Disney and Dapper Labs Unveil Disney Pinnacle: A New NFT Collectible Platform
Disney and Dapper Labs collaborate to launch Disney Pinnacle, a new NFT collectibles platform featuring iconic Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars characters.
Disney, in collaboration with blockchain and metaverse firm Dapper Labs, has announced the launch of Disney Pinnacle, a unique non-fungible token (NFT) platform. This platform is set to revolutionize the way fans interact with their favorite Disney characters, bringing them into the digital age as collectible, tradable digital pins.
TL;DR:
- Disney collaborates with Dapper Labs to launch Disney Pinnacle, an NFT platform featuring digital pins of Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars characters.
- The platform, expected to launch later this year, will be available on iOS, Android, and the web.
- Disney Pinnacle is built on the Flow blockchain, previously used by Ticketmaster for NFT tickets.
- The initiative marks a significant digital strategy shift for Disney, particularly after its recent downsizing and closure of the metaverse division.
Disney Pinnacle represents a significant leap in Disney's digital strategy, especially following its decision earlier this year to shut down its metaverse division. This move was part of a broader restructuring plan aimed at reducing operating expenses by $5.5 billion and included laying off approximately 7,000 staff members. Disney's pivot to NFTs, in collaboration with Dapper Labs, known for popular NFT brands like CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot, marks a new chapter in its digital innovation journey.
What Can You Do with Disney Pinnacle?
The platform, which is expected to launch later this year on the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and the web, will feature Disney's iconic characters from the past century, including Pixar and Star Wars icons. These characters will be styled as collectible and tradable digital pins, offering fans a unique way to engage with the brand.
Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou commented, “Fans anywhere will be able to collect dynamic pins on their phone and trade instantly and securely with each other no matter where they are in the world”
Disney Pinnacle is built on the layer-1 blockchain Flow, also developed by Dapper Labs, which has been previously utilized by many traditional brands (Mattel, Ticketmaster, or NBA) as a gateway for their Web3 ventures.
Flow established itself as a layer-1 blockchain with an emphasis on user-friendliness and mainstream usability. It is therefore logical that Disney decided to collaborate with Flow, as their target customer is probably going to be operating outside of the crypto and Web3 ecosystem.
NFT Narrative Stagnating
While Disney and Dapper Labs have been reticent to use the term "NFT" overtly in their announcements, possibly due to the fluctuating reputation and market stability of NFTs, the underlying technology and concept remain firmly rooted in the NFT space. The cautious branding strategy might be a response to the recent market downturns and associated negative publicity around NFTs, as evidenced by various scams and market volatility.
The Future of Disney Pinnacle
As far as we can tell, Disney's decision to tokenize their characters into collectibles is probably not a move to address the current NFT market. Their Pinnacle shows signs of developing a new market on its own, playing on the nostalgia of beloved characters and stories.
Read more about big brands in Web3: Starbucks NFT Loyalty Program or Virtual Adidas Clothing: Explore big brands in Web3
In other words, what we can observe with Web3 and big traditional brands is that they usually keep a firm distance between customers and the technical aspects of blockchain technology, often not mentioning the underlying technology at all. By addressing the non-technical and “normie” users, these services can finally reach the mainstream market, which lies outside the crypto and Web3 bubble.
