One of the biggest toy firms globally has struck a licensing deal with publisher 2K. According to a report by Video Game Chronicles, Lego has signed a multi-game agreement with the NBA 2K publisher to develop sports games. The licensing deal works for both parties, as 2K is looking to reach a younger audience; and Lego’s agreement with Warner Bros is coming to an end.
Warner Bros made blockbuster movies like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Batman into Lego games and have seen massive success over the years. While it’s sad to see this partnership end, this now opens the door for new opportunities and games from Lego.
Building Sports Games With Legos
So far, we know three Lego sports games are in development. The first game is a football/soccer title, which is being developed by Sumo Digital. This game is slated to release this year and will coincide with the upcoming FIFA World Cup in November. With that said, I recently did an article talking about the possibility of 2K acquiring the FIFA license once the deal with Electronic Arts expires. There is a possibility that we could see the first fully licensed Lego FIFA World Cup game. However, nothing is concrete, and this is just wishful thinking.
The second project is an open-world racing game, Lego Forza, anyone? NBA 2K‘s developer, Visual Concepts, is developing this new racing title. Currently, Visual Concepts has posted a job opening for a producer to work on an upcoming “open-world driving game with a major license”.
Lastly, a third Lego game is in early development. We don’t know much about this project except that it is also based on a major sports franchise.
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