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The LEGO Minecraft Game that Almost Was


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We all know Minecraft, the global sensation that has been going on for over a decade and even has LEGO sets based off of it. But did you know that Mojang was partnered with LEGO for a while to make a LEGO-themed version of the game? Or that LEGO considered buying the company? Bits N' Bricks Episode 1 - Minecraft was released today, and if you listen to it on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform you can learn all about how the two groups tried and failed to work together. Journalist Brian Crecente and documentarian Ethan Vincent do a great job of unearthing this untold story that is ultimately about LEGO failing to innovate and cooperate with the smaller Mojang. If you like videogames and LEGO, I think this is a must-listen podcast and can't wait for the next episode!

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That was interesting to listen to. In a way, I couldn't help but think of some of the parallels between the cancellation of 2001's Bionicle game and this "Brickcraft" game. Kinda wished they had more to say about Lego Worlds than just a brief mention that it was the only game in a similar spirit that did get released (unlike other attempts that were also cancelled). Obviously, something had to have gone right for at least one such Lego game to be actually released.

Formerly known as Takanuva's Symbol, I rejoined BZPower on October 10, 2012.

These days, I am perhaps best known for my obsession with all Lego video games.

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Since there doesn't seem to be any topic regarding the recently released Episode 2, I guess I'll post about it here.

This week's episode discusses "fluid play" about efforts that were made to combine physical and digital play. It was interesting hearing about the "KidPad" system from the late 90s that was never completed, and then later examples like Life of George, Lego Dimensions, Nexo Knights, and Hidden Side that show how the Lego Group has continued to make progress, though there's still plenty of room for improvement. What I found particularly notable was how consistently that kids have such a dramatically different style of play between the physical bricks (loud and dynamic) and the digital platforms (quiet and focused).

Formerly known as Takanuva's Symbol, I rejoined BZPower on October 10, 2012.

These days, I am perhaps best known for my obsession with all Lego video games.

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