Conversations around the metaverse has been growing during recent times. Now, it appears that the LEGO Group will be joining the metaverse along with Epic Games. The two companies announced a long-term partnership for a metaverse project that's aimed at children and families, where both Epic Games and the LEGO Group hope to utilize their experiences to bring it to life.
Following Mark Zuckerberg's unveiling of his company's metaverse ambitions interests around building metaverse products and services have been on the rise, including the gaming industry. From Microsoft wanting to build its metaverse with Xbox games to Bandai Namco investing $140 million into an IP metaverse, the idea looks to gain momentum across the gaming world. Epic Games appears to be the latest entrant on the list as it announced its collaboration with the LEGO Group as it hopes to "build a place for kids to play in the metaverse."
The announcement goes on to share that the two companies will be sharing each of their extensive experiences in an effort to ensure the next iteration of the internet will be designed with kids' wellbeing as a core component. Although the statement doesn't share specific details about the project, it states three principles that both the LEGO Group and the Fortnite founder have agreed upon:
- Protect children’s right to play by making safety and wellbeing a priority
- Safeguard children’s privacy by putting their best interests first
- Empower children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience
This isn't the first time Epic Games has looked to build products and services for the younger audience. Back in 2020 Epic Games acquired SuperAwesome, a company that builds tech that provides safe digital engagement for kids in gaming. Additionally, the LEGO Group has also been involved with offering digital experiences for children such as its industry-standard Digital Child Safety Policy with UNICEF and the live moderated social app for children in 2016. Though this isn't the first time the two companies have collaborated, the latest announced metaverse project looks to be a step forward for both Epic Games and LEGO.
It's unclear what this project will look like or how it will be received by the audience. Currently, there's already much debate about the viability of the metaverse, with everyone from Logan Paul to Niantic founder John Hanke sharing concerns over pursuing metaverse projects. Of course, the partnership with the LEGO Group indicates that the likes of Epic Games are optimistic about the internet's future with the metaverse. Whether that optimism will come to fruition, time will tell. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the LEGO and Epic Games collaboration will pan out.
Source: Epic Games