In brief: Like many other entertainment companies, Lego is also jumping on the metaverse bandwagon. However, instead of doing it by itself, it has partnered with Epic Games to give it a hand. Details are still scarce, but the partnership aims for a family-friendly digital experience.
On Thursday, Epic Games and Lego announced a long-term partnership to make a metaverse for children. The companies plan to create a safer and more fun virtual environment for families and kids of all ages. Specific details are still under wraps. The press release only mentions that the digital experience will provide tools for kids, allowing them to create and develop worlds in a safe environment.
The Epic-Lego experience will follow three core principles to ensure it’s safe and engaging for children:
- Protect children’s right to play by making safety and wellbeing a priority,
- Safeguard children’s privacy by putting their best interests first,
- Empower children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience.
“Kids enjoy playing in digital and physical 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 through digital experiences,” said Niels B Christiansen, CEO of Lego. “But we have a responsibility to make them safe, inspiring and beneficial for all. Just as we’ve protected children’s rights to safe physical play for generations, we are committed to doing the same for digital play.”
Also Read: The Metaverse: What Is It, and Why Should You Care?
The partnership combines the two companies’ strengths to realize a creative and entertaining world. Epic Games will provide the technology needed for digital creations through Unreal Engine 5, while Lego taps its 90 years of experience in inspiring creativity from various basic and custom building bricks.
In theory, the two have all the necessary tools to create compelling experiences that will surely entertain people of all ages, not just kids. However, the lack of specific information leaves us wondering if the project will actually be a metaverse or simply a game/toy for creating virtual worlds.
