The LEGO Group and Epic Games are teaming up to build a place for kids to play in the metaverse

BILLUND, DENMARK: The LEGO Group and Epic Games (NB: you know, the one from Fortnite) have announced a long-term partnership to shape the future of the metaverse and make it safe and fun for kids and families. The two companies will work together to build an immersive, creatively inspiring and engaging digital experience that children of all ages can enjoy together.

The family-friendly digital experience gives children access to tools to help them become confident creators and provides great play opportunities in a safe and positive space.

Niels B Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group said: “Children enjoy playing in physical and digital worlds and move seamlessly between the two. We believe there is enormous potential for them to develop lifelong skills such as creativity, collaboration and communication in both. We have a responsibility to make digital play safe, inspiring and beneficial for everyone, and just as we have protected children's rights to safe physical play for generations, we are committed to doing the same for digital play. We look forward to working with Epic Games to shape this exciting and playful future.”

Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder of Epic Games said: “The LEGO Group has captivated the imaginations of children and adults through creative play for nearly a century, and we're excited to come together to build a space in the metaverse that fun, entertaining, and made for kids and families.”

METAVERSE

As the Metaverse evolves, it will change the way people meet, play, work, learn, and communicate in a 3D virtual world. The LEGO Group and Epic Games will combine their extensive experience to ensure that the next iteration of the internet is designed from the ground up with children's wellbeing in mind.

Epic Games has expertise in building creative tools and immersive worlds that are open and accessible to players and developers everywhere. It is at the forefront of popular culture, creating experiences that connect people through gaming, music, creativity and social collaboration. Epic Games is also committed to empowering developers to create age-appropriate online experiences and in 2020 acquired SuperAwesome, a company that has pioneered technology designed to enable safe digital engagement among children. the 16 years to offer.

You may know Epic from the well-known game "Fortnite"... but we don't want to imply anything because we don't know anything else.

For 90 years, the LEGO Group has inspired generations of children through play and the endless creative possibilities of the LEGO brick, which remains at the core of its business. The company is also a leader in defining safe digital play experiences for children, including developing an industry-standard Digital Child Safety Policy with UNICEF and the 2016 launch of LEGO Life, the first live-moderated social app for kids.

The LEGO Group and Epic Games have agreed on three principles that will ensure that the digital spaces they develop provide safe play opportunities. They are:

• Protect children's right to play through safety and well-being a
• priority.
• Protect children's privacy by putting their interests first.
• Give children and adults tools that give them control over their digital experience.

LEGO already has more experience with releasing special sets based on computer games:

and of course the LEGO 76989 Horizon set