LY Corporation, the parent of Japan’s leading messaging app Line, has denied reports of a business partnership with Soneium, a Sony-affiliated blockchain network, despite recent claims by Soneium that suggested otherwise.
The company issued a public statement on March 28 dismissing the notion of any formal collaboration. “These reports were based on an announcement made by Soneium on [March 12] that it plans to expand its business by using the LINE API and LINE Mini Apps on our platform, although no business partnership or the like has been established between Soneium and LY Corporation,” LY said.
The response came after Soneium, powered by Sony Block Solutions Labs, published a March 12 blog post asserting a collaboration to integrate four blockchain-based mini-apps into the Line platform. The post claimed the apps—Sleepagotchi LITE, Farm Frens, Moonveil – Puffy Match, and Pocket Mob—would launch on Line in the coming months, signaling what it described as “a next step toward making Soneium more accessible.”
Soneium defended its announcement. A company spokesperson told Cointelegraph: “Our March 12 announcement refers to a collaboration, which involves exploring the integration of onchain Mini Apps within the Line ecosystem. We stand by the accuracy of all content published in our official statement.” The spokesperson also stated that Soneium received permission to reference Line in the announcement and noted that “the Kaia Mini App is not exclusive to any single provider.”
Web3 Integration Disputed
The dispute over the nature of the relationship has highlighted tensions around Web3 integrations involving major Japanese technology firms. While Soneium frames its efforts as collaborative, LY Corporation maintains no binding business relationship.
Soneium launched its mainnet in January, introducing features such as NFTs tied to Amazon Prime Video content. On March 28, it separately announced a partnership with Animoca Brands to create a decentralized identity system called Anime ID on its network.
LY Corporation, formed in 2023 through a merger that included Line and Yahoo Japan, operates its Web3 division, Line Next, through the blockchain platform Kaia. Kaia was created by merging Line’s Finschia chain with Kakao’s Klaytn network. On January 22, Line Next introduced the Dapp Portal, a service supporting decentralized apps on Line Messenger. By early March, Line’s Mini Dapps had surpassed 35 million users. Its top-performing Mini Dapp generated $773,000 in its launch month.
Line Next previously raised $140 million in December 2023 and focuses on providing games and social applications within the Line ecosystem. Like Soneium, it targets Web3 expansion through messenger-based apps—mirroring Telegram’s success with tap-to-earn features.
With both companies pushing blockchain-driven user experiences, the blurred line between platform use and partnership continues to fuel industry speculation.
