McDonald’s Singapore just launched “Happy Place,” a new virtual world built in collaboration with the metaverse service provider Bandwagon Labs.
The 3D metaverse accessible by app comes with games where visitors can build their own burgers, imagine future restaurant designs, and compete for the chance to win real-life coupons and physical and digital rewards.
According to Drina Chee, the Senior Director of Marketing & Digital Customer Experience at McDonald’s, the fast-food giant is excited to launch the new experience that will allow customers to “dress their avatars in McDonald’s outfits” and have the chance to “win daily phygital rewards.”
Founder of Bandwagon Labs, Clarence Chan, added that the world will serve as a “canvas where we let users flex their creativity.” Also, by integrating Web3 tech like the MetaMask wallet into the experience, security is enhanced, and token-gated activities can be unlocked.
This isn’t the first time McDonald’s Singapore has worked with Bandwagon Labs. Last year, the duo teamed up to release a collection of 2,000 unique NFTs called “Grimace,” based on the brand’s purple marketing character. The NFTs were minted on the Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Polygon and free to claim. They were also “soulbound,” so purchasers could not trade the NFTs after mint.
Now Grimace NFT holders are being rewarded. Their token-gated NFTs can be used to unlock special features, environments, and in-game wearables in the Happy Place metaverse. They will also have the chance to display their Grimace NFTs in “future restaurants” in the 3D world.
Happy Place, which runs on runs on Bandwagon’s BW.LAND technology, will be live from June 6th to July 7th. Afterward, it will be reevaluated.
Restaurants Interested in the Metaverse Early On
The largest fast-food chain in the world launching a metaverse initiative is big news for the space. But this isn’t the first time we’ve seen restaurants and fast-food chains embrace Web3 technology. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve written several articles about restaurants in Web3. Here are some of the top stories from the past couple of years:
- October 2023. Web3 Restaurant Platform Blackbird Raises $24M in Funding
- September 2022. Chipotle & Roblox Drop Spicy New Item in the Metaverse
- July 2022. First San Francisco NFT-Backed Restaurant Will Launch in 2023
- May 2022. Subway Files Trademarks for a Metaverse Restaurant
- March 2022. Wendy’s Opens Metaverse Restaurant in Horizon Worlds
- January 2022. Gary Vaynerchuk to Launch First NFT Restaurant “Flyfish Club”
As you can see from the headlines, McDonald’s isn’t the first restaurant to have metaverse ambitions. But much of the early interest we saw from fast-food chains and restaurants came back in 2022, when hype around NFTs and the metaverse was at all-time highs.
Now, with the move from McDonald’s Singapore and Bandwagon Labs, it appears the fast-food sector is back in the game. Time will tell if Happy Place is popular with McDonald’s customers in Singapore. If it is, there’s a chance the project could be expanded around the globe.
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