Details are rare – and the concept of the post-universe remains vague – but companies say whatever they end up building will be designed from the ground up as a family-friendly virtual space. “The Lego Group and Epic Games will combine their extensive experience to ensure that this next Internet replay is designed from the ground up for the well-being of children,” the companies said in a press release. Mating has some meaning. Epic has extensive experience in creating virtual worlds, mainly through the ever-popular Fortnite, while Lego is increasingly focusing on video games, most recently with the release of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga this week. Meanwhile, two of the most popular online video games – Minecraft and Roblox – offer a similar sandbox style to Lego bricks. Epic has also talked about creating a more child-friendly metaverse in the past. The new partnership joins a number of other efforts by companies building their own interpretation of metaverse, which to date includes everyone from the maker of Pokémon Go Niantic to the renamed brands Facebook and NFT. There is no information on what this new Fortnite-meets-Lego world might look like, when it will be available or on what platforms it is expected to be released. However, the companies announced a trinity of principles that they say will guide its creation: “Protect the right of children to play by making safety and well-being a priority. protect the privacy of children by putting their best interests first. Empower children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience. “ The news comes the same week that Epic introduced the next generation of Unreal Engine game development tool.
