Author: Zen, PANews

In the Web3 world, traffic entry points often determine the success or failure of a project. Sonic SVM, as a Layer-2 scaling solution on Solana, has set its sights on the short video platform TikTok, successfully attracting over two million players through the launch of the point-earning game SonicX.

During the recent "Web3 Game TGE" week, Sonic SVM (SONIC) performed remarkably well, with no fraud concerns and no significant downturns. After launching the SONIC token on January 7, it achieved a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of $1.94 billion the next day, making it the 9th most valuable L2 token and the only Solana-based L2 token in the top 10. As of January 16, the price of SONIC was approximately $0.72, remaining relatively stable since its launch, seemingly unaffected by the impending ban of TikTok in the US.

Responding to the Large-Scale Adoption of Chain Games with Solana L2

Sonic SVM was created by Mirror World Labs, with a founding team that includes CEO Chris Zhu, Chief Product Officer Alan Zhu, and Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Bakebwa. According to public information, Sonic SVM has completed $16 million in funding across seed and Series A rounds, with investors including BITKRAFT, Galaxy Interactive, Big Brain Holdings, Sky9 Capital, and OKX Ventures.

As a Layer-2 (L2) scaling solution based on Solana, Sonic SVM (SONIC) aims to improve the efficiency and interoperability of blockchain gaming platforms by providing dedicated block space and enhanced tools for developers and players.

Sonic SVM believes that as dAPPs continue to emerge, the performance advantages of Solana will face severe challenges. Especially when a large number of small games or a single large game appear, on-chain interactions involving thousands or even millions of users will significantly impact the performance of the Solana L1 main chain, particularly during special operational events such as server launches, holiday activities, and limited-time promotions, raising concerns about instantaneous impacts. This will not only affect the performance of the entire Solana L1 chain but also the playability and user experience of each game, including game response speed and data availability.

In March 2024, Sonic SVM officially entered the public eye, utilizing an innovative HyperGrid expansion mechanism seamlessly integrated with Solana to provide high-performance gaming experiences and efficient transaction aggregation. Its core features include atomic-level interoperability, a HyperGrid framework for deploying optimistic rollups on Solana, and the Rush ECS framework that simplifies on-chain game and autonomous world building. Sonic provides commercialization tools for payments, settlements, and user acquisition for games and applications.

First Application: TikTok Point-Earning Game SonicX

In the second and third quarters of 2024, Tap-to-earn mini-games based on Telegram became a sensation in the crypto gaming field, a trend that began with Notcoin launched at the beginning of the year and peaked with Hamster Kombat, which claims to have nearly 300 million player accounts, ultimately "crashing" after an airdrop in September. Similarly, mini-apps on Telegram that attracted millions or even tens of millions of users generally met similar fates.

Against this backdrop, Sonic SVM chose to take a different approach, targeting another top traffic pool—TikTok, and launched the point-earning game SonicX on the platform in October 2024. The game's art style also draws inspiration from the classic video game "Sonic the Hedgehog." Similar to the mini-programs on Telegram, TikTok allows users to open web pages in its native browser, and players can start playing after logging in with social accounts and collecting game points.

SonicX expands its player base by launching TikTok ads to potential new users, achieving millions of views within a month, some of which converted into active users. According to Sonic SVM, the game surpassed the milestone of one million players just one month after its launch, currently boasting over two million users.

Having seen Telegram mini-game users "easily" surpassing one million, often reaching tens of millions, SonicX's one or two million users may seem unremarkable. However, since TikTok users are required to provide phone numbers and identity verification for KYC, while Telegram imposes no such restrictions, SonicX users may be relatively of "higher quality."

TikTok's Uncertain Future in the US

Sonic SVM's vision for SonicX on TikTok is not just to host the game but to cultivate a Web3 gaming layer that mainstream audiences can access and participate in. Sonic SVM provides infrastructure for developers willing to launch games on TikTok, allowing them to utilize the Sonic Origin and Sonic Frontier networks and easily deploy games through its guidelines.

With the SONIC token generation activity landing smoothly, Sonic SVM believes that TikTok has proven to be an effective user acquisition channel, and it hopes to open its business to third-party developers and fund them through SONIC tokens.

However, TikTok's future in the US is currently uncertain, as a large number of American users have recently begun a "cyber exodus," flocking to Xiaohongshu for "refuge." Last year, the US Congress passed the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Act." According to this law, TikTok's parent company ByteDance must divest its stake in TikTok by January 19, or face a nationwide ban. TikTok has repeatedly stated that it will not sell its US operations. According to The Information, TikTok plans to shut down its app for US users by the "deadline."

TikTok has appealed to the Supreme Court regarding this law, arguing that the ban infringes on the First Amendment rights of its 170 million American users. On January 10, the Supreme Court heard TikTok's emergency appeal, but the judges seemed inclined to uphold the legislation and expect compliance with the deadline. Unless ByteDance complies with the aforementioned law, once the ban is implemented, Apple, Google, and web hosting service providers must block TikTok's distribution in the US. According to Bloomberg, sources indicate that Musk may become the owner of TikTok. TikTok later responded, stating that reports of a potential sale to Musk are "purely fictional."

Donald Trump, who is about to officially assume the presidency of the United States, is also a supporter of TikTok. He has expressed a favorable view of TikTok and vowed to "save" the platform that brought "billions of views" to his campaign. Last month, Trump urged the Supreme Court to delay a ruling until he returns to the White House on January 20. His lawyer submitted a legal brief to the court stating that Trump "opposes banning TikTok" and "seeks the ability to resolve the current issue through political means after taking office." A week ago, Trump also met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago, who was invited to attend the presidential inauguration and sit in the "honorary position."

Currently, TikTok has a global monthly active user count of one billion, with US users accounting for over 10%. Based on the geographical distribution of users from previously popular point-earning games, non-US users in the Sonic SVM ecosystem will likely make up the vast majority.

Additionally, according to Reuters, theoretically, American users who have downloaded TikTok can still use the app, but the law also prohibits American companies from providing distribution, maintenance, or update services for the app starting Sunday. TikTok will no longer be able to update its software, and over time, its vulnerabilities will increase, and its speed will decrease.

Sources indicate that the purpose of shutting down services is to protect TikTok's service providers from legal liability while allowing TikTok to more easily resume operations if elected President Donald Trump decides to lift the ban.

In the face of TikTok's unclear future, Sonic SVM, which serves as a bridge between TikTok users and the Web3 world, is also forced to face certain challenges. However, based on the recent performance of the SONIC token price, the project team seems to have withstood the test of this round of external impacts.

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