LEGO is ramping up its hiring for its metaverse experience. We reported in April 2022 that LEGO was partnering with Epic Games to build a metaverse experience. In the last few weeks, the toy company has posted job adverts in Denmark for a senior marketing manager, senior portfolio manager and a creative lead for interactive experiences within its GAME division, which includes the metaverse. (Hat tip to Jays Brick Blog for highlighting the ads.)
The Creative Lead advert has already been withdrawn, presumably because the role has been filled or there were sufficient applicants.
When the LEGO metaverse concept was announced last year, the company said that NFTs would not be part of the product at this stage and the company would prioritize the children’s well-being within the experience.
During an interview, LEGO’s Creative Director James Gregson said that NFTs could potentially be used for LEGO’s adult audience who are keen on collectibles. But it has a very deliberate emphasis on being inclusive rather than exclusive, so NFTs are unlikely to be used to restrict access to part of any metaverse experience.
Gregson highlighted LEGO’s unique position as a brand that is known for its physical toys. One of its unique selling points is that it’s a physical product that pulls kids away from their iPads. So how will that be balanced with a metaverse experience? The aim is to bridge the physical and digital rather than becoming fully digital.
LEGO has previously made steps in that direction. For example, it launched a co-building augmented reality experience with Snapchat. And with Minecraft’s 140 million users, there is clearly a demand. While LEGO sells physical versions of Minecraft, it didn’t develop the game. Microsoft bought the game’s developer Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.
In other game developer news, shortly after LEGO announced it was going to develop a metaverse experience with Epic games, Kirkbi, the LEGO family investment firm invested $1 billion into EPIC games.
