A Closer Look at Lego's Plan for a Kid-Friendly Metaverse

Even at 90 years old, there's a lot of love for the Lego brand, which ranks consistently high globally in both reputability and coolness. Through the years, the humble brick has cemented its status as a cultural icon by evolving to keep up with the times. A movie franchise, Amazon Alexa skills, virtual builders and augmented reality (AR) products—you name it, Lego has done it. Last year, the brick-maker's annual revenue jumped 27% to reach $8 billion as kids (and adults) gravitated to its kits. Now, it's taking the trendy next step of entering the metaverse in partnership with Epic Games, the entertainment behemoth behind Fortnite. While there's a lot of hype (and cynicism) around whether brands should throw their hat into the Web3 ring, this is one metaverse collaboration that truly seems to make sense. According to a joint statement, they plan to build "an immersive, creatively inspiring and engaging digital experience for kids of all ages to enjoy together." Why Companies Need to Start Building Their Metaverse Muscle Now Shaping the future of Web3 The long-term partnership will aim to "shape the future of the metaverse to make it safe and fun for children and families." For now, details are scant on what this project will look like. Gaming experts are expecting a concept that could be similar to Roblox, the huge Lego-style hub used by kids globally to play and also make games. Niels Christiansen, CEO of the Lego Group, gave a few more details about what to expect: “Kids enjoy playing in physical and digital worlds and move seamlessly between the two. We believe there is huge potential for them to develop lifelong skills such as creativity, collaboration and communication in both." Lego has already been experimenting with a world where virtual meets gaming though its Hidden Side brick sets, which let kids bring their physical bricks to life using augmented reality. Lindsey McInerney is co-founder and CEO at 6th Wall, the digital arm of Orchard Farm Productions, a company that combines entertainment with emerging tech. For her, the partnership between Epic and Lego shows the latter is aiming to play a big role in how young people first enter the next era of the internet. "Lego is a well-known and trusted brand by parents and children alike who are bolstering their position in the future of play by making moves early," she said. "There couldn't be two better-positioned companies to explore the future of digi-physical play than Lego and Epic." James Whatley, chief strategy officer at gaming agency Diva, agrees this sets a clear agenda for Lego's future in the digital space. "If you look at online spaces where children currently interact, you're looking at Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite. Epic already has Fortnite, but it doesn't have a Roblox or a Minecraft," he explained. "So it's a win-win. Epic gets its own Roblox with a phenomenal brand to match. And Lego gets to start building something incredible with a trusted partner it knows can live to its brand values." A credible challenger Of course, there are countless commercial opportunities for Lego to explore in a new metaverse market forecast by Bloomberg Intelligence to reach $800 billion by 2024. Epic has already had success selling digital goods to kids. Last year it revealed how a single set of NFL Fortnite skins (virtual outfits children buy to dress up their characters) garnered close to $50 million in sales. Meanwhile, Roblox has been working with brand giants like Nike. From a branding perspective, Lego will have to tread carefully around online safety if it wants to gatekeep its prized status as a reputable, beloved business. At the moment, people partaking in Web3 experiences have already experienced virtual sexual assault and financial crypto-scams. And while highly successful and profitable, Roblox itself has faced criticism in recent months for its business model and skepticism over whether it's a safe environment for kids. WPP content strategy business SJR's managing director and creative technologist Gracie Page-Fozzati draws parallels with the metaverse as we currently know it and social media, saying kids' wellbeing is paramount. "[Lego] is obviously speaking to the idea that [this partnership] will encourage lifelong skills like creativity and collaboration—we’ve heard similar party lines from [social media] platforms before, yet we continue to see stats about the damaging effects these spaces can have," she cautioned. She does acknowledge that while some may feel uneasy about the potential for a child-focused metaverse to come into existence, Lego's offering "feels like a credible challenger to that reality." What makes Lego's metaverse 'kid-friendly'? Having already foreseen questions around safeguarding kids, Lego and Epic have published three guiding principles for their kid-friendly metaverse. They've promised to make “safety and wellbeing” a priority and to protect children’s privacy by “putting their best interests first.” The pair also said they'll give adults and kids “control over their digital experience.” Whatley believes Lego's brand power will ensure any obstacles can be met head-on. In fact, he thinks the Danish toymaker has a key role to play as major marketers and global watchdogs scramble to ensure the metaverse is safe not only for brands, but for people too. "A [metaverse] that's child-friendly, endorsed and built with digital Lego, powered by the phenomenal technology and talent at Epic and almost certainly free to play, is a way off," he observed. "But if you take the long view and look ahead to those building the metaverse and how they'll likely be pulled in front of regulators, who are legislators going to listen to when it comes to the safety of our children online? Mark Zuckerberg or Lego? I think we all know the answer to that one." Nike Asked Kids to Build a Metaverse World Inspired by Its Classic Air Max Sneaker