Nuts about Lego? Find World of Warcraft a little under-blocky for your tastes? Coming in October is Lego Universe, the first ever MMO that has anything directly connected to the brand. The game will contain challenges and brick by brick building, and will almost certainly not include anything like Icecrown Citadel nor “Epic Mounts”…
The LEGO Group today announced that LEGO® Universe will launch this October in the US, UK and Western Europe. The first MMOG (massively-multiplayer online game) based on the LEGO play experience, LEGO Universe will offer early access to LEGO fans – the “Founders” – starting October 12th, and will officially launch on October 26th.
The Founders release makes LEGO Universe available to LEGO fans before the official launch, with the game sold exclusively through LEGO channels including LEGO Stores, LEGO Online Shop and LEGOLAND. On October 26th, the MMOG will officially launch through all retail channels via a distribution partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Planned for global release, LEGO Universe will be rolled out to additional territories after the initial launch.
E3 visitors are able to preview LEGO Universe in the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center, South Hall #2401. The new content unveiled at E3 centers on the game’s building and behaviors features, which enable players to create anything they can imagine, and bring it to life with a basic programming language.
“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,” said Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, Vice President, LEGO Digital, the LEGO Group. “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.”
LEGO Universe will be available for PC and Mac, with the Mac version enabled by TransGaming’s (TSX-V: TNG) CiderTM Portability Engine.
To learn more about LEGO Universe, please visit www.LEGOuniverse.com
Fact Sheet
Game Overview:
LEGO Universe brings the LEGO play experience online in the first MMOG – massively-multiplayer online game – created for LEGO fans of all ages. In LEGO Universe you will discover a world that sparks the imagination, full of opportunities to build, play and interact with LEGO fans from all over the globe. Build anything you can dream up, and help shape the constantly evolving LEGO Universe through adventure, exploration and battle in an original storyline.As always, safety for children is the LEGO Group’s top priority. LEGO Universe is a great way for families to play together in a safe online environment, and is designed to foster creativity and social interaction in young children and veteran gamers alike.
LEGO Universe represents a collaboration between the LEGO Group and fans, who have been called upon to help shape the game world – from testing and contributing ideas, to building actual game content alongside professional developers.
Gameplay Features:
In LEGO Universe, players can build, explore, battle, make friends and express their creativity – all in an exciting online world of LEGO past, present and future. The game features several ways to utilize the iconic brick, from simple, gameplay-oriented building challenges to complex creative designs.
- Customize – Players customize their own Minifigure avatar to explore the LEGO Universe, expressing their personality or becoming someone entirely new. Numerous customization options allow for creativity and individuality.
- Socialize – Interact with LEGO fans from all over the world through in-depth community and social features, designed with children’s safety in mind.
- Play – LEGO Universe features a deep original storyline for players to explore, encountering new worlds and collaborating with other players to complete quests and achieve common goals.
- Build – The physical brick-building experience moves online with LEGO Universe. Exercising their creativity with LEGO bricks, players can bring their wildest creations to life with a user-friendly programming language.
Launch: October 2010
(LEGO Universe will offer early access to LEGO fans starting October 12, with official launch on October 26)Pricing: $39.99 plus monthly subscription fee ($9.99 per month, or $49.99 for six months)
Ages: LEGO fans of all ages 8+ (ESRB rating pending)
Specs: LEGO Universe is available for PC and Mac, and requires minimal system specifications to maximize play options for all users
Credit: LEGO Universe is being published by the LEGO Group, developed by NetDevil Ltd. and distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
