Andrew Heinzman
The two most expensive things in your child’s life are about to join forces. LEGO announced that it’s working with Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, to develop a LEGO “metaverse.” This game or online community will be “designed from the outset with the wellbeing of kids in mind.”
As explained by LEGO, Epic Games is at the forefront of “gaming, music, creativity, and social collaboration.” Kids use Fortnite to spend time with friends, get homework guidance, and even see their first concerts. Offering these experiences through the guise of LEGO just makes sense.
Epic’s recent kid-friendly stance also appeals to LEGO. Last September, the platform announced its plan to “make the internet safer for kids” by expanding Kids Web Services (KWS), a platform that helps developers make age-appropriate games while providing transparency to parents.
That said, details on the LEGO metaverse are scarce. Maybe LEGO and Epic hope to copy the success of Roblox, which has a LEGO-like style and features an online community that you could describe as a “metaverse.” Either way, we expect the game to run on Unreal Engine 5, which Epic launched early this week.
For what it’s worth, LEGO and Epic Games have published three guiding principles for their kid-friendly metaverse. The companies will make “safety and wellbeing” a priority, protect children’s privacy by “putting their best interests first,” and give adults and kids “control over their digital experience.”
Source: LEGO
