Just days after Facebook rebranded to reorientate itself around a ‘metaverse’, it seems like the Disney corporation has similar plans in that field.
While Disneyland may be the “happiest place on Earth” (at least according to ), it seems that Disney is now seeking to create the happiest place in virtual reality too, as it plans to build its presence in the so-called metaverse.
After giving a namecheck to Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon with synchronised sound, as an example of the brand’s longstanding commitment to innovation, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in an interview with CNBC that “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… 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.”
Related: For one week only, you can sign up to Disney Plus for just £1.99
To put it mildly it’s unlikely that Disney would change its company name in the same way that Facebook has in order to project its ambitions, but its nonetheless interesting to consider how the two titanic companies could compete with each other in this new space. The streaming service Disney Plus could be a jumping-off point for the launch of this new venture, perhaps in a similar way as to how Netflix has introduced gaming to its own streaming service. We can only wait and see as to how this new ambition pays off, as for now the vision does not seemed to have progressed far beyond the initial conceptual phase.
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