“When we started out we wanted to create something truly unique, something the world had never seen before.”
I had the opportunity to interview Jesper Vilstrup, the VP at Lego Universe. Jesper took over as head of Lego Universe in January, though he has been part of the Lego Group for ten years. Lego Universe is an online world that started in October of 2010, and will be ending at the end of January 2012. It was not a happy subject we spoke about, yet Lego as a company has learned from its experience and will certainly continue to have an online presence.
“Det bedste er ikke for godt” is the motto of the Lego Group, based in Denmark. It means, “Only the best is good enough.” I was curious how this came to play within the creation of Lego Universe. Sitting next to my son while he plays this game has left me very impressed with the adult imagination and dedication. Obviously, this latest branch of Lego was a passion for people, and shutting it down could not be easy. I spoke to Jesper about the start, end, and future of Lego Universe.
“It had to be a safe place for the children.” Jesper said online safety was a top priority from the very beginning. The initial idea started in 2006. Amidst discussions of what the game would be about and the basic structure, Lego teamed up with Play Well Studios in Colorado. Jesper spoke of the dedication and passion of the people involved in the four years it took to launch. More than 150 people including art directors, music, graphic design, IT, online moderators, marketing, etc. were involved in the creation and maintenance. Unfortunately, those people are now out of jobs.
I mentioned how angry people were on the message boards, and some parents called Lego “greedy.” I personally don’t think people realize the amount of employees, technology, and resources it takes to keep something like Lego Universe running. Yes, millions of people played the game. But only a small fraction were willing to pay for it.
“We lost a lot of money on this adventure…we were far, far from breaking even.” Although Lego Universe succeeded as a great game, it was not commercially viable. There are many what-ifs from the timing of the launch, to the initial subscription based model, to the current bad economy. Lego would have kept the Universe going if it even just broke even, but that was not happening. The other way to keep it active would be to take things out of the game and compromise quality. They just couldn’t do that and lose what made Lego Universe unique and special.
“It was one of those meetings that I’ll always remember,” Jesper told me. I had asked if he was part of the meeting where the decision to close the virtual doors was made. “It was not a pleasant meeting…there is so much passion about the game.” He spoke of how they understood the disappointment to the consumers, and the jobs of the people running the game; it was not taken lightly. Although it was the correct decision for the company, they are not proud about it.
“We want to continue making great experiences for the kids online.” They are learning from this experience for any future online projects. “It’s the creativity part. It’s the imagination part. It’s this ever-changing world, where you are able to create stuff by yourself. To take your play patterns from the kids’ rooms and bring it into the virtual environment. That’s what Lego is all about.” Nothing has a date yet, but Jesper is personally involved in the next step.
In my Muse of Nerds posts, I like to explore what makes geeky people tick. From chatting with Jesper, it is obvious that the fans and consumers of Lego are at the forefront of every decision. Technology and imagination can certainly co-exist, which Lego Universe proved. Unfortunately, it was not able to pay for itself. I hope the next project continues with their motto, and is able to be financially viable. I know my son, and millions of Lego fans, will be eagerly waiting.
