Somnia

• Somnia is a Layer 1 built for real-time applications such as games, social platforms and metaverse environments.

• It uses multi-stream consensus and a custom database to target very high throughput with sub-second finality.

• SOMI is the network token.

• Supply allocated across community, ecosystem and investors.

• Used for transactions, staking, validator rewards and governance.

Pros:

• Performance targets suit real-time applications that current chains cannot support.

• EVM-compatible, so existing contracts deploy without changes.

• Backed by Improbable and MSquared, with genuine gaming technology experience.

Cons:

• Throughput claims are very large and require sustained real load to verify.

• Blockchain gaming has consistently failed to retain players regardless of chain performance.

• New Layer 1 competing for developers in an oversupplied market.

• Exposure to a chain built specifically for real-time consumer applications.

• Backing team has real gaming infrastructure experience rather than crypto-only.

• Weigh the sector's poor retention record regardless of technical capability.

• Sub-second finality at very high throughput, targeting applications where players cannot tolerate waiting for confirmations.

• Games and social applications need response times that blockchain confirmation cannot deliver.

• Purpose-built consensus and storage close enough of the gap to make real-time on-chain interaction feasible.

• Developed with backing from Improbable, a UK simulation technology company, and MSquared.

• Backed by a16z and SoftBank through the parent companies.

• No public ICO. Distributed via Binance ecosystem programmes and airdrop in 2025.

• Blockchain gaming retention has been poor across the sector.

• Performance claims need real load to verify.

• Oversupplied Layer 1 market.

• Ecosystem development requires attracting studios away from established platforms.