Sophon is sunsetting its ZK-powered Layer-2 blockchain and shifting fully to an app-first strategy under a new identity, Soph(+), a consumer product studio building on Base. The team raised $60M and says the focus has always been on consumer onchain experiences, not infrastructure.

The decision comes after concluding that maintaining its own chain was too costly and no longer necessary, with value increasingly shifting from infrastructure to the application layer. Sophon says it will redirect resources toward product design, distribution, and user-facing apps instead of running a standalone network.

The team will migrate users and node holders via a transition guide, while continuing development of its consumer pipeline. Its first product, Pyre, introduces a new category called “entertainment finance”, turning everyday payments into interactive experiences.

Built on Base, Soph(+) plans to launch more consumer apps and an API layer designed to power onchain entertainment and payment experiences across other builders and partners.