• Global entertainment giant Disney had a metaverse patent approved during the last week of 2021.
• The company will utilize technology that provides personalized metaverse experiences to tourists in its physical theme parks.

Multinational entertainment giant Disney recently announced the approval for a patent to provide metaverse functionalities in its theme parks. 

Essentially, the firm will use technology that tracks the actions of Disney theme park visitors on their phones. It will then generate personalized interactive attractions for each of these visitors, projecting them as 3D images on nearby physical spaces, walls, and other objects in the park.

The patent, known as a “virtual-world simulator in a real-world venue,” was approved on Dec. 28, 2021. Disney officially filed it with the US Patent and Trademark Office as early as July 2020.

Other metaverse-utilizing companies and businesses portray the technology as internet-hosted, and one requiring virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) headsets. Differently, Disney’s proposition brings the digitized experience to the physical world. Additionally, its technology will not necessitate the use of headsets during interactive sessions.

Disney joins the metaverse bandwagon

Disney shared its vision for the metaverse in Nov. 2020, when its Resorts Chief Strategy Officer Tilak Mandadi shared a LinkedIn article on the same. Excerpts read:

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…

These experiences are perennial, and the guest engagement is inside and outside the parks. They are unique to you, but are also social and connected. They are constantly changing, so there is always something new to discover.

Cementing this plan even further was a similar announcement by CEO Bob Chapek during the company’s Q4 earnings report in Nov. 2021. He said at the time;

We’ll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even more closely, allowing for storytelling, without boundaries in our own Disney Metaverse,” 

Bright future ahead

While speaking to the LA Times, Disney said it has “no current plans” to make use of the similar in the near future. However, the approval of the patent echoed Mandadi’s vision for a “Theme Park Metaverse.” It also places the company ahead of competitors in the race for metaverse functionalities.

Disney has a total of 12 theme parks located in the US, Paris, Hong Kong, Japan, and China. These physical attraction sites attract millions of tourists and enthusiasts from all over the world each year. In 2021 alone, the company generated nearly $17 billion in revenue from its parks, experiences, and products, even as the prevailing pandemic imposed lockdowns and curtailed world travel.

And now, with the hype the metaverse has generated, Disney’s yields are likely to skyrocket once the firm launches its Theme Park Metaverse.