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Start creating games with virtual LEGO® bricks in our new LEGO Microgame

October 26, 2020 in Games | 6 min. read
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In the latest addition to our Microgames series, we’re putting digital LEGO® elements in the hands of new users to get them quickly building, customizing, and sharing their first 3D game in less than an hour.

We believe the world is a better place with more creators in it. This mission requires making game development more accessible and lowering obstacles for new users. It’s also why we built the Unity Microgames series — to help them successfully start creating in Unity and, in the process, have fun modding within a community of users all making their first games.

If you ever loved building with LEGO® bricks, this Microgame is the perfect place to start a new creative journey and make your first game — it’s free and there’s no coding experience required. Built in partnership with LEGO Games, this global release follows an open beta period and marks the first time the LEGO Group’s System in Play and LEGO Minifigures have come to the Unity Editor.

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Simple in-Editor tutorials allow new users to follow a guided path that moves quickly from opening your first project to publishing and sharing your first 3D game in less than an hour. You’ll understand how everything clicks together while going at your own pace, making your own creative decisions and personalizing your experience along the way. Here are just a few ways you can have fun:

  • Snap together LEGO Behaviour Bricks with embedded gameplay actions that make it easy to construct the interactive LEGO world you want, brick by virtual brick.
  • Select and play with your favorite LEGO minifigure character among four created by LEGO Games (exclusively for this Microgame!).
  • Personalize your game with different Creative Mods plus Add-On themes you can download from the Unity Asset Store to make your game truly unique.
  • Share your playable web-based game with friends, and get inspired by discovering and playing games from other creators on our Unity Play website. 

How to start creating

  • New Users: On a laptop or personal computer, visit our dedicated LEGO Microgame page and click Get started at the top.
  • Current Users: Make sure you have Unity 2019.4 LTS → open the Unity Hub (v2.4.2 or later) → select the Learn tab → pick LEGO Microgame

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See how to set up Unity, then make, play, and share your first game.

Keep personalizing your game with Creative Mods and Add-Ons

Combining famous LEGO elements with Unity’s extensibility and workflows made the LEGO Microgame a perfect vehicle to demonstrate how virtual bricks connect like the real ones. By simulating this physical-to-virtual world LEGO creation, we’re giving new users a relatable, authentic experience right out of the box, with an ever-expanding list of ways to integrate additional features into your games. 

As shown below, there are many Creative Mods and Asset Store Add-Ons to choose from, with more to come.

Nine ways to Mod up your game

On our Unity Learn | LEGO Microgame page, you can find nine cool ways to update and personalize your game while learning Unity basics. Creative Mod options include choosing your own minifigure, building your own custom enemy, creating a locked area to hide loot and more! 

If you REALLY want to supercharge your game experience (especially AFOLs, Adult Fans of LEGO), we worked with LEGO Games and BrickLink – an online marketplace to buy and sell LEGO parts, minifigures, and sets – to enable you to import MOC (My Own Creation) components built in Studio.

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A LEGO Microgame Creative Mod in progress

Nine ways to Add-On to the fun

The Unity Asset Store is a massive catalog of 2D and 3D models, textures, templates and other tools to speed up your game development. To start, the LEGO Microgame offers nine free Add-Ons, including the four “unlockables” below, with fun themes and different extras that you can download from the Asset Store to dial up your game’s excitement.

Unlockable Add-Ons

  • Knight’s Kingdom – unlock by sharing your game
  • Space Cadet – unlock by updating your game
  • Danger Zone – unlock by attending the Game Jam on November 19 (see next section)
  • Island Adventure – unlock by entering a Showcase (see next section)

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Sneak peek of a LEGO Microgame Add-On (available in the Unity Asset Store)

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How to launch the LEGO Microgame in the Unity Hub

Show off your game, and get tips from Unity and LEGO design experts

Whether you prefer to tinker and experiment or like a more structured learning experience, we have exciting opportunities around the corner for you. For example, you can engage directly with the Unity and LEGO design experts behind the Microgame in our Unity x LEGO Live Learning Series, Game Jams, and Showcases. Choose what fits your style best – and we hope to see you online soon!

Unity x LEGO Live Learning Series

  • WHAT: A fun experience where you explore how to customize and iterate on your LEGO Microgame. 
  • WHY: Unity and LEGO design experts host each session! You’ll have an opportunity to ask them questions and get feedback on your game.
  • WHEN: The format is four weekly, one-hour live sessions at 9:00 am PT (12:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm CET) starting Monday, November 9. The last session is on Monday, November 30. Sessions will be recorded.
  • HOW: Register on our sign-up page.

Unity x LEGO Game Jam

  • WHAT: An interactive fun livestream to highlight cool stuff you can build, and to encourage you to make and share your first LEGO Microgame.
  • WHY: Unity and LEGO design experts host each session! We’ll build a cool obstacle course together that will inspire new ideas for your own game.
  • WHEN: Thursday, November 19 at 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET, 7:00 pm CET). It will last for 2–2.5 hours.
  • HOW: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube and keep an eye out for participation details.

LEGO Microgame Showcase

  • WHAT: These events encourage users to submit their LEGO Microgame creations for a chance to be featured on our new LET’S PLAY! livestream.
  • WHY: In addition to the spotlight opportunity, you can earn digital badges for your profile. We’ll also play a shortlisted selection of games from the Showcase and award the best ones during a livestream on UnityTech (our Twitch channel) a few days after it closes.
  • WHEN: The first Showcase kicks off November 19, with entries accepted through December 16. More LEGO Microgame Showcases will be announced at a later date.
  • HOW: Visit Unity Play for general Showcases and to share your LEGO Microgame. You’ll need your Unity ID to share on this platform.

Start creating your LEGO Microgame today

  • New Users: On a laptop or personal computer, visit our dedicated LEGO Microgame page and click Get started at the top.
  • Current Users: Make sure you have Unity 2019.4 LTS → open the Unity Hub (v2.4.2 or later) → select the Learn tab → pick LEGO Microgame
October 26, 2020 in Games | 6 min. read

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