Now Disney is going to build a metaverse, too: Will it be the happiest place in the virtual space?
Is Disney hoping to become the happiest place in the metaverse?
During The Walt Disney Company's quarterly earnings call on Nov. 10, CEO Bob Chapek announced the Disney+ Day teasers, information on upcoming movies and shows, and plans for its theme parks. He also dropped the big "M" word: the metaverse.
The CEO brought up the idea as he was talking about how Disney has always been an "early adopter" in using technology to "enhance the entertainment experience.
"Our efforts to date are merely a prologue to a time when we'll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even more closely, allowing for storytelling without boundaries in our own Disney metaverse, and we look forward to creating unparalleled opportunities for consumers to experience everything Disney has to offer across our products and platforms, wherever the consumer may be," Chapek said.
"As we look ahead to this next frontier, given our unique combination of brands, franchises, physical and digital experiences, and global reach, we see limitless potential, and that makes us as excited as ever about the Walt Disney Company's next 100 years."
The "House of Mouse" has already been putting their characters in virtual worlds—Marvel and Star Wars characters are in Fortnite, which is a proto-metaverse.
My very name speaks of higher truths, higher goals.
Grab the Shang-Chi Outfit in the Item Shop ? pic.twitter.com/TZgF4GmrKF— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 6, 2021
The metaverse has become a popular buzzword after Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook to Meta to highlight the company's refocus on the metaverse.
Aside from Meta, Epic Games and Microsoft have expressed their interest in connecting the physical world to the virtual world.