Another big coalition for a new metaverse, this time for children, has been announced. Epic Games, the company behind the popular battle royale game Fortnite, has teamed up with the Lego Group to create “an immersive, creatively stimulating, and engaging digital experience” for children. The companies hope to create a safe environment for children of all ages to refine their creative skills while also providing opportunity for play.
Epic Games revealed the long-term agreement in a recent blog post. The new platform, which will be developed in collaboration with The Lego Group, will offer a family-friendly digital experience based on three basic concepts, according to the company. These guidelines are aimed at creating a secure and enjoyable digital environment for children.
Epic’s ability in creating “creative tools and immersive worlds” is touted as the metaverse’s backbone. For the time being, we’ve seen it with Fortnite and other games that allow players from all over the world to play. Aside from that, Epic cites the 2020 acquisition of SuperAwesome, which is aimed at creating online experiences for youngsters under the age of 16.
In contrast, the Lego Group requires no introduction to children and their parents. Lego bricks have been a favourite toy for multiple generations of children, and the company’s core business is still Lego bricks. The company is also known for various child-related activities, including working with UNICEF to produce an industry-standard Digital Child Safety Policy.
The expertise powering the idea is evident. The big question then is what kids stand to benefit through such a metaverse. Niels B Christiansen, CEO of The LEGO Group believes that “there is huge potential” for kids to develop life-long skills like creativity, collaboration and communication through such digital experiences. The companies will then focus on enabling the same in a safe environment through the new metaverse.
The companies have not shared any specifics on the idea just yet. Nor do we have any hints on its launch timeline. As and when the metaverse is launched, it is sure to mark an important milestone in the development of metaverse and its applications.
