Hong Kong’s Ocean Park announced on Monday that it is entering The Sandbox metaverse to offer virtual experiences through non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming, as visitors to its physical venue dropped throughout the pandemic.
Fast facts
- The government proposed last January that it will transform the physical theme park into a resort and leisure destination with a retail dining and entertainment zone.
- Ocean Park will build unique content based on its theme park in The Sandbox, the park’s CEO Ivan Wong said in a statement, but further details were not revealed.
- Ocean Park is among the oldest and second-largest theme parks in Hong Kong, located on state-owned land with a government-appointed board.
- The park was once one of Asia’s top attractions but was closed for 146 days and recorded a HK$31.8 million (US$4.08 million) loss in the 2020-21 financial year despite HK$1.45 billion (US$190 million) in government relief.
- The Sandbox has been boosting entertainment options in its metaverse, recently adding Warner Music Group to its roster to build a music theme park and hold virtual concerts.
