Lego Embraces Fortnite as a Key Part of Its Gaming Strategy

The Lego Group boasts an impressive history in the video game industry, with a vast library of titles that surpasses those of many major publishers. From classic licensed games like Lego Star Wars to more recent releases based on the Lego brand, such as Lego 2K Drive, the diversity is striking, with many more successes than failures. However, the Lego strategy is now shifting, with Fortnite emerging as a crucial area of focus following The Lego Group's parent company Kirkbi's $1 billion investment in Epic Games in 2022. After nearly two years of partnership, the results are beginning to materialize. Lego Fortnite, launched late last year, proved highly popular, even outpacing the traditional Battle Royale in terms of concurrent players during its launch period. The two companies have now introduced Lego Islands in Fortnite, a platform that enables users to create games within Fortnite Creative or Unreal Engine For Fortnite using Lego assets, provided they adhere to Lego's family-friendly guidelines. According to Kari Vinther Nielsen, Head of Play & Creator Growth at Lego Game, "The vision for both companies is very similar. I believe Epic Games is a leader in digital play, while we [Lego] excel in physical play, so we're building nicely upon each other's capabilities." The introduction of Lego experiences in Fortnite marks a new era for the company's video game portfolio, with a focus on supporting both Lego and Epic-created experiences, as well as those developed by the wider community using the available tools. The hope is that some of the Lego-based games created by the Fortnite community will offer novel experiences within the Lego universe that were previously unavailable and might not have been considered under the old approach. "We're excited to see what creators will do with the Lego UEFN tools, as they will likely come up with ideas we hadn't thought of ourselves," says Vinther Nielsen. "Our communities are amazing at leveraging the possibilities of our platform, and we expect to see things we hadn't anticipated. That's the goal – to learn and evolve our approach within Fortnite." By opening up the digital Lego brand to the community, Lego aims to significantly expand its games offering. Successful Lego Islands in Fortnite will generate revenue for Lego, with the company taking a 15% cut of any earnings. However, the primary focus is on empowering the community to create new ideas that can become integral parts of the Lego catalogue in the future. "For us, it's about exploring opportunities, evolving the digital playspace with the Lego brand at its core," says Vinther Nielsen. "While a sustainable opportunity is necessary, it's not the primary objective. Instead, we aim to evolve capabilities and opportunities within the Fortnite platform, further establishing our brand in the digital space and diversifying play to make it accessible to all kinds of players." It's possible that one of the Lego Fortnite experiences could become the most popular Lego game ever, and in that case, Lego would likely explore ways to support and grow the game further. Lego is not simply handing over its assets to the community; the company is also actively developing its own experiences within Fortnite. The first of these, Lego Obby Fun Island, launched in February, and more can be expected in the future. "I'm most proud of Lego Obby Fun, as it was the first game we developed internally," says Vinther Nielsen. "It took us three months to create, and I love the result because it's whimsical, fun, and can evolve in many different directions." Lego's focus on Fortnite is currently a significant priority, and the company is betting that this open ecosystem will lead to a broader range of experiences for players. However, this doesn't mean that traditional Lego games are being discontinued. "We're still committed to bringing diverse gameplay to the world and to gamers," says Vinther Nielsen. "Our key objective is to evolve our partnership with Epic Games and explore other partnerships in the gaming space. You can expect to see both standalone games and Fortnite experiences in the future." There's also potential for Lego crossovers to be integrated into Fortnite, thanks to Epic Games' regular collaborations with other brands. The introduction of Star Wars characters into Lego Fortnite is a prime example, building upon the popular Lego game series. "There's no limit to what we can achieve," says Saxs Persson, EVP of the Fortnite ecosystem. "The opportunities for exciting crossovers are tremendous, and we don't want to close any doors, as each new collaboration brings fresh ideas."