VCG has reported that 2K has signed “a new multi-game partnership with Lego” that will see them developing a new line of Lego licensed sports games. According to the report, Lego is looking to “broaden its games output beyond the expiration of its exclusivity deal with Warner Bros.’ TT Games.”
The first game slated for release is a soccer game developed by Sumo Digital, and the release is claimed to coincide with the FIFA World Cup later this year. Sumo Digital’s previous releases include Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Team Sonic Racing and Snake Pass. The soccer title will be followed by an open world Lego racing game that is currently in development at 2K’s studio Visual Concepts and claimed to be slated for a 2023 release. Visual Concepts has been developing the NBA 2K series since 1999, and more recently took over the development of WWE 2K in 2019. A third game is also planned, but it is unclear exactly which sport the title will based on, but VCG claims it is “based on a major sports franchise” according to their sources.
Another source claimed that these sports games could include guest appearances by characters from some of Lego’s more popular crossover licenses such as Marvel, Harry Potter, and DC, though this cannot be confirmed. 2K did not respond to VCG’s inquiry, and a spokesperson for Lego would only say that “we do not comment on speculation about future products or partnerships.”
According to the report, 2K views this deal as a way to expand its sports offering by targeting younger players. Since Lego is very popular with that audience, this partnership could be seen as very beneficial to 2K.
This marks the end of Lego’s exclusivity deal with TT Games, which has developed almost all Lego games since 2005. While many of the titles developed by TT Games have had great success, reports of poor working conditions and crunch at TT Games during its current development of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga have reportedly “disappointed key figures at Lego.” It is unclear whether TT Games will continue to work on Lego titles in the future.
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