Paul Thomas is the founder of Somnia, a next-generation Layer 1 blockchain built to support real-time, fully on-chain applications at internet scale. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of large-scale systems and virtual worlds, including more than 11 years helping build Improbable into a global tech powerhouse, Paul brings a unique perspective to the challenges and opportunities of Web3 gaming.
At Somnia, he’s leading a team that’s rethinking blockchain from the ground up. The protocol delivers over 1 million transactions per second with sub-second finality and sub-cent fees, making it possible to build immersive, composable, and persistent digital experiences fully on-chain.
In this interview, Paul shares his view on where Web3 gaming has gone wrong, what it needs to succeed, and how Somnia is building the infrastructure to support that future.
Bitcoinist: What was it that led you to create Somnia?
Paul Thomas:
I had been interested in blockchain for several years and saw how useful it could be for gaming very early on. I experimented with a few different projects, but it was too early. We eventually started taking the tech very seriously at Improbable, but we were facing a lot of technical limitations because none of the options on the market were suited for high-throughput applications like gaming. At a certain point we realized that we would need to build our own blockchain, and through that need, Somnia was born.
Bitcoinist: Web3 gaming has generated massive hype over the years, but hasn’t yet found lasting traction with mainstream players. Why do you think that is?
Paul Thomas:
A big part of the issue is that the infrastructure simply hasn’t been ready. Games are real-time, high-performance applications. They involve thousands of micro-interactions per second, and users expect instant feedback. Most blockchains struggle under that kind of load. The result is that most so-called “Web3 games” end up being Web2 games with a wallet and some NFTs bolted on. It’s interesting, but it’s not transformational.
The other factor is cost. If every transaction costs a few dollars in gas, you kill the business model before it even begins. Players won’t pay to equip a sword, cast a spell, or trade an item if the network charges more than the asset are worth.
Bitcoinist: So, what would it take for Web3 games to compete with traditional titles — not just in ideology, but in actual user experience?
Paul Thomas:
First, we need to stop thinking of blockchain as an add-on and start treating it as the runtime. Imagine a world where the game itself is on-chain, the metadata, the items, the quests, even the game logic. That means no centralized server to shut it down, no platform lock-in, and no opaque rules. You can build a game that lives forever, can be extended by anyone, and evolves through the community.
But to get there, blockchains need to be fast enough and cheap enough to handle gameplay itself, not just asset ownership. That’s been the missing piece.
Bitcoinist: Somnia was built specifically to overcome the infrastructure limitations you’re describing. What makes its approach different from other Layer 1 chains?
Paul Thomas:
The key difference is that we’re optimizing for real-time, high-frequency use cases like gaming from day one. We’ve focused on making the EVM as fast as possible, running millions of transactions per second on a single core, and building a database system with deterministic performance. Combine that with MultiStream consensus and sub-cent fees, and you have a platform that can actually support on-chain gameplay, not just on-chain assets.
Bitcoinist: You’ve mentioned before that “composability” could be a defining feature of Web3 games. Can you explain what that means in practice?
Paul Thomas:
Composability is the idea that games, like software, should be modular. You shouldn’t have to build every mechanic from scratch. If someone creates a great racing system or combat engine, others should be able to plug that into their own worlds. Think of it like open-source games, or DeFi protocols stacking on top of one another.
Bitcoinist: What kinds of new gameplay models become possible if everything is truly on-chain?
Paul Thomas:
There’s a lot of room to experiment. For example, you could have gameplay prediction markets where fans can bet on how a streamer will perform in real time. Or reactive quests, where smart contracts automatically reward players for actions based on on-chain events. You could even build games with real consequences: lose a duel, and you lose the actual gear. Win a tournament, and you walk away with something of real-world value.
The presence of tangible risk and reward makes the experience more compelling. Games feel more alive when something’s actually at stake.
Bitcoinist: What’s the biggest misconception you see around Web3 gaming today?
Paul Thomas:
That it’s just about making money. Yes, ownership is powerful, but it’s a means to an end, not the end itself. Web3 gives us a new design space. We should be using it to create things we’ve never seen before, not just replicating free-to-play economies with a token slapped on.
Bitcoinist: What advice would you give to developers or studios who want to explore building in Web3 but feel overwhelmed by the complexity?
Paul Thomas:
Start small, but start on-chain. Don’t be afraid to experiment. That’s how you’ll uncover the unique value of this medium. And ideally, look for infrastructure that’s designed to support gaming at internet scale. Not all chains are created equal. You need something built for real-time, high-frequency use cases.
Bitcoinist: What’s the roadmap ahead for Somnia, and what kind of developers are you hoping to attract?
Paul Thomas:
We’re onboarding developers who want to push boundaries of what’s possible on-chain. Teams building fully on-chain games, social worlds, or anything that needs real-time responsiveness and composability. With grants and accelerator programs like Dream Catalyst, along with partnerships across the Web3 ecosystem, we’re making it easier than ever to build high-performance applications that simply weren’t possible before.
Bitcoinist: What excites you most about the future of gaming and Web3 over the next five years?
Paul Thomas:
I think we’ll see the emergence of games that couldn’t have existed before. It won’t just be about graphics or monetization, it’ll be about community creativity, interoperability, and player agency. That’s the promise. And I think we’re finally getting close to making it real.
Conclusion
As Web3 gaming continues to evolve, innovators like Paul Thomas and projects like Somnia are working to move the industry beyond speculation and toward substance. By rebuilding the infrastructure from the ground up with performance, composability, and player ownership at its core, Somnia offers a glimpse into a future where on-chain games are not only possible—but powerful. For developers and players alike, that future is no longer just theoretical. It’s starting now.
