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Gazillion press release clarifies Netdevil layoff rumors
By Jef Reahard on Feb. 24th 2011
The NetDevil/LEGO Universe brouhaha that unfolded earlier this morning is
officially official thanks to a press release just published by Gazillion
Entertainment. Gazillion has formally agreed to sell its development stake in
the LEGO Universe MMO to the LEGO Group (the game’s publisher and custodian of
the world-famous toy brand).
Most of the LEGO devs, formerly employed by NetDevil (a Gazillion subsidiary),
have received employment offers from the LEGO Group and will continue iterating
on the game from the company’s Louisville, Colorado studio.
Gazillion is re-focusing its ongoing development efforts into browser games,
according to President and COO David Brevik. “The transition of members of our
team to the LEGO Group enables us to focus completely on internally-published,
free-to-play game businesses,” he said.
Massively.joystiq.com
-end of report-
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LEGO Universe Arrives on October 12
The LEGO Group and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have announced that
LEGO Universe, the MMO based around the incredibly popular building game, will
be going live on October 12, allowing a select group of fans to join in the
experience before opening the game to all those interested a few days later, on
October 26. The LEGO-based MMO can be enjoyed on the PC and the Mac, with the
port created by the CiderTM Portability Engine from TransGaming.
All those who are interested in getting the game as soon as possible need to
pick it up in official LEGO Stores, at LEGOLAND or using the LEGO Online Shop.
On October 12, only those who use these buying options will be able to get into
the game with publishing partner Warner Bros. putting it up for sale two weeks
later.
Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, who is the vice president at the Digital division of
the LEGO Group, stated “Our vision is to provide LEGO fans of all ages with a
whole new quality play experience and creative platform, and LEGO Universe will
open up exciting new opportunities for fun and expression this October. The
dedicated LEGO fan community has contributed to the development of LEGO Universe
since the start of the project, and we show our appreciation with the early
Founders release.” The game is currently demoed at the E3 trade conference.
The LEGO Group was founded way back in 1932 and is still family owned, despite
the global success it has achieved. The main idea behind LEGO games is to
develop creative abilities in children who use them. The LEGO Universe MMO will
take the idea one step further by allowing players to build anything they can
imagine using the basic bricks of the game, while also taking part in an
adventure that pits them against forces of corruption that aim to warp the
beautiful universe they inhabit.
Softpedia.com
-end of report-
I hope to see a LEGO Universe APP for iPhone/iTouch/iPad in the near future.
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TT Games Re-Ups With LEGO®, Extends Deal To 2016
March 3, 2010
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has re-upped its deal with toy brick-maker LEGO
Systems, ensuring that WB’s TT Games can continue developing titles based on the
LEGO property until 2016.
TT Games, the group comprised of developer Traveller’s Tales, TT Fusion and TT
Games Publishing, has spearheaded games like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman and
LEGO Indiana Jones --a portfolio WB says has sold nearly 50 million units
worldwide.
The next title under the ongoing partnership, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is
set to launch this year, featuring the adventures of the popular wizard and his
classmates visualized in LEGO toy form.
“We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to continue the successful
partnership between this legendary company and the talented TT Games, which will
enable us to further expand our slate of widely recognized, family-friendly
games,” says Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara.
LEGO Digital VP Henrik Lorensen praised the video games for inspiring kids to
play creatively with their physical LEGO bricks “more deeply.”
“We are very excited to continue to work with TT Games because they take a
distinctive approach to making games creative, social and non-violent, which
makes them a valuable part of the broader LEGO experience,” says Lorensen
Gamasutra.com
-end of report-
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LEGO® To Market Board Games In U.S. in 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Danish toymaker LEGO Group plans to start selling board
games in the United States this summer as it extends its business beyond
colorful building blocks.
The company will announce 10 board games at the American International Toy Fair,
which begins Sunday in New York.
LEGO will also tout toys tied to movies like “Toy Story 3” and “Prince of
Persia,” as well as new videogames under the “Star Wars 3” and “Harry Potter”
licenses.
The company sees “tremendous potential” in its North American markets, Soren
Torp Laursen, president of LEGO Americas, told Reuters ahead of Toy Fair.
LEGO’s U.S. sales rose 30 percent in 2009 despite a wider pullback in consumer
spending. It commands about 4 percent of the nation’s toy market.
Priced between $9.99 and $34.99, the board games, which include “Ramses Pyramid”
and “Minotaurus,” will mostly hit store shelves in July. A few will be available
online from late March.
The games promise to test memory and logical skills of children as they compete
to reach a certain destination.
“We are pretty sure we are sitting on a formula that will be worthwhile for the
retailers to support,” Laursen said, citing the success of a test launch of the
games in Britain and Germany.
AGAINST THE TIDE?
Even as many U.S. retailers look for growth overseas, Laursen said LEGO was
confident of its bet on the United States. A search for value and a sense of
nostalgia drove parents to classic toys in the economic downturn.
“The consumer is clearly voting in our favor right now,” he said. “We are
getting to the stage now when parents of today’s kids grew up with LEGO
themselves. The impact of them having an emotional attachment cannot be
underestimated.”
LEGO, whose name originates from the Danish words for “play well,” started as a
small carpenter’s workshop in Billund, Denmark, about 80 years ago.
Laursen noted that LEGO saw more growth in toys priced above $30 in 2009,
underscoring parents’ willingness to invest in trusted names.
The company can also afford to experiment and take some risks in 2010, Laursen
said. It recently ramped up its Mexico manufacturing operations to cope with
rising demand.
And unlike past years, when LEGO relied heavily on Hollywood-related properties
to boost its business, its core lines of building sets like “LEGO City” and
“Power Miners” performed well in 2009.
Asked about his long-term goals for the U.S. business, Laursen said: “I am not
going to retire before we have 10 percent market share. That’s a reasonable
ambition ... I am 46 and I have no immediate plans to retire.”
(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Reuters.com
-end of report-
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LEGO® Signs 3-Year Deal With Unity Technologies
Unity Technologies announced today that it had signed a three-year deal with the
LEGO Group, according to which the plastic brick company will standardize on
Unity-authored materials for 3D content on LEGO.com.
Unity has has been used for a variety of full-fledged virtual worlds and MMOs,
including Cartoon Network’s FusionFall and the upcoming Marvel MMO, but the
press release makes no mention of the upcoming LEGO Universe. LEGO Universe
will be sold via download or on disc at retail, though FusionFall(1) did the
same.
It sounds like Unity might have more to do with the casual games on LEGO.com
than the Universe--it’s already the platform for two LEGO games--but the
browser-based Unity client could offer a lightweight window to the massive
world.
“We’ve invested a great deal of time evaluating technology for the next phase of
www.LEGO.com,” said Claus Toftegaard Matthiesen, Technology Manager of the LEGO
Group. “We believe that Unity’s flexibility, strength and power will give us
scope to create world leading content for our consumers and are looking forward
to the cooperation.”
Virtual World News
Unity Technologies
(1) Fusion Fall is part of Cartoon Network.
-end of report-
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