Epic Games hasn’t kept its metaverse aspirations secret, and today, looped one of the world’s largest toy companies into its plans. In an announcement on Epic Games’ website, the company behind Fortnite says that it is teaming up with the Lego Group to create “an immersive, creatively inspiring and engaging digital experience for kids of all ages to enjoy together.”
The announcement goes on to say that the users of this “digital experience” will be given “access to tools that will empower them to become confident creators and deliver amazing play opportunities in a safe and positive space.” The description here is vague but sounds a lot like Roblox, another extremely popular game aimed at children that has its own ties to the metaverse. Roblox is fueled by user-generated content, including games developed exclusively for Roblox itself. The metaverse project Lego and Epic Games are creating seem to have the same idea in mind.
While the CEOs of the Lego Group and Epic Games both expressed that their collaboration would benefit children and let them develop creativity through the metaverse, today’s announcement did not mention how creators would be compensated for their work. It likewise isn’t clear what form the game’s “play opportunities” will take, though it’s explicitly stated that creation tools will be given to players and that the project will be geared towards kids.
Digital Trends has reached out to Epic Games for comment on creator compensation. In response, a representative from the Lego Group said, “It’s too early to share any details about the experience as it’s in development. We will share something at a later date. More to come.”
For the Lego Group, today’s announcement is a sudden diversification in its portfolio. While the company hasn’t shied away from video games — a new Lego Star Wars game was just released — it hasn’t expressed much interest in the metaverse before today.
