After some early hinting at the project last night, today Warner Bros. announced Lego Dimensions, a game that will allow you to use Lego minifigs and vehicles within the game, similar to Skylanders or Disney Infinity. They also announced a fall release date of September 27, when it will be launching for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Wii U. The official trailer, featuring Joel McHale, showed off what will be coming with the $99.99 starter pack, which will includes Lego versions of Batman, Gandalf, and Lego Movie character Wyldstyle. The starter pack will also come with a Lego Batmobile, the new Lego Toy Pad that the characters interact with, and a buildable Lego Gateway. The game is being developed by Traveler’s Tales, developers of the previous Lego games.
In addition to the starter pack, there will also level packs and fun packs available for purchase featuring minifigs, vehicles, and accessories from other lego properties. Currently announced level and fun packs include a Back to the Future pack, multiple Lego Ninjago packs, multiple DC comics packs, multiple Lord of the Rings packs, a Lego Movie pack, and a Wizard of Oz pack. Prices will varry, with fun packs being $14.99, team packs being $24.99, and level packs being $29.99.
With Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and Amiibo to compete with, Lego definitely has some stiff competition in the “buy these toys to use in video games” market. They have the advantage of popularity and brand recognition among toys, along with a wide range of properties to take advantage of. However, with prices apparently coming in higher than the competition, it’s hard to say if the sway of the Lego brand will be enough to get parents and fans to buy ANOTHER bunch of video game toys for their kids at a higher cost than competitors. Still, this project definitely has my attention, with Traveler’s Tales already having proven they can make fun Lego games, I’m feeling optimistic about this latest toy-based cashgrab.
