Lego Systems’ sales surpassed $1 billion mark in 2010

By Andrew Couts February 14, 2011

Kids love Legos. Actually, everybody loves Legos. Enjoying the little multi-colored building blocks are just part of what makes us human, we believe. And that means good things for Lego Systems, which announced Monday that it surpassed $1 billion in consumer sales in the United States in 2010, helping the company reach its highest share of the U.S. toy market ever.

Lego Systems reportedly enjoyed a 25 percent jump in consumer sales over 2009, which pushed the company to the No. 3 spot among U.S. toy manufacturers. Lego is, unsurprisingly, also the No. 1 construction toy manufacturer in the U.S. And the company contributed around 50 percent of total toy industry consumer sales growth in 2010.

Part of Lego’s success came from the video game sector, with 5 million games sold in 2010. Lego has been releasing video games since 1997, with the launch of Lego Island for the PC. For 2011, Lego has so far announced the release of two titles: Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, which hits stores March 22; and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, which comes out later this year.

Lego plans to announce its largest collection of toys ever at the 2011 American International Toy Fair in New York City this week — a total of 170 new products. Continuing down the path of turning everything into a Lego set, the company says it will unveil new building-block lines inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean and Cars 2 feature films. Expansion of its highly popular line for preschoolers, Lego Duplo, will be announced as well.

Just recently, we showed you this sweet, custom-built shutter release for the excellent Sony Alpha NEX-5 digital camera, which was made entirely out of Lego parts. So if anyone tells you you’re too old to play with Legos, make sure you remind them that these toys aren’t just for kids — at least they don’t have to be. Oh, who are we kidding? Nobody’s going to tell you Legos are just for kids. Nobody.

Editors' Recommendations

PlayStation Spring Sale: best deals, how long is the sale, and more

Topics

Sony

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Gaming

Nintendo Switch 2: release date rumors, features we want, and more

Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Switch Pro) have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021, and are increasing now that the standard Switch has been out for six years.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future. Nintendo recently announced that we wouldn't see a Switch upgrade in the next fiscal year, meaning the absolute earliest we get a look at a new Nintendo console would be in late 2024.

Gaming

Is Manor Lords cross-platform?

Two armies clash in Manor Lords.

Building and managing your own medieval utopia is a lonely job. Sure, you have a population of citizens to grow and order around, but they can't compare with another actual human player. At least at launch, Manor Lords is a PC exclusive, and it's also going to be coming to Xbox consoles as well so even more people can get in on the city-building fun. We can expect basically any modern game to allow for cross-platform play, but what if Manor Lords is stuck in the Middle Ages? Here's everything you need to know about cross-platform support for the latest and greatest management simulator.
Is Manor Lords cross-platform?
Without beating around the bush, no, Manor Lords has no cross-platform support. Even when the game is available on Steam, PC Game Pass, and Xbox consoles, there will be no way to play with others on different platforms. In fact, you can't play with people on the same platform, either. Manor Lords has no multiplayer component whatsoever -- either co-op or competitive -- so there's no reason for this feature to be included.

Sadly, you shouldn't expect any multiplayer to come to the game later. A developer released an FAQ prior to the game's launch and responded to a question regarding multiplayer, stating: "The focus is on a refined single-player experience, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned at the moment."

Gaming

How to increase your approval rating in Manor Lords

A medieval market in Manor Lords.

Building your population in Manor Lords is one thing, but making sure they want to stick around and continue to grow is the real challenge. You could have the ideal design for a village, or the perfect tactical mind for conquering the entire map, but if your approval rating is too low, you won't survive your first winter.

Happy people are the grease that makes your kingdom an efficient machine, but what is it that people value? It can be hard to tell at times why your approval rating isn't going up, or worse going down while playing your first few games. We've zoomed in on all our citizens to learn exactly what you need to do to increase your approval rating.