The largest fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's is continuing its web3 expansion with the release of the new metaverse experience timed to the Lunar New Year. To bring the idea to life, the fast-food giant is partnering with an acclaimed web3 content maker, Karen X Cheng.
The celebration of the Lunar New Year will go live on January 25th, bringing celebrants from around the globe into the Spatial metaverse. The festivity will be accessible through any gadget upon scanning a QR code. Moreover, on February 2nd, everyone willing will be offered to participate in the virtual meet-and-greet with the artist.
The McDonald's Asian New Year festivity will feature both VR and AR experiences, covering 3D illusions, 3D sculptures of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, and a plethora of activities and engagements bringing together both traditional cultural aesthetics and futuristic motifs. Thus, the celebration will offer attendees to play classic Chinese Mahjong and Weiqi, alongside attending virtual cooking competitions and zoos.
To participate in the virtual festivity, users will need a 3D avatar processed by the McDonald's team, available on the company's Lunar Year website. Additionally, the website offers users to observe the transition from the Year of the Tiger (2022) to the Year of the Rabbit (2023) through a captivating 3D illusion utilized as an Instagram filter.
The announcement of the upcoming VR festivity came via an AI-powered commercial. This video is known to be one of the first advertising materials to use NeRF (neural radiance fields) technology, which stands for a tech that utilizes AI to generate 3D scenes.
The commercial was produced by Karen Cheng, one of the most award-winning digital storytellers and the founder of Karen X Inc. The creator has multiple technologies, media, and other projects with big brands in her portfolio. According to Cheng, “she was excited to bring her heritage and that of the AAPI Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to life” with McDonald’s for the New Year celebration.
Senior McDonald’s Official Elizabeth Campbell followed Cheng's thoughts, adding that the company was excited to start the new year with a “global cultural celebration” available for fans from any part of the globe. She also said that the project comes as a perfect alternative to honor the legacy of the Lunar New Year in a novice, modern way.
Regardless of the date that marks the beginning of the new year for you, McDonald's and Karen Cheng's virtual celebration will definitely bring you much joy, allow you to know more about Asian culture, and will energize you with the festive mood for the whole year to come.
