Tag: lego

A closer look at LEGO’s plan for a kid-friendly ‘metaverse’

Last week – and in light of the Epic x Lego partnership announcement – the nice people at Adweek asked me to comment asked me for some opinion on it all.

The Epic x Lego partnership (or ‘team up’ as they wonderfully call it) is one of the most interesting things to happen in the ‘metaverse’ space to date.

Why?

First, the announcement itself sets a clear agenda for Lego’s future in digital spaces. Second, it underlines Epic’s commitment to building safer online spaces for children to interact. This can only be a good thing.

If you look at online spaces worlds where children currently interact, you’re looking at Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite. Epic already has Fortnite but Epic does not have a Roblox or a Minecraft (aka: a platform that skews younger and for imaginations and builder to run wild).

So it’s a win/win.

Epic gets its own Roblox (and a phenomenal, globally-trusted kid-friendly brand to match), and Lego gets to start building something incredible with a respected partner that they know can live (and hold) to their brand values.

The deepening of the partnership with the further announcement that Epic have received $2 billion round of funding from existing investor Sony Group Corporation – as well as KIRKBI, the family-owned holding and investment company behind The LEGO Group, is a one two punch that very much cements Epic’s longer-term ambitions.

They mean business.

Which can only be a good thing for all of us. Because if you remove the marketing hype around the metaverse (and there’s a lot – so it might take a while) and look at this announcement for what it is, I believe we’re looking at the early beginnings of what could grow into a new persistent online gaming-led social space.

One that’s child-friendly, endorsed and built with digital Lego, powered by the powerful technology and talent at Epic, and almost certainly free to play.

It’s a way off, I’m sure. But if you take the even longer view on this, and look ahead to metaverse building companies being pulled in front of the DCMS, the European Commission, or even the US Senate. …who are legislators going to listen to when it comes to the safety of our children online? Mark Zuckerberg or Lego?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

An edited down version of this commentary was originally published on Adweek, April 11th, 2022.

Five things on Friday #25

Things of note for the week ending June 22nd, 2012

Date night presents ftw

1. Awesome girlfriend is awesome
I have a new Moleskine. It has Lego on it. It’s amazing. That is all.

2. Hakkasan
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. I ate at Hakkasan for the first time EVER this week and… OH. MY. GOD. the food is AMAZING. Melt in your mouth, gifted from heaven, purest of all Asian greatness – I literally can’t stop thinking about it.

Eat at Hakkasan. At once.

I could go into massive details about certain dishes, and what was so good about each one, or why one thing might be better than the other – but I won’t, as I am fairly sure everything on the menu is awesome. We didn’t have one bad dish (and we ate a lot). It’s not cheap. But dudes, spoil yourselves.

Best meal I’ve had all year. Fact.

(and how’s this for amazing service? The girl bought me a present – see item 1 – and, because I unwrapped it like an excited child over dinner – the staff thought it was my birthday AND THEN MADE ME A BIRTHDAY DESSERT. Just, fantastic).

3. Legoland Windsor

whoooooosh

We went to Legoland last weekend (more girlfriend-based awesomeness) and had such a good time! From wet-rides to rollercoasters, to taking arty shots of awesome Lego displays (see above) and back again. Legoland is a proper giggle. Alright we had a small person with us, who we got to spoil with bricks and who kept us all smiling the whole day there, but still. It was a LOT of fun.

Oh, and there’s a Lego submarine too. Amazing.

4. Friends
The past seven days really have been so good. I’ve caught up with a lot of people whom I’ve missed a fair bit recently and this week, be it over email, drinks or dinner, my friends have made me roar with laughter, smile with joy and generally warm all the way through with stupid happiness.

Thanks guys, you know who you are – and you rock.

5. The Girl Who Would Be King
One of my newest blog finds, 1979 semi-finalist – aka, comic book geek, Kelly Thomson – is giving away the first part of her book ‘The Girl Who Would Be King‘.

Chapters one and two are available already and I’m fairly sure three and four won’t be far behind now reading parts three and four. It’s good. So read it.

–

Outdoorsy bonuses this week: work commitments meant I had to sell my Isle of Wight Festival ticket (booo!), but the washout looks mental, so there’s one upside. No Isle of Wight means I’m free to go to Royal Ascot this weekend. I’ve not been before, so it should be ace! Festival-wise, I’ve still got Nova to look forward which, weather depending, is looking like it’s going to be great too.

Different theme to this week’s five things.
There’ll be more cool stuff next week.

 

Whatley out.