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It’s official, ever since Facebook kicked off its big new Meta project, all the big entertainment companies have, or rather, are trying to follow the same path. Indeed, specific teams are being set up to figure out how best to position themselves in this still uncertain but extremely attractive new dimension. One such team is Disney, which is about to land in the metaverse.
The formation of the Disney team to work in the metaverse
Like many other giants, Disney is also taking its first steps into the phygital universe.
The US company has already announced that it has appointed the person who will oversee and manage the company’s strategy in the sector.
The announcement came in a letter signed by Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, addressed to the staff.
The letter stated that the head of Disney’s operations in the metaverse is and will be, to all intents and purposes, Mike White.
Looking at White’s curriculum, one can only think that this appointment fits him perfectly. Mike has over 25 years of experience working in the company’s technology division.
His promotion will lead him to the position of SVP (Senior Vice President) in the new Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences section, where he will be responsible for developing the ways in which the general public can enjoy Disney products and franchises in the metaverse.
Disney’s innovative approach
The entertainment giant seems to have pretty clear ideas on the way to position itself in the much talked about metaverse.
Unlike Facebook, Disney does not intend to build its own metaverse, but rather to create a bridge, a link that connects the physical and digital worlds.
The aim is to connect the physical spaces, i.e. their historic amusement parks, with the digital services they already offer, such as Disney+, the park navigation service of the Disneyland app, or the virtual environments that will be gradually created around specific characters or projects.
Indeed, Disney CEO Bob Chapek described the metaverse as a – “third canvas” and said:
“(I)t’s going to take all the great things that we as a media company have with Disney+ and use that as a platform for the metaverse. But at the same time, we have something that no one else has, and that’s the physical world, a world of our parks. And so, if the metaverse is the blending of the physical and the digital in one environment, who can do it better than Disney?”
He added:
“We realize that it’s going to be less of a passive-type experience. And this is a very top-of-mind thing for us because we are continuing over time to augment our skills and the types of people that we attract into the Walt Disney Company to reflect the aggressive and ambitious technology agenda that we have”.