SANDChain represents a strategic evolution for The Sandbox ecosystem, positioning itself as the core infrastructure for what co-founder Sébastian Borget describes as the ‘Creator Nation’—a decentralized economy designed to empower creativity at scale. The layer-2 network leverages The Sandbox’s existing ecosystem, which includes over 8 million users and more than 400 brand partnerships, creating an immediate user base and network effect. According to Borget, who serves as SANDChain ambassador, this foundation enables creators to own their content, generate money from their identities, and manage their communities without losing value to the platforms they create on.

The timing of SANDChain’s development coincides with what Borget identifies as a fundamental shift in blockchain infrastructure value. ‘When we set out to develop SANDchain,’ he told Decrypt, ‘we quickly realized that the real value no longer lies in the base infrastructure, which is increasingly commoditized, but in how we differentiate, whom we serve, and how we enable meaningful use cases, such as gaming, entertainment or creator-fans interactions.’ This perspective underscores the project’s focus on specific use cases rather than general-purpose blockchain functionality.

SANDChain introduces a sophisticated three-layer value system designed to create a comprehensive economic framework for creators. The first layer, SANDpoints, tracks network reputation and loyalty, creating a mechanism for recognizing and rewarding active participants. The second layer, Creator Points, provides support mechanisms for creators and access to their respective tokens, while the third layer consists of Creator Tokens—tradable assets directly tied to creators’ brands, enabling fans to invest in and support their favorite creators directly.

Crucially, SANDChain will utilize The Sandbox’s existing SAND token as its native gas and utility token, significantly enhancing the token’s utility within the ecosystem. The SAND token will power patron and creator vaults, which serve as core components of the product suite providing capital reserves for creator loans and aggregating Web2 revenues. The Sandbox CEO Robby Yung emphasized the financial foundation aspect, stating, ‘SANDchain is about giving creators a financial foundation, not just a following,’ highlighting the platform’s focus on tangible economic benefits rather than mere social metrics.

Despite the ambitious announcement, SAND token price reaction was muted, with the token dipping 2% on the day of the announcement to approximately $0.26. The token remains down nearly 8% for the month and approximately 97% below its all-time high set in 2021, reflecting the challenging market conditions facing metaverse and gaming tokens despite continued platform development.

Built using the ZK Stack, SANDChain leverages zero-knowledge rollup technology to provide the scalability benefits essential for gaming and creator applications. Borget highlighted the practical advantages for game creators, noting that the layer-2 solution enables them to ‘launch loyalty points, quests and game tokens without having to worry [about] seconds-to-minute-long transaction validations’ that typically plague Ethereum mainnet operations. This technical improvement addresses one of the key barriers to mainstream adoption of blockchain gaming and creator economies.

The implementation timeline shows rapid progression, with early access signups beginning October 1 and the testnet expected to debut on October 14. The Sandbox is partnering with The SANDChain Foundation to build the network, with early launch partners including major Web3 players Animoca Brands, Ethereum NFT collection Cool Cats, ZKSync, and Pucca, a popular Korean cartoon series. These partnerships demonstrate the project’s cross-platform and cross-media ambitions beyond the immediate Sandbox ecosystem.

Borget contextualized the development within broader industry trends, noting that ‘launching a blockchain has never been more accessible, thanks to the rise of zk-rollups and Ethereum sidechains.’ This accessibility has shifted competitive advantages from basic infrastructure development to specialized use case implementation and ecosystem building—precisely where SANDChain aims to differentiate itself through its creator-focused approach and integration with The Sandbox’s established metaverse platform.