Mirror World Labs, a gaming studio specializing in the Solana blockchain, launched its Sonic protocol in March, marking the first gaming rollup on Solana. This protocol enables developers to create Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) chains specifically for GameFi projects, enhancing the blockchain’s gaming capabilities.
The initiative represents a significant milestone in Solana’s expansion into the gaming sector, providing a dedicated platform for game developers to build and deploy their projects.
In its inaugural Series A funding round, Mirror World Labs successfully raised $12 million, with notable contributions from Bitkraft, Galaxy Interactive, and Big Brain Holdings, among others. This funding is aimed at furthering the development and implementation of the Sonic protocol.
Chris Zhu, the CEO and founder of Sonic, highlighted the company’s focus on Solana and its commitment to providing comprehensive tools and frameworks for game developers. Zhu emphasized that Sonic SVM would be pivotal in driving the growth of the Solana gaming ecosystem, facilitating the launch and market entry of numerous games.
The newly raised funds will be utilized to enhance the Sonic protocol by introducing features such as sandbox environments, customizable gaming primitives, and extensible data types. These enhancements are intended to attract new developers to the Solana gaming ecosystem and support existing game developers in adopting the Sonic SVM and HyperGrid Framework.
The HyperGrid Framework, a roll-up deployment kit, allows developers to implement new game engines and virtual machines within Solana, simplifying the development process for GameFi projects.
Despite Solana’s success in the meme coin boom and decentralized applications, its gaming sector has lagged behind. The introduction of the Sonic protocol aims to address this gap by enabling developers to deploy SVM chains more efficiently for their GameFi projects.
The initial deployment of Sonic on March 29 saw its integration with 50 gaming clients, including games like Mahjong Meta, Matr1x Fire, and Seraph/ActozSoft, which collectively generated over 200,000 transaction engagements, demonstrating the protocol’s potential impact.
Since its founding in 2022, Mirror World Labs has concentrated on building the Solana gaming infrastructure, encompassing all stages of the game lifecycle, from developer onboarding to technical solutions.
With the recent $12 million funding, the company has raised a total of $16 million in venture capital, positioning itself as a key player in the burgeoning Solana gaming ecosystem. Through the Sonic protocol, Mirror World Labs aims to significantly boost the development and adoption of blockchain-based games on Solana.
