Lego teams up with Tencent to develop online games

The Danish toymaker Lego is joining forces with Chinese internet giant Tencent to develop an entertaining online Lego space for Chinese children. The online games will include a Lego video zone, Lego branded licensed games and the online operation system of Lego Boost, a set that allows children to program and transform their brick constructions into robotic toys. The toy company is also aiming to build a joint social network for children in China called Lego Life.

The move comes about after Lego has seen a decline in sale growth in recent years, with the exception of its Chinese market where sales grew 25-30% in 2016. “We’ve seen more and more Chinese children engage with the world digitally, and the partnership will bring them safe and imaginative digital Lego content that also supports their needs of learning, development and entertainment,”Jacob Kragh, the head of Lego in China, said in a statement. Jason stressed that the collaboration sought to keep children safe and digitally educated: “Through the partnership, the Lego Group and Tencent will explore further initiatives to ensure digital safety management in each company, share best practices in child protection and drive online literacy promotion.” This is not the first big move Lego has made with its Asian market in mind. In 2016, Lego opened a factory in China, which it hopes will produce 70-80% of items sold in Asia.