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• U.S. patent office granted Disney' virtual-world simulator' patent to project personalized 3D images onto physical spaces
• CEO did not outline the company's plans about metaverse
The Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) has appointed an executive to lead the entertainment giant's metaverse strategy.
Media and Entertainment Distribution division executive Mike White has been named to lead the new role of senior vice president of 'Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences.'
In an internal memo sent to the employees on Tuesday, seen by Reuters, Disney CEO Bob Chapek wrote, the company will create an entirely new paradigm for audiences to "experience and engage" with its stories.
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Although Chapek did not outline the company's plans about metaverse, in the memo he wrote, White's task will be "connecting the physical and digital worlds" for Disney entertainment and work alongside the creative teams.
Disney embracing metaverse
Last November, Chapek said that the company's 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."
The media giant is embracing the metaverse as the "next great storytelling frontier" and part of the strategic priorities.
The California-based Disney was granted a "virtual-world simulator" patent in December by the U.S. government, which would track individual Disneyland visitors and project personalized 3D images and virtual effects onto physical spaces.
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The technology aligns with the company's goal to tell stories through a "three-dimensional canvas," as highlighted by Chapek during Disney's fourth-quarter earnings call.
Tech companies betting for next big thing on the internet
The metaverse is a concept where a network of 3D virtual worlds focuses on social connection, and consumers experience it using virtual and augmented reality headsets.
Companies expect the new internet iterations will usher in a new wave of business.
Facebook has made the biggest bet on the metaverse so far, changing its corporate name to Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: F.B.) last year and plans to spend over $10 billion on developing virtual reality hardware and software.
However, the overall technology is still far off to satisfy the hype around the metaverse.
Meta executives earlier said it could take up to 15 years to fully realize the company's vision of immersive worlds, which its users can access with a set of computerized glasses.
Other major technology companies are also experimenting with things to get into the metaverse business.
Last month, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) said it would buy "Call of Duty" videogame maker Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ: ATVI) for nearly $69 billion to position itself for the next generation of the internet and virtual future.
Picture Credit: Forbes