Ex-Apple Arcade creative director poached by Disney for metaverse push

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in General Discussion
Apple's former Apple Arcade Creative Director Mark Bozon is now a key overseer of Disney's metaverse component.

Disney hires former Apple Arcade Creative Director. Image Credit: Disney
Disney hires former Apple Arcade Creative Director. Image Credit: Disney


Mark Bozon was a devout indie game proponent and Apple Arcade Creative Director at Apple. He exited Apple in May 2022 after 12 years in various executive roles and has been hired by Disney.

According to Deadline, Bozon's title at Disney will be Vice President, Next Generation Storytelling Creative Experiences. He will be responsible for building a team that spans the entirety of Disney to work on connected experiences.

In February, Disney's push into the metaverse was first announced by CEO Bob Chapek, calling it a "third dimension" of opportunity. He expressed interest in combining content from Disney+ with metaverse media and Disney Parks.

Gaming is expected to play a significant role in the metaverse since the basic principle is based on gaming technology like VR headsets and controllers. Bozon's experience at IGN and Apple in gaming is likely why Disney hired him for his new role.

Here it goes: After 12 amazing years I say goodbye to Apple. I'm headed to an absolute dream job & can't wait to share more soon. A heartfelt thank you to my coworkers, as well as the incredibly talented devs that make the App Store & Arcade the success it is. It was an honor. pic.twitter.com/KdSXBjcPgi

-- Mark Bozon (@MarkBozon)


The metaverse isn't a new concept, but the term has seen a larger push from major corporations since Facebook announced its shift to producing one. It isn't clear if Disney wants to create its own metaverse or provide content for the one Facebook is building -- considering an actual metaverse doesn't exist yet.

Apple hasn't expressed interest in the metaverse, but rumors suggest the company is building an AR headset. Some suspect that the headset may be revealed at the WWDC keynote on Monday.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    leavingthebiggleavingthebigg Posts: 1,291member
    Joe Quesada resigned from Marvel a few days ago after 22 years. Will he be heading to Apple for Apple TV+?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 3
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,115member
    JP234 said:
    Universe, omniverse, metaverse...
    Aren't they all the same thing?

    And what's up with "virtual" and "augmented" reality?
    Isn't that an oxymoron?

    Generally speaking, "Virtual Reality" (VR) is a complete construction of a reality. For instance, a game like Skyrim VR or Half-Life Alex creates a virtual world with which one interacts.  It might or might not be similar to anything in the real world, but it completely replaces the real world in the experience of the user.

    "Augmented Reality" (AR) is when an application provides a view of the real world, with additional information overlaid on that view, usually for the purpose of helping the viewer complete some task, such as navigation, envisioning how furniture will look in a room, or at some point potentially allowing a person to fix a car or complete some other complex task.

    "Mixed Reality" is similar to AR in that images are overlaid on a view of the real world, but usually for the purpose of entertainment.  Pokemon Go is an example of MR.

    xR is usually used as a shorthand when speaking of VR, AR, and MR in general.
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