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| MAY 2, 2008 |
Lego Universe joins an established trend where toys and video games are cross-promoted,
such as Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon TV show, game card, toys and video game franchise,
and Mattel Inc's Barbie online shopping and gaming portal at barbie.com.
To launch next year as a massively multiplayer online game, or MMOG to those in the gaming
community, Lego Universe will let players create online versions of themselves and interact
with each other.
"We want to make the connection between digital play and physical play," said Mark William
Hansen who is in charge of Lego Universe. "The physical experience is our core, the digital
experience will never replace the physical experience, but it's a nice add-on."
Hansen, speaking at the headquarters of Europe's largest toymaker, said he had been
working on his doctoral thesis with Lego Group on mass customization and ended up joining
the family-owned company to create the game.
Lego Universe will blend real-world style environments with characters and buildings made
of digital plastic pieces. A forest would have less bricks in the background, while a city would
lend itself to being made nearly entirely with bricks.
Each player's avatar, or online persona, will be a customizable digital version of Lego
minifigures, the tiny characters included with most Lego kits that also feature in existing Lego
video games such as Lego Star Wars.
That's not surprising. Lego employees are just as likely to pull out a Lego figure of
themselves, with name, phone number and e-mail address rather than a traditional
business card.
Lego Universe will initially launch as a PC game, available in stores or as a download, and
may eventually be available on other gaming platforms. It will operate as a pay-as-you-go
subscription service at a "competitive price," Hansen said. [read more]
such as Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon TV show, game card, toys and video game franchise,
and Mattel Inc's Barbie online shopping and gaming portal at barbie.com.
To launch next year as a massively multiplayer online game, or MMOG to those in the gaming
community, Lego Universe will let players create online versions of themselves and interact
with each other.
"We want to make the connection between digital play and physical play," said Mark William
Hansen who is in charge of Lego Universe. "The physical experience is our core, the digital
experience will never replace the physical experience, but it's a nice add-on."
Hansen, speaking at the headquarters of Europe's largest toymaker, said he had been
working on his doctoral thesis with Lego Group on mass customization and ended up joining
the family-owned company to create the game.
Lego Universe will blend real-world style environments with characters and buildings made
of digital plastic pieces. A forest would have less bricks in the background, while a city would
lend itself to being made nearly entirely with bricks.
Each player's avatar, or online persona, will be a customizable digital version of Lego
minifigures, the tiny characters included with most Lego kits that also feature in existing Lego
video games such as Lego Star Wars.
That's not surprising. Lego employees are just as likely to pull out a Lego figure of
themselves, with name, phone number and e-mail address rather than a traditional
business card.
Lego Universe will initially launch as a PC game, available in stores or as a download, and
may eventually be available on other gaming platforms. It will operate as a pay-as-you-go
subscription service at a "competitive price," Hansen said. [read more]
BILLUND, Denmark (Reuters) - Millions of children pick up
Lego bricks each year to spend hours -- 5 billion, in
fact -- creating their own imaginary worlds.
Now the manufacturer of the little plastic playing
blocks wants to take them online to "Lego Universe," a
virtual world for fans of the ubiquitous toy.
Lego bricks each year to spend hours -- 5 billion, in
fact -- creating their own imaginary worlds.
Now the manufacturer of the little plastic playing
blocks wants to take them online to "Lego Universe," a
virtual world for fans of the ubiquitous toy.
NEW MMO UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Lego's latest brick trick: a virtual world
Lego's latest brick trick: a virtual world
