Disney To Roll Out Starverse for India Premier League

The Walt Disney Company is set to roll out its novel metaverse platform after months of proof-of-concept testing, news reports confirmed on Monday.

The Burbank, California-based media giant plans to leverage its metaverse technologies for showcasing this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Sanjog Gupta, Head of Sports for Star & Disney India, said in a statement,

“Our metaverse is called the Starverse and the first iteration of this is an immersive 3D ecosystem for the sports fan. The sports genre organically lends itself to a multi-platform, multi-modal, and communal experience”

He continued that it would be the first time users could enter the platform “at scale.”

Speaking further, he said: “We wanted to [roll out] the final version after testing features and understanding user behaviour in a 3D ecosystem.”

Entering the Disney Starverse

Users can access the Disney Starverse platform across the internet via a browser, according to Gupta. He explained how the persistent, “always-on” platform would introduce new features in 2023.

He added that the immersive platform resulted from joint efforts with multiple media agencies. Collaborations built tools such as its backend, 3D content and models, and gamification infrastructure.

The news comes after the media firm debuted its first-ever AR film for its Disney+ Day event. The film, ‘Remembering,’  featured Brie Larson and streamed via smartphones on the Disney+ TV app.

The film’s Director, Elijah Allan-Blitz, stated that AR technologies were crucial to changing how audiences interact with media.

Disney Accelerator Programme

Disney launched a massive accelerator programme for incubating startups working with emerging technologies. It developed cohorts linked to artificial intelligence (AI), real-time 3D (RT3D) content, augmented reality (AR), and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), among others.

Hosted at its headquarters, Disney featured six companies for its cohort along with working with 15 senior executives.

The collaboration also focused on Inworld’s AI-backed animations by building developer tools for characters at scale using Industrial Light and Magic’s (ILM) xLAB, Lucasfilm’s immersive studio.

Speaking about the innovation push, Bob Chapek, Disney’s Chief Executive, said,

“Walt himself believed that technology really was the key to making these stories come alive to create truly lasting, meaningful connections with his audience and turning storytelling into an experience […] that’s why we have selected the companies you’re going to hear from. Each of them is pioneering technology that we believe has the potential to help us reach more people and tell stories in new ways.”

The most recent cohort for the programme featured startups including Red 6, Polygon Studios, FlickPlay, Lockerverse, Inworld, and Obsess.

Disney also incorporated Snap’s AR technologies in October last year across its Disneyland smartphone app for filters at its Florida location. Using its Disney Genie+ service, theme park visitors can build their own Disney-themed stories for social media.

Additional features such as mobile checkout tools allow visitors to fast-track their waiting times, find on-site restaurants and diners, and locate vehicles in car parks.

The news comes after the firm filed multiple patents for its Disney metaverse technologies, leading to the firm outlining its future technologies for the spatial communications platform.