The Future Of Digital Is Physical

Here is a little secret.

- Poon King Wang

As the world continues to accelerate into the digital, the physical is making a comeback.

Take Nintendo for example. As a game company, it has conquered the digital realm with games such as the ubiquitous Super Mario. But yet, its next big move is physical -- a US$580 million theme park in Universal Studios Japan, called Super Nintendo World. A day before it opened in March 2021, fans queued to participate in the pre-opening technical rehearsal. On the first day it opened, fans started queueing at 6:30 am.

This move into physical goes beyond fun and games. We see it in the stock market too. Traders and investors are already rotating out of digital into the physical such as industrials and commodities. Leading financial publication, Barron’s, points out in a recent article that “[t]his is the year to bet on atoms over bits”.

Moreover, with the expected economic re-opening boom in hotels, airlines, and cruises, the return of the physical can only accelerate. Look no further than the 120,000 people in Singapore who went on cruises to nowhere since a pilot scheme for safe sailings was started in November last year. These 120,000 accounted for one third of the world’s cruises. Now wait for the rest of the world to catch up.