
The Walt Disney Company has chosen an executive to oversee its Metaverse plans.
According to Reuters,
Mike White, an executive in the Media and Entertainment Distribution group, has been named to the new role of senior vice president of Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences, where he will help define how consumers experience Disney’s coming metaverse. He will work alongside Disney’s creative teams.
Mike White has been with The Walt Disney Company for over a decade, beginning as CTO and Senior Vice President of Disney Interactive, and then served as Senior Vice President of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, and Parks Experience, Emerging Technology & Innovation.
This news is the latest in a developing story, most recently following comments made by CEO Bob Chapek during Disney’s first-quarter earnings call earlier this month in which he conveyed confidence in Disney’s ability to develop a metaverse. Disney has also begun looking for staff to oversee NFTs, and the company has recently patented new technology with metaverse potential.
Mike White’s announcement was sent via email staff memo which was acquired by Reuters, and in that email, Chapek said the following:
“For nearly 100 years, our company has defined and re-defined entertainment by leveraging technology to bring stories to life in deeper, more impactful ways… Today, we have an opportunity to connect those universes and create an entirely new paradigm for how audiences experience and engage with our stories.”
Specifics of Disney’s proposed metaverse are still unclear at this time. But there is little doubt that Disney will be able to bring its quality of storytelling and immersive experience into whatever blended reality of the digital and physical will be created.
Related: Bob Iger on Disney’s ‘Huge Challenge’ with the Metaverse
We at Disney Fanatic will keep our ears to the ground and will update our readers on The Walt Disney Company’s metaverse aspirations as more information comes to light. From all of us here at Disney Fanatic, we wish Mr. White the best of luck in his new position.