Hong Kong’s Ocean Park brings virtual attractions to The Sandbox metaverse

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park announced on Monday that it is entering The Sandbox metaverse to offer virtual experiences through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming, as visitors to its physical venue dropped throughout the pandemic. 

Fast facts

• The government proposed last January that it will transform the physical theme park into a resort and leisure destination with a retail dining and entertainment zone.
• Ocean Park will build unique content based on its theme park in The Sandbox, the park’s CEO Ivan Wong said in a statement, but further details were not revealed.

• Ocean Park is among the oldest and second-largest theme parks in Hong Kong, located on state-owned land with a government-appointed board. 

• The park was once one of Asia’s top attractions but was closed for 146 days and recorded a HK$31.8 million (US$4.08 million) loss in the 2020-21 financial year despite HK$1.45 billion (US$190 million) in government relief. 

• The Sandbox has been boosting entertainment options in its metaverse, recently adding Warner Music Group to its roster to build a music theme park and hold virtual concerts.