Mike White has been cast as Disney’s “Mister Metaverse”. He will be responsible for overseeing the entertainment giant’s strategy in this parallel world, which aims to become a real digital understudy of the physical world.
Disney formalizes its entry into the metaverse. Indeed, the Burbank firm has appointed a manager to oversee its strategy with regard to this parallel world, which is intended to become a true digital understudy of the physical world. This new leadership role has been taken on by Mike White, who until now led the Consumer Experiences and Platforms division within the Media and Entertainment Distribution group.
He will now serve as senior vice president of Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences at the entertainment giant, which he joined in 2011. In his new role, Mike White will work closely with Disney’s creative teams. He will report his progress to Kareem Daniel, president of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, and Josh D’Amaro, president of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
The information was revealed by Bob Chapek, the boss of Disney, in a memo sent to employees of the group and consulted by Reuters. In the latter, he says a little more about the ambitions of the big-eared brand in the metaverse. “For nearly 100 years, our company has defined and redefined entertainment by leveraging technology to bring stories to life in deeper, more impactful ways.“, wrote Bob Chapek in this e-mail intended for the staff. And to add: “Today, we have the opportunity to connect these universes and create an entirely new paradigm for how audiences experience and engage with our stories. It’s called the metaverse, which I believe is the next great frontier in storytelling and the perfect place to strengthen our strategic storytelling pillars of excellence, innovation and audience focus. .“
For the concrete, it will still have to wait. But the appointment of Mike White confirms Disney’s interest in the metaverse, which has been mentioned several times in recent months by Bob Chapek. If the boss of the American giant has so far been relatively evasive about his group’s projects in the sector, the combination of physical universes, with amusement parks and shops around the world, and virtual, with films, series or even video games, can give an idea of the field of possibilities that opens up for Disney in this flourishing market which should weigh 800 billion dollars by 2024, according to Bloomberg. According to a Gartner study, one in four people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse by 2026.
Until the metaverse, so dear to Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Meta (Facebook), becomes a reality, the entertainment giant will be able to count on its Disney+ platform. The latter now boasts nearly 130 million subscribers in just over two years of existence, and is aiming for between 230 and 260 million by the end of 2024.