differentiation—delivering extreme usability, powerful distribution channels, and mass-market killer products to build a Web3 world where non-technical users can naturally participate.
Full Interview:https://x.com/AstarNetwork/status/1922582874076680499
About
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Astar Official X: https://x.com/AstarNetwork
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Astar Website: https://t.co/UB8q2Fdl7x
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Soneium Official X: https://x.com/soneium
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Soneium Website: https://soneium.org/
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Startale Official X: https://x.com/StartaleGroup
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Startale Website: https://startale.com/en
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