LEGO Universe brings the LEGO play experience online in the first MMOG – massively-multiplayer online game – created for LEGO fans of all ages. In LEGO Universe you will discover a world that sparks the imagination, full of opportunities to build, play and interact with LEGO fans from all over the globe. Build anything you can dream up, and help shape the constantly evolving LEGO Universe through adventure, exploration and battle in an original storyline.

As always, safety for children is the LEGO Group’s top priority. LEGO Universe is a great way for families to play together in a safe online environment, and is designed to foster creativity and social interaction in young children and veteran gamers alike.

LEGO Universe represents a collaboration between the LEGO Group and fans, who have been called upon to help shape the game world - from testing and contributing ideas, to building actual game content alongside professional developers.

In spite of very positive player feedback and a large number of players in the free play zone, it has not been possible to convert a satisfactory number of players to paying subscribers. It has therefore been decided to close the game as of January 31, 2012.

"The LEGO Universe team can take pride in having developed and launched a great LEGO experience that many players will miss," said Jesper Vilstrup, Vice President, LEGO Universe. "Right now, we have almost 2 million players in LEGO Universe, and we get extremely positive feedback from players. Unfortunately, we have not been able to build a satisfactory revenue model in our target group, and therefore, have decided to close the game."

Despite the change, the ambition to develop and run a digital business remains. In future, it is the intention to further pursue cooperation with partners. The LEGO Group has a strong and continuing partnership with TT Games & Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to create digital LEGO experiences within video games. A further expansion in the digital area will mainly be based on similar partnerships.

"The development of our digital offerings continues to be a very important element in our strategy," said Mads Nipper, Executive Vice President, LEGO Group. "We have more than 20 million visitors on www.LEGO.com every month, and LEGO video games are among the bestselling children's video games with sales of more than 60 million units in the last five years. Through our experience developing and running LEGO Universe, we have gained a lot of valuable insights, and we have a very strong foundation for future development in the digital area."

As a consequence of the closure, the LEGO Universe staff has today been informed that the 'Play Well Studios' in Louisville, Colorado and the game's marketing function in Billund, Denmark will be closed. This will affect 115 employees. All affected employees will be offered assistance in finding new jobs inside or outside the LEGO Group.

Key Features:

• In LEGO Universe, players can build, explore, battle, make friends and express their creativity – all in an exciting online world of LEGO past, present and future. The game features several ways to utilize the iconic brick, from simple, gameplay-oriented building challenges to complex creative designs.
  • Customize – Players customize their own Minifigure avatar to explore the LEGO Universe, expressing their personality or becoming someone entirely new. Numerous customization options allow for creativity and individuality.
  • Socialize – Interact with LEGO fans from all over the world through in-depth community and social features, designed with children’s safety in mind.
  • Play – LEGO Universe features a deep original storyline for players to explore, encountering new worlds and collaborating with other players to complete quests and achieve common goals.
  • Build – The physical brick-building experience moves online with LEGO Universe. Exercising their creativity with LEGO bricks, players can bring their wildest creations to life with a user-friendly programming language