Disney, the world’s largest entertainment company, has recently patented metaverse capabilities at its theme parks.
Disney secured patent protection for a ‘virtual world simulator in a real place’ on December 28, 2021.
The multinational entertainment giant filed application with the US Patent and Trademark Office in July 2020. The announcement of a patent approval for metaverse experience at Disney theme parks was made recently.
The entertainment provider will employ technology that senses guests’ phone activities at Disney parks. It will then create customised interactive shows for each of the guests, which will be shown in 3D on neighbouring physical locations, walls, and other park displays.
Metaverse businesses typically advertise their technology as web-based, requiring virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) devices. This is not how Disney plans to present digital adventures to the real world. Its interactive experiences will not be dependent on the use of headsets.
In November 2020, Disney revealed their metaverse vision. Tilak Mandadi, the chief strategist at the time, wrote an article about it on LinkedIn.
“As we look to the future, connected park experiences that transcend the physical and digital barrier and unlock new layers of storytelling are a very exciting focus of ours,” wrote Mandadi.
The experiences, according to Mandadi, will be “perennial” but also specific to the individual, as well as “social and connected.”
CEO Bob Chapek talked along similar lines during the company’s Q4 results announcement in November 2021, further establishing the vision.
“We’ll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even closer, allowing you to tell stories without limits in our very own Disney Metaverse.”
Disney’s parks, attractions, and consumer products operations earned approximately £12.4 billion in revenue in 2021 alone. The company’s earnings are expected to surge in anticipation of its metaverse adventure.