SVP Olivier Wolff says in fact there is demand for new and different experiences within the label.
The Lego franchise of video games has seen “no fatigue at all,” and in fact consumers are calling for new and different experiences within the brand, according to Warner Bros. SVP for international games Olivier Wolff.
Speaking with GamesIndustry International, Wolff said the secret to success has been the power of the Lego brand itself, the various franchises the games have tapped into, and the way in which series developer Traveller’s Tales designs the games; namely, with humor and accessibility in mind.
“I think that it is a really interesting blend of IPs. At the core of it you’ve got Lego and the sustained success of Lego as a family franchise in so many parts of the world year after year. We’ve played with it as kids, as parents now, so there is that element behind it,” Wolff said.
“But in parallel to that you’ve got the fact that Lego has brought into toys great IPs, and therefore we can express it in games, and with the encounter of great IPs expressed in toys, you’ve got the magic of [Traveller’s Tales] which has a unique sense of humor,” he added. “Without the humor of TT there wouldn’t be great Lego games.”
Wolff acknowledged that Warner Bros. had been concerned regarding the potential for oversaturation of Lego games. However, this has proven not to be the case, he said.
“The reality is that there’s absolutely no fatigue at all and there is actually a demand for different experiences,” Wolff said. “And that humor element that I mentioned, and also the innovation.”
The Lego brand is one component of Warner Bros.’ video game portfolio, but the company could be successful without it, Wolff said.
“We are not dependent on it,” Wolff said when asked what percentage of games revenue is derived from Lego products. “It’s one strong leg of the IPs that we have. It’s really a steady base or a steady foundation for everything that we have, but we’ve got Batman, we’ve got Mortal Kombat, we’ve got all the DC expressions in different ways, on console but also online and in the mobile space. We’ve got the Lord of the Rings, which is huge, we have the chance of having lots of different legs that can play together in a way that we can phase them in and out.”
The difficulty Warner Bros. faces with regards to games, Wolff said, is ensuring that whenever the company launches a new game, “we are building the franchise and not creating a deception that could have big long-term consequences.”
A number of new Lego games are in the works, including Lego Marvel Super Heroes for current- and next-generation consoles, as well as Lego Legends of Chima Online, and the all-new Lego MMO from Funcom.
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