In a year where too many collaborations is barely enough, LEGO are launching another- this time with games development platform Unity: Over the last few years, Unity has become one of the premiere game development platforms, providing the backbone of many of the games omn the market today. This year, LEGO Games celebrates 25 years, and has collaborated with the makers of Unity to see a Unity LEGO Microgame – essentially a beginners game development environment – become available.
If there’s one thing that LEGO Games and the world’s leading 3D content development platform, Unity, can agree on, it’s that creativity comes in all forms – whether it’s bringing your creation to life with LEGO® bricks or adding lines of code to develop a video game. Game development can be intimidating for some, but Unity helps lower this obstacle with its series of Microgames – guided experiences designed to get new users working in the Unity Editor quickly and easily.
On October 26, Unity will release its first-ever Microgame created with LEGO Games. For some, the thought of taking your first steps into the world of video game creation can be overwhelming, but with the new LEGO Microgame, fans can use the familiar LEGO System in Play to help them construct their first game experience.
Further details about the partnership:
● The new LEGO Microgame, created with adult fans of LEGO in mind, is designed to make anybody’s initial experiment with game development a fun and welcoming experience
● LEGO and Unity also worked with BrickLink, an online marketplace to buy and sell LEGO parts, minifigures and sets. This enabled every fan’s MOC (My Own Creation) built in Studio to be brought to life in the game
● Requiring absolutely no coding, the LEGO Microgame, like all Unity Microgames, provides a friendly introduction to Unity, and is designed to help you move swiftly from opening your first project to sharing your first game in as little as 45 minutes on Unity’s platform
● The new Microgame, released in the 25th Anniversary year of LEGO Games, is fun, accessible, and helps creators of all abilities dive into the world of game development for the first time
Get started in Unity with the LEGO Microgame today – https://store.unity.com/lego-microgame
You can read a little more here, on the unity blog (looking at the open beta which has been running for a few weeks now…)
Logging into the system asks for reassurance that you own the designs for any models that you import or build in-game; and then leads you through a simple collection of tutorials.
The user’s hand is held long enough so that, if you have an idea ready to go, it wont be too long before you have something to share!
I am excited at the prospect of being able to import .ldr/Studio files into the microgame environment to create your own assets. I reckon this could be a >ahem< game changer for some people. I’m also looking forward to seeing how other LEGO builders might develop their own games.
I have had a brief look at the microgame environment, (literally minutes), but plan to get back to it after a couple of other projects are finished up.
Are you a budding game developer? Do you have some exciting plans for the LEGO Microgame, now that you have heard about it? Why not comment below, and until next time…
Play Well.