Forwarded the Original Title: Astar: From blockchain to collective, empowering the core ecosystem of Sony Chain

Background

Astar Network was initially launched under the name Plasm Network with the aim of creating a heterogeneous and interoperable blockchain ecosystem that enables different blockchains to collaborate seamlessly. This vision, coupled with our belief in the potential of decentralized Web3 technology to safeguard liberal democracy and drive far-reaching innovation, is at the core of what drives us forward. As Startale Labs, over the past four years we have successfully developed Astar L1 and Astar zkEVM, continued to improve blockchain infrastructure, and are committed to bringing Web3 to billions of people.

However, technological innovation alone cannot fully achieve this goal. Although cutting-edge technologies such as Layer 2 and interoperability protocols have improved the scalability and efficiency of blockchain and have achieved significant results in easing network congestion, reducing transaction costs, and improving accessibility, the blockchain industry still faces challenges of insufficient user activity and limited application diversity, especially in real-world application scenarios.

The real difficulty in driving mass adoption of Web3 is developing applications with real impact and establishing strong distribution channels to reach billions of users. To address this challenge, Startale Labs, as a core contributor to the Astar Network, launched Astar Japan Labs, working with more than 100 Japanese companies, government agencies, and startups to cultivate practical Web3 solutions.

But this alone is not enough. Therefore, we introduced Soneum ——The Ethereum Layer 2 public blockchain protocol jointly developed by Sony Group and Startale. By combining Astar’s technical strengths and expertise in encryption with Sony Group’s strong resources in distribution channels, intellectual property and market reach, we are uniquely positioned to accelerate the adoption of Web3.

Evolution of Astar Network: Towards Soneium Ecosystem

Today, we officially announce the upgrade of Astar Network to Astar, marking one of the key milestones in the first phase of the Astar Evolution Plan. Astar will evolve into an inclusive and collaborative ecosystem, focusing not only on providing blockchain infrastructure (such as the Astar L1) but also actively promoting real-world applications of Web3 through project incubation, technology development, community engagement, and strategic investments, starting with the Soneium ecosystem.

To date, the ASTR token has primarily served as the native token for Astar L1. This has made it difficult for the community to understand how to benefit from the growth of Soneium and the expansion of Web3 applications. Additionally, due to misaligned interests, the community has found it challenging to actively participate in the development of Soneium, despite the strategic partnership between Astar Network and Soneium.

With the evolution of Astar, ASTR will become the representative asset of Astar. This change will enable the community to actively drive the adoption of Web3 while earning corresponding rewards through the expanded functionalities of ASTR, as detailed in “The Evolution of ASTR: Cryptocurrency for Billions”.

The Evolution of Astar: From Blockchain to Collective

Astar is redefining itself as an emerging collaborative ecosystem, realizing the practical applications of Web3 across multiple ecosystems through project incubation, technology development, community engagement, and strategic industry investments. Our mission is to build the world’s largest Web3 ecosystem centered on real consumer applications and efficient distribution channels, enabling blockchain technology to serve billions of people while creating value for ASTR holders.

As the first step in ecosystem expansion, Astar will focus on Soneium, the Sony Chain, forming the core layer of the ecosystem alongside Astar Network. Soneium, developed by Sony Group in collaboration with Astar’s development team Startale Labs through the joint venture Sony Blockchain Solutions Labs, is a public blockchain protocol uniquely positioned to reach billions of users and unlock real business opportunities, significantly advancing the widespread adoption of Web3. With aligned visions and interests among core contributors, Soneium serves as the ideal platform for Astar to achieve its vision.

The Evolution of ASTR: A Core Asset for Billions

ASTR is evolving from the native token of Astar L1 to the primary asset of the entire Astar and Soneium ecosystem, assuming multiple key functions:

• Representative assets of Soneium: ASTR will become Soneium’s core asset, and holders will directly benefit from the growth of ecosystem value.
• Currencies in the Soneium Ecosystem: ASTR will serve as a payment token in Soneium for DeFi and consumer dApps, driving its practical use.
• Liquidity Asset in Soneium DeFi: ASTR will provide liquidity within Soneium’s DeFi ecosystem, facilitating trading between native and mainstream assets (e.g., ETH, USDC, BTC), solidifying its position as a foundational currency.
• Payment token for Soneium eco-consumer dApp: Some of Soneium’s consumer dApps will accept payments directly or through ASTR-collateralized stablecoins, further enhancing their payment capabilities.
• Staking assets used to secure Soneium’s core infrastructure: ASTR has significant economic value and can be used in many aspects of network security. For example:
  • Soneium’s fast confirmation layer will use ASTR as a collateral asset, providing ASTR holders with additional reward opportunities.
  • ASTR can contribute to building other Soneium infrastructure, enhancing blockchain security and scalability.
• Investment Reserve: As an investment reserve, ASTR will support consumer application projects within the ecosystem through governance, ensuring alignment between holders’ interests and ecosystem growth.
• Governance Token: ASTR will serve as the governance token of the Astar collaboration and lead strategic decisions within the ecosystem.
• Gas Token: ASTR will continue to function as the gas token for Astar L1, providing fundamental economic support for the ecosystem.
• Core Token for dApp Staking: ASTR will drive dApp staking governance, incentivizing more developers to participate in the Web3 ecosystem.

Driving Large-Scale Adoption of Web3: Soneium, the Sony Chain

The Soneium ecosystem is an important part of Astar’s efforts to achieve large-scale adoption of Web3. As the ecosystem continues to grow, Astar will continue to focus on improving the utility and value of ASTR, creating more benefit opportunities for holders from expansion in different ecosystems.

Looking forward, as Astar’s contribution to the broader Web3 ecosystem continues to expand, ASTR’s role will become increasingly diversified, providing the Astar community with higher return potential. ASTR’s vision is to be a core asset in the world’s largest Web3 ecosystem, reaching billions of users through real-world consumer applications and broad distribution channels.

It is important to emphasize that ASTR’s current token economic model remains unchanged. The evolution of ASTR is designed to expand its utility without involving additional token supply or emissions. We have partnered with multiple interoperability protocol and solution providers to ensure that ASTR has sufficient technical scalability when Soneium’s mainnet launches.

Why the Soneium Ecosystem?

Currently, Web3 faces two core challenges: insufficient user scale and a lack of applications that can attract mainstream users. Most of the existing Web3 technologies and services are mainly targeted at niche communities and have not yet developed the ability to attract wider public participation or meet the needs of daily use. The key to bridging this gap is to build distribution channels and real-world use cases that meet the needs of a wider audience, thereby engaging real-world users.

Realizing this vision requires an ecosystem partner that can reach a wide range of users, have effective distribution channels and resources, and can seamlessly integrate Web3 technology into existing Web2 business and consumption areas. Based on this strategic goal, Astar became a contributor to Soneium and worked together to promote the large-scale application of Web3.

The Uniqueness of Soneium

Soneium is a public blockchain developed using the OP Stack and is part of the Superchain. It provides a highly secure, scalable, and interoperable environment accessible to all users. Developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture between Sony Group and Startale Group, Soneium leverages Sony Group’s diverse business units and global distribution network to bring new Web3 services to fruition.

This unique approach not only engages existing Web3 users, but also reaches a mass audience that has yet to get involved with Web3. By focusing on the creator economy, Soneium creates new business opportunities and interactive models, helps creators expand their influence in the digital and real world, and accelerates the mainstream application of blockchain technology.

Synergy Between Astar and Soneium

Astar’s extensive experience in developing Web3 technologies is a perfect combination with Soneium’s ability to target mainstream markets. Through Startale’s partnership, the strengths of both parties are maximized, enabling Astar to play a leading role in the global wave of Web3 adoption.

As a critical component of the first phase of the Astar Evolution Plan, Astar’s partnership with Soneium marks a significant step toward globalization. This collaboration aims to explore and implement more real-world use cases for a wider audience, such as digital content copyright management to protect creators’ rights, reward mechanisms to incentivize creator-fan interactions, and efficient tools to support digital asset trading and management.

By continually investing in and developing user groups unfamiliar with Web3, Astar is committed to expanding the influence of Web3, fostering everyday applications, and ultimately realizing the vision of Web3 services seamlessly integrating into daily life.

Governance v1: Astar’s Decentralized Hub

To support the transition to a collaborative body, Astar introducedGovernance v1 Model, Astar L1 will serve as the governance hub of the ecosystem and establish three core councils:

1. Main Council
   The Main Council consists of core contributors from the Astar Foundation and deeply engaged ecosystem participants. It is responsible for promoting the large-scale adoption of Web3 through project incubation, technology development, and strategic investments.
2. Technical Council
   The Technical Council is composed of contributors with deep expertise in Astar L1 technology. This council is tasked with making critical technical decisions, fostering ecosystem development, and ensuring the technical security and stability of the network.
3. Community Council
   The Community Council is composed of foundation contributors and active community members. It is responsible for promoting community building, marketing, cooperation expansion, and the implementation of dApp Staking to drive broader adoption of Web3 among a wider audience.

We aim to implement Astar’s basic governance mechanism by the end of 2025. By then, Astar’s ecosystem will further mature, realize the practical application of Web3, and enter the next stage of governance structure optimization.

Astar’s Roadmap

From 2024 to 2025, Astar’s development will focus on further evolving the collaborative ecosystem and expanding its influence through deeper cooperation with Soneium. These plans will support the growth of practical applications, strengthen community engagement, and enhance the utility of ASTR, ensuring alignment with the interests of its holders.

Second Half of 2024

• Promote the upgrade of Astar Network into a collaborative ecosystem, focusing on the development of practical applications.
• Expand the scope of dApp Staking to include Soneium ecosystem projects.
• Launched Governance v1, establishing Main Council, Technical Council and Community Council.
• Incubate and support the growth of the Soneium application ecosystem.
• Work with Soneium core applications to ensure alignment with the interests of ASTR holders:
  • Partner with DeFi and consumer dApp developers on Soneium to make ASTR the core asset.
  • Launch ASTR staking activities on Astar L1, supported by Soneium’s core applications.
  • Discuss dApp Staking incentive mechanisms with Soneium’s core applications.

First Half of 2025

• Support the successful launch of the Soneium mainnet.
• Build and nurture the Soneium developer and user community.
• Fully deploy ASTR across the Soneium ecosystem, including DeFi, consumer dApps, and infrastructure layers.
• Hold incentive activities covering the entire ecosystem to promote the practical application of Web3 and further enhance the synergy between ASTR and the Soneium ecosystem.
• Selectively invest in high-potential projects within the Soneium ecosystem to support their growth and ensure aligned interests.
• Launch an expanded version of dApp Staking to cover new projects in the Soneium ecosystem.

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