Disney CEO Bob Iger Is Bringing Back a Controversial Trend Started by Chapek

When Bob Iger returned to Disney as second-time CEO, he had a whole lot of work ahead of him.

That’s still the case, but we’ve had the chance to learn a bit more about Iger’s priorities since he came back. He’s focusing on streaming, finding a successor, and more, but there’s a controversial trend started by former CEO Bob Chapek that Iger is seemingly bringing back.

Back when Bob Chapek was still in charge of The Walt Disney Company, he made a great effort to avoid using “the m-word.” What he meant by that, is that Disney was trying to not use the word “metaverse.” Chapek told a reporter that Disney was beginning to explore the new possibility of creating a metaverse: “If the metaverse is the blending of the physical and the digital in one environment, who can do it better than Disney?”

But, he made it clear that “metaverse” wasn’t what Disney would be calling it. Instead, Chapek preferred the term “Next Generation (or NextGen) Storytelling.”

And, though Iger and Chapek have plenty of differences, it appears this may be one thing they do agree on.

During the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, & Telecom Conference in March 2024, CEO Bob Iger shared that Disney is looking to move away from the term “metaverse” altogether. He continued that he wants to abandon using the cliche while Disney tries to set itself apart from others who are competing in the metaverse space.

Instead, Iger said that he refers to the new experience simply as a “universe,” continuing that “metaverse” gets thrown around too often.

So, why is Iger so concerned about this new universe? Well, back in February, Disney announced a new partnership with Epic Games — creators of popular video game Fortnite. The partnership will bring tons of new games and entertainment featuring characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more!

During the initial announcement, Iger mentioned that the decision to focus on games was because “when you look at where Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and even millennials are spending their time, gaming is important.”

Disney said that this new venture “represents our biggest foray into the game space ever.” The new partnership will include a Disney universe that features gameplay, entertainment, and shopping. Sounds like a metaverse (er, we mean UNIVERSE) to us! Shhh — don’t tell Iger we said that.