As part of it’s efforts to move in to new markets, Lego will be launching a massively multiplayer online game next year called Lego Universe. As well as mimicking other established MMOGs with interaction and a unique monetary system, Lego Universe will also feed through in to the real world.

According to Yahoo News, five years ago saw Lego, the largest toymaker in Europe come close to extinction after posting its first loss since being founded in 1932. Lego Universe is just the latest example of a traditional company seeing the appeal and possibilities of new markets.

Anyone who has ever used Lego will know that the heart of the company’s business is the real life building blocks which allow children around the world to create a host of different structures. But with the financial difficulties experienced five years ago, the company has now realised that new mediums can also play a part in its business plans.

We’ve already seen video games such as Lego Star Wars, complete with Wii lightsaber, massively increase the appeal of the toy across different age groups. There is also Lego Factory, which allows kids to design structures digitally before having the components needed to build that structure for real delivered in one package.

Lego Universe is scheduled to be released next year, initially as a PC game, in stores, or as a download, but other versions may follow in the future.

The game will be a mix of real life and Lego built locations, and will allow each player to have their own fully customisable avatar made to resemble Lego minifigures. Virtual money, earned by spending more time in the game, will buy you virtual bricks, in turn allowing you to build more things.

Lego Universe will be a subscription based pay as you go game in a similar style to World Of Warcraft, although with this being targeted at much younger users than WoW, this may cause a bit of friction between parents and their children.

Lego Universe is just the latest effort by a company seemingly on the ropes a few years ago, to appeal to a new generation of fans, and use technology to its advantage.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 4:06 pm under Internet, Opinion.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
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