Disney to look at park visits, consumer habits to form metaverse strategy

Walt Disney Co. will make use of data from its theme park visits and consumers’ streaming habits to formulate the company’s metaverse strategy, according to a Reuters report.

In an interview with Reuters during the D23 Expo, held in California on September 11, Chief executive Bob Chapek described Disney’s vision for the metaverse as “next-generation storytelling.”

He was quoted as saying that he wanted to use data gleaned from theme park visits and consumers’ streaming habits to deliver personalized entertainment experiences, including the company’s Marvel and Lucasfilm studios. 

Disney owns a video streaming service, Disney +, which has approximately 152.1 million users across the globe. 

In the company’s quarterly results announcement in November last year, Chapek said Disney was preparing to enter the metaverse. A month later, the company was granted a patent for a “virtual world simulator” that allows visitors to enjoy AR without headsets or other devices. 

The technology produces projected images by tracking the user’s line of sight and assessing the positions of objects. It includes not only images but also augmented sound experiences, and can be used at home or other places.