Disney Obtains a Patent for an Amusement Park in the Metaverse

The international entertainment giant Disney recently announced a patent approval to provide metaverse functionality in its theme parks.

The patent, known as a ‘virtual world simulator in a real place’, was approved on December 28, 2021.

Disney officially registered it with the US Patent and Trademark Office in July 2020.

The international entertainment giant Disney recently announced a patent approval to provide metaverse functionality in its theme parks.

The company will be using technology that tracks the activities of Disney park visitors on their phones. It will then generate personalized interactive attractions for each of these visitors, displaying 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 place,’ was approved on December 28, 2021. Disney officially registered it with the US Patent and Trademark Office in July 2020.

Other companies in the metaverse portray the technology as web-based and require virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) headsets. This is not the case with Disney’s proposal to bring digital experiences to the physical world. Additionally, this technology will not require the use of headsets during interactive sessions.

Disney shared its vision of the metaverse in November 2020. At that time, the chief strategist, Tilak Mandadi, published an article on LinkedIn on this topic.

“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.”

Mandadi said the experiences will be “perennial” but also unique to the person, and “social and connected.”

Cementing the plan even further, CEO Bob Chapek made a similar statement during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report in November 2021.

“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.”

Bright future

During an interview with the LA Times, Disney said it had “no current plans” to use the patent in the near future. However, the approval echoed in Mandadi’s vision of the “Theme Park Metaverse.” It also puts the company ahead of its competitors in the metaverse race.

Disney has a total of 12 parks located in the US, Paris, Hong Kong, Japan and China. These physical sites attract millions of tourists and enthusiasts from all over the world each year. In 2021 alone, the company generated nearly $17bn in revenue from its parks, experiences, and products. And this is despite the fact that the prevailing pandemic has caused restrictions on traveling around the world.

And now, thanks to the hype created by the metaverse, Disney’s profits are likely to skyrocket even further.