LEGO is creating an internal development studio to handle future video games. The company’s history with gaming stretches all the way back to the original LEGO Island in 1997, which led to a host of tie-ins for the its various product lines. Starting with 2005’s LEGO Star Wars, most LEGO games have been developed by Traveler’s Tales, and have spanned across several major franchises like Marvel, DC, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and more.
Not all recent LEGO games have been developed by Traveler’s Tales, however. WWE 2K25 studio Visual Concepts took the reins for LEGO 2K Drive, a 2023 racing title that garnered mixed reviews due to its live-service elements. Last year, Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo released Lego Horizon Adventures, a more comical take on the former’s Horizon series that retold the events of the first entry with LEGO minifigures.
LEGO is now creating its own development studio for producing future video games in-house. According to The Guardian, The LEGO Company aims to increase its “investment in online play, including building its own development team,” and also hopes to create more of a “hybrid” experience between games and LEGO’s physical products. So far, there is no word on any LEGO gaming projects in development just yet, but LEGO says that this investment will be a “multi-year journey” and that it is looking to increase ties to brands like Nike and F1.
This could lead to new LEGO sports or racing games, as well as tie-ins to existing LEGO brands or new crossovers with franchises like One Piece. In the meantime, rumors suggest that Traveler’s Tales is working on a new LEGO game that could be released sometime next year. This would be the studio’s first project, LEGO or otherwise, since the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga back in 2022. Additionally, 2006’s LEGO Star Wars 2 received a surprise update after it was added to PS Plus Premium last year, adding new achievements to the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game.
Outside of actual video games, LEGO has been increasing its connection with gaming by releasing sets based on popular franchises like Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Sonic the Hedgehog over the past few years. Just this week, LEGO officially revealed a massive Mario Kart set featuring Mario and his trusty red go-kart, the latest in a series of building sets themed after the hit racing series. Fans are hoping to hear more details about what this new studio is working on sooner rather than later.
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Source: https://gamerant.com/lego-video-game-studio-announced/