LEGO and Epic Games are Building a Family-Friendly Online ‘Metaverse’
Today, The LEGO Group and video games publisher Epic Games have revealed a long-term partnership that will see them bringing a brand new digital experience to platforms.
Exactly what that new experience is remains to be seen, but it’s a partnership which intends to “shape the future of the metaverse”. LEGO and Epic will build an “immersive, creatively inspiring and engaging digital experience for kids of all ages”.
In layman’s terms, then, we expect Epic Games and LEGO’s partnership to be something akin to Minecraft or Roblox. It sounds like creativity and creation will be at the heart of the new project, with children being able to safely make their own “play opportunities”.
Beyond that, though, we’ll have to wait until Epic Games and LEGO reveals more information. Will this be a sandbox for children to create digital LEGO models which can be shared with other users? Or will it allow children to make their own digital games, using LEGO as a tool?
The word ‘Metaverse’ typically makes us roll our eyes, but since LEGO is involved here, we’re interested to see what becomes of it.
On the partnership, The LEGO Group’s CEO, Niels B Christiansen, has said: “Kids enjoy playing in physical and digital worlds and move seamlessly between the two. We believe there is huge potential for them to develop life-long skills such as creativity, collaboration and communication in both. We have a responsibility to make digital play safe, inspiring and beneficial for all, and just as we’ve protected children’s rights to safe physical play for generations, we are committed to doing the same for digital play. We look forward to working with Epic Games to shape this exciting and playful future.”
