Why isn't Disney Building the Metaverse?

Media companies shouldn't sit back and cede Web 3 to Big Tech

My family and I recently returned from a trip to Disney. I’m ok, thanks for asking.

I know I’ll never truly understand what it’s like for those guys who come back from Iraq and have trouble reintegrating into society, but this is probably as close as I’ll ever get. Nobody comes back from the Magic Kingdom quite the same.

That said, between the lines and the crowds and the meltdowns, and the disturbing number of people visiting the parks without children, we did have a lot of fun. The new Star Wars stuff was off the charts - it really made me rethink my concept of a ‘ride.’

But what truly blew my mind - and made me think about the future of media, technology and society right in the middle of my family vacation - was the Avatar ride.

I’m 48, and it was truly one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

If you haven’t been to Disney recently, I know what you are thinking. Avatar? The movie that we all saw and no one actually liked or remembered?

Trust me, I was super skeptical about paying extra to make sure we avoided a two hour wait for this thing (which is not unheard of). That movie totally sucked, and I had no interest in reliving it.

Still, once I got past the cheesy narrative setup (you wait in this room and they explain to you that they are linking you up  with this Avatar and you are going to visit the world of the Navi or whatever), I was intrigued. You sit facing forward in a stationary bike looking thing, put on headphones and goggles, and then a machine locks  you in and you’re off.

Instantly, you feel like you are flying - down. My fear of heights kicked in, as did butterflies in my stomach. As we dove down toward a body of water and flew under a cliff formation, I felt very much like I could hit my head or fall off.

I was aware that I was on a ride, looking at a screen, yet it felt extremely real. The immersion was breathtaking. I’m selling it short, but this Business Insider post from 2017 does a better job:

 “Why Disney World's new 3D 'Avatar' attraction is the greatest ride I've ever been on.”

This is not overhyped at all, in my opinion.

Why am I telling you all this?

Well, like many of you, I’ve been reading a lot about the supposed impending Metaverse, and how we are all suddenly going to be hanging out in virtual spaces all of the time. Even after experiencing many cool demos, I’ve watched VR struggle to take hold for at least a decade.

I watched in horror as Facebook explained its new Meta name while demonstrating the least appealing, incredibly dorky vision for a board meeting imaginable. I’ve thought about how we’ve all spent the past two years with limited human interaction, and thought - why in god's name would any of us want to sign up for more screen time?

After my Disney trip, I was worried we may never want to leave the metaverse. That is, depending on who builds it.

It seems a given that whoever builds a Web3 world or worlds will come out of Silicon Valley, where the recent investment has been staggering or gaming - where people actually do meet up virtually all the time. It’s true, these guys have unparalleled resources (though remind me again, how are things going in Magic Leap these days?)

Given my experience with Avatar, I’m wondering, why aren’t we seeing more ambition from the entertainment world? On paper, cloud bandwidth aside, who’d you bet would build a better Metaverse - Facebook or Disney?

Why couldn’t Universal (Harry Potter) or Warner (DC) or many others in the storytelling space be the ones leading the charge? Yes, there are those small  matters of cost, coupled with computing power and engineering prowess. Various reports peg the cost of the Avatar section of Disney at $500 million, and the ride in question only accommodates a few dozen people at a time.  So not exactly scalable.

Or at least for now. How often do we talk about how we all carry around mobile devices that are better than the first computers in the 1950s. Will this tech become cheap and replicable in a few decades? Or faster?

Last weekend, I took my family to the Van Gogh Experience in Manhattan. While not on the level of an Avatar ride, the exhibits mix real static art, digital images, giant screens, music and loads of computing power combined to make a truly transporting experience. Yes, we knew the whole time we were in an art gallery. But when we left, the outside world seemed just a bit dimmer.  The organizers of this show are putting them up all over the world, from London to Dallas to Orlando- and there’s no Facebook or Google involved.

My point is, creators have as good a shot as anybody to bring forth this new world - maybe better. Certainly, you can point to the many failures of the Disneys of the world in trying to make their own social platforms or digital destinations (does anyone miss Toontown or Club Penguin?). It’s hard to compete with the network effect of the duopoly. Eventually, Disney had to spend a billion on BAMtech to get its streaming business humming.

Now Disney+ is a roaring success. 

I’m not saying that media and entertainment companies should go it entirely alone. They should be investing in AR and VR startups. They should look to build with some of the emerging players. They shouldn't cede this thing to Zuck and company.

Maybe they’ll never be able to compete with these guys. But I know I’d rather spend my virtual time with a company that spends all of its time trying to create joy and fun rather than the one that owns digital addiction and outrage.