Metaverse

Disney Fires Entire Metaverse Division

by

No company is stranger to cost-cutting efforts, but Disney’s latest efforts have employees wondering who’s next on the chopping block. The house of mouse has fired an entire division, and this is only the beginning. Disney’s 2023 box office earnings have already topped a billion dollars just three months into the year, and the company wants to continue to capitalize on its earnings and cut costs. The Next Generation Storytelling & Consumer Experiences group, responsible for Disney’s Metaverse efforts, only accounted for about 50 employees. That is disturbing considering that Disney plans to lay off a total of 7,000 people.

These cuts come as part of an effort to restructure the company by Bob Iger, former CEO of Disney. After Bob Chapek was abruptly fired in 2022, he stepped in as interim leader. Many may remember that Iger was the head of Disney during some of its most pivotal moments. It was under his leadership that the company acquired both Pixar and Marvel Studios. Iger was also at the helm when Disney acquired Lucasfilm. These were arguably some of the most important decisions made in the history of the entertainment business. It’s undeniable: Iger is a formidable leader with unmatched success. It’s really no surprise that he was asked to step in after Chapek was let go.

More Disney Layoffs Coming: Who’s Next?

Bob Iger’s bloodbath began with a memo sent out on February 8th. In this memo, he detailed his plans for cuts and tried to lighten the blow with some kind words. “The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly,” he said. “It also makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye to wonderful people we care about. I want to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to every departing employee for your numerous contributions and your devotion to this beloved company.”

Iger plans to finish the 7,000 aforementioned layoffs by summer. Having already dismantled several divisions, it’s clear he has no problem doing what needs to be done to keep Disney on top. The next victims of this restructuring effort remain unclear; however, Iger has made it clear that these cuts will affect high and low-level employees alike.

[Via] [Via]

Boy Meets Girl x Blueberry Explores the Metaverse

by
Boy Meets Girl Bluebery CTSY 01

Boy Meets Girl and House of Blueberry are releasing a four-piece digital fashion collection. The digital wearables are a representation of bestsellers for Boy Meets Girl in the physical world. Items such as leggings, sweatpants, and two signature T-shirts make up the virtual boutique that Roblox users can browse. Additionally, users can try on designs and create customized digital identities for their avatars. 

House of Blueberry is on a mission to build the largest digital fashion house in the universe. They have had over 20 million assets sold, 10,000 stock-keeping units and more than 400,000 unique customers. The Roblox community has 43.2 million active daily users where nearly 67% are under the age 16. In an effort to set the standard high for their digital space, Boy Meets Girl will carry its anti-bullying mission forward  into the metaverse through positive messaging in the Blueberry virtual boutique. 

Stacy Igel, founder and chief creative officer of Boy Meets Girl said, “As someone who was an early adopter of virtual markets, this was a natural partnership for me. I’m thrilled to bring Boy Meets Girl into the metaverse in collaboration with House of Blueberry. During COVID-19, my son Dylan got to learn a lot about virtual worlds and has been teaching me about Roblox. So you can imagine how excited I am to share this collaboration and how excited he is too.” Roblox is dominated by the youth and many collaborations carried out via the platform shape the perspective of young boys and girls.  

Mishi McDuff, chief executive officer and founder of Blueberry, added, “We love the mission of the Boy Meets Girl brand and can’t wait to bring that positive energy into the metaverse. We think the iconic Boy Meets Girl branding will really come to life on Roblox and make for a fun, welcoming virtual experience for our community.” 

IMG 5447

This project expands The House of Blueberry’s collaborations from past projects with Jonathan Simkhai and the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” In the physical world, Boy Meets Girl has partnered with Saks Fifth Avenue, to carry its core kids unisex organic collection on Saks.com. The collection features an eight-piece sustainable kids collection, including its signature logo hoodies, sweatpants and Ts in mint, light pink, blue, black and heather grey. 

The items will be sold exclusively in Blueberry’s metaverse fashion boutique and catalog on January 10th. The T-shirt, leggings, and hoodie sell for 85 Robux and the beanie for 65 Robux.

The post Boy Meets Girl x Blueberry Explores the Metaverse appeared first on The Source.

Snoop Dogg and Eminem to Give Metaverse-Inspired Performance at MTV VMAs

by
Snoop Dogg and Eminem to Give Metaverse-Inspired Performance at MTV VMAs

The VMAs stage will be transformed by global rap icons Eminem and Snoop Dogg for a unique performance of “From the D 2 The LBC,” which was inspired by the Otherside metaverse. To make this idea a reality, Yuga Labs and MTV collaborated.

With their first joint effort in more than 20 years, “From The D 2 The LBC,” Eminem and Snoop Dogg are nominated for “Best Hip Hop” in the category. Having last performed “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie” in 2010, Eminem will perform for the first time in 12 years. The superstar, who has been nominated 60 times, has had 69 nominations overall, second only to Madonna. He is one of the top 5 artists with the most wins thanks to his 13 victories. Curtain Call 2, his second greatest hits collection, was just released.

Snoop Dogg will perform on the “VMAs” stage for the first time in 17 years; he previously did it in 2005 alongside Diddy and the Notorious B.I.G. The 13-time nominee, who was nominated for “Best Rap Video” in 1994 with “Doggy Dogg World,” has won three times.

The VMAs will be anchored by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Jack Harlow. Additional performers include Bad Bunny live from Yankee Stadium and Anitta, BLACKPINK, J Balvin, Jack Harlow, Kane Brown, Lizzo, Måneskin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! At The Disco.

The post Snoop Dogg and Eminem to Give Metaverse-Inspired Performance at MTV VMAs appeared first on The Source.

Snoop Dogg’s Son Reveals How He And His Dad Convinced Eminem To Enter The Metaverse

by
snoop dogg and eminem super bowl 2022
Getty Image

It looks like Eminem is the latest rapper to join the Metaverse. In a video shared by Snoop Dogg’s son, Cordell Broadus, Snoop is seen talking to Eminem on the phone, trying to persuade him to join the NFT space.

Cordell shared a video on his NFT-centered Twitter page, breaking down in a thread how Snoop convinced Eminem to enter the Metaverse.

“Story time with #ChampMedici,” Said Cordell in a tweet. “I saw Paul Rosenberg eating dinner at Barclays November 3rd 2021 and I didn’t hesitate to tell him to bring Em 2 this space, he wasn’t convinced / so I had my client @SnoopDogg call Em November 21st to convince him (here’s the phone call).”

During the call, Eminem can be heard saying, “That’s a crazy-ass idea.”

Deeper into the thread, Cordell revealed how Eminem and Snoop linked to collaborate on the song “From The D 2 The LBC,” and how they worked with Gary Vaynerchuck to produce the song’s NFT music video.

“Im not bragging or making this about me it’s just a beautiful thing to see how time works and ideas are always on our side,” he wrote on Twitter. “Any go getters out there that may have to go through a journey of people fully not understanding ur vision…have faith & be patient.”

The Notorious B.I.G. Comes Back To Life In ‘The Brook’ Digital Metaverse

by
biggie the brook

The Notorious B.I.G. estate dropped a major metaverse announcement on Christopher Wallace’s (Biggie’s) would-be 50th birthday on Saturday, May 21.

Biggie fans can enjoy The Notorious B.I.G. on Web3 via a hyperrealistic model of his likeness in a new metaverse activation called “The Brook.” Fans can register to be the first alerted to when they can enter this unique world.

The teaser of the Brook below features the voice of Mark Pitts, who managed Biggie in life and worked with the teams at Surreal, Zoan and Willingie to give an authentic voice to the creative direction of the metaverse.

“Being born and raised in Brooklyn, I wanted it to feel as close to the Brooklyn that helped raise me. The hyperrealism is authentic to that experience. As we expand, we will use that same authenticity in other cities,” said Pitts.

“Technology continues to create opportunities that are beyond one’s imagination and I’m excited that we are stepping into the future with a beautiful rendition of a hyperrealistic avatar of my son Christopher and I’m thankful for our wonderful team of creative partners for their work to deliver Biggie into new media for his fans to enjoy,” said Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace.

READ MORE: Biggie Would’ve Turned 50 on May 21, New York City Celebrates

The late great cultural icon was born Christopher Wallace in Brooklyn, New York. The Brook, by definition, is a small stream or river that flows into other rivers that eventually flows into the ocean. The Brook is also a reference to the four-time Grammy nominee’s hometown and will be realized as a metaverse activation of hip-hop culture, lifestyle, music, entertainment, sports and fashion.

According to the release, the platform will encompass an immersive digital space, giving users the opportunity to experience and explore virtual worlds, buy tickets to and attend virtual concerts, purchase virtual and physical merchandise, buy virtual real estate, and buy, sell and trade NFTs. The platform will launch with The Notorious B.I.G. and then spread to other activations and talent.

The project, developed in partnership with ZOAN, Surreal Events, and Hyperreal, is tied to his hometown in Brooklyn, to deliver Biggie into a new media for his fans and give provide a new platform to experience the culture of Hip-Hop.

Watch the trailer below. Share your thoughts with us on social media.

The post The Notorious B.I.G. Comes Back To Life In ‘The Brook’ Digital Metaverse appeared first on The Source.

Snoop Dogg Announces Death Row Will Be the First Major Label in the Metaverse

by
Snoop Dogg Grandson Kai Love Dies

Just ahead of his legendary Super Bowl Halftime Show, it was announced that Snoop Dogg had bought Death Row Records for an undisclosed amount. Snoop said that he wanted to revive the label in a press release, and yesterday, Snoop announced that he wants Death Row to be the first major label in the Metaverse.

Snoop announced in a Clubhouse room where he surprised fans with the news. “Death Row will be an NFT label,” Snoop said. “We will be putting out artists through the Metaverse. Just like we broke the industry when we was the first independent [label] to be major, I want to be the first major [label] in the Metaverse.”

Snoop seems heavily invested in NFT’s and the Metaverse. Last year, it was announced that Snoop had plans to create his Metaverse, and last week, it was also announced that Snoop had partnered with blockchain gaming company Gala Games to release his new album B.O.D.R (Bacc On Death Row). The company dropped a blockchain as s stash box of NFT’s in the Gala Music Store.

The Gala Music Version of the album featured one of the album’s songs as an NFT and three bonus tracks. The Gala Music Version was priced at $5,000.

The post Snoop Dogg Announces Death Row Will Be the First Major Label in the Metaverse appeared first on The Source.