LEGO Media International
.svg){kind=logo} LEGO Media logo used until 2000 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | 100 Hammersmith Road, , England[1] |
| Parent | LEGO A/S[2]: 53 |
| Website | |
LEGO Media International Limited was a British video game and entertainment company headquartered in London. It was a subsidiary of the LEGO Group created to develop and publish media, primarily software for children. An American branch, LEGO Media International, Inc., operated out of LEGO's United States headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut until 2001.
LEGO Media International was established in 1996 in response to the growing dominance of video games and the threat they posed to the toy industry. At the time LEGO was working with Mindscape and High Voltage Software to develop LEGO Island and LEGO Racers respectively, and had already released LEGO Fun to Build in Japan the previous year. The company published media under several different brand names: first LEGO Media until 2000, then LEGO Software from 2000 to 2002, and finally LEGO Interactive from 2002 until its closure. Each name change came with a narrowing of the types of media published by the company, from all types to software to exclusively video games. Under the LEGO Interactive brand, the company co-published games with Electronic Art and THQ. In 2004 LMI was shut down as part of a cost-cutting initiative in response to massive losses the previous year. Managers from LMI formed a new company, Giant Interactive Entertainment, which was soon purchased by Traveller's Tales and became TT Games Publishing.
History
Background[3]: 1
LEGO Media International was established in the spring of 1996 in Hammersmith, London.[4][5] Its formation was announced on 22 March 1996 (the launch date of the then-new LEGO World Wide Web) as one of two new software departments being established by the LEGO Group, the other being Strategic Project Unit Darwin. The new British company was planned to develop and market LEGO software through alliances with various software company partners.[6] A separate American branch was established in Enfield, Connecticut, at the location of LEGO Systems, Inc.[7]
Websites
Around 1999, LEGO Media International published an English website, www.legomedia.com, through which fans could learn about LEGO games, send email postcards to friends, or find customer support.[8] The website was also available in Hebrew at www.legomedia.co.il.[9]
-
legomedia.com in November 1999
-
legomedia.com in March 2000
-
January 2005
Media published
The following tables list the software and books published by LEGO Media International. The list only includes the initial releases of each product; many were re-released at various points by this company, as well as by third-party distributors. Additionally, LEGO Island is not included in this list, as it was initially published by Mindscape.
Software
| Title | Release | Platforms | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEGO Chess | 11 November 1998 | Windows | Krisalis Software |
| LEGO Creator | 11 November 1998 | Windows | Superscape |
| LEGO Loco | 11 November 1998 | Windows | Intelligent Games |
| LEGO Racers | 23 August 1999 | Windows | High Voltage Software |
| 22 October 1999 | Nintendo 64 | ||
| 26 November 1999 | PlayStation | ||
| LEGO Friends | October 1999 | Windows | Ivanoff Interactive |
| LEGO Rock Raiders | 18 November 1999 | Windows | Data Design Interactive |
| LEGO Rock Raiders (PlayStation) | PlayStation | Data Design Interactive GameWorld Seven (US levels) |
Books
| Year | Title | Author | Illustrator | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Knights' Kingdom: Medieval Mischief and Mayhem | Alan Grant | Artworld UK | comic strip storybook |
| Rock Raiders: High Adventure Deep Underground | Robin Smith, LEGO Media International | |||
| Busy City | Anne Marie Ryan (ed.) | Lester Troughton | Masterbuilders | |
| Create N' Race | Davey Moore | Alexander Tomlinson, Sebastian Quigley, Jason Edwards | ||
| Mars Mission | Anne Marie Ryan (ed.) | Sebastian Quigley | ||
| Cool Cars | ? | ? | Brick Tricks | |
| Fantastic Fliers | ? | ? |
Notes
- ↑ The PlayStation version of LEGO Rock Raiders was delayed until August 2000 in North America.
- ↑ The PlayStation version of My Style: Preschool was released exclusively in Japan in 2002, where it was titled LEGO no Sekai (レゴのせかい) and was part of the Kids Station series. Bandai published this version of the game; however, it still retains LEGO Media branding on the cover and the LEGO Software logo in-game.
- ↑ The Game Boy Color version of LEGO Racers was released on 29 December 2000 in Europe and in January 2001 in North America, barely avoiding being a 2001 game.
- ↑ The GameCube version of Drome Racers was released in 2003.
References
- ↑ "Work on a new level". Edge. No. 73 (UK ed.). Future Publishing. July 1999. p. 98.
- ↑ Annual Report 2004 – LEGO Group (PDF). Stakeholder Relations. 14 March 2005. p. 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 March 2024.
- ↑ Crecente, Brian; Vincent, Ethan (30 December 2020). "Episode 4 – LEGO Island" (PDF). Bits N' Bricks (Podcast). Participants: Scott Anderson, Michael Thompsen, Kitty O’Neill, Ben Davies, Floris Thoonen. The LEGO Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2024. Audio version via YouTube.
- ↑ "Progress in North America, Great Britain, Benelux and Russia". The LEGO Group Annual Report 1996. The LEGO Group. 28 April 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-06-15.
- ↑ "LEGO Racers". LEGO Media Press Room (Press release). London. May 1999. Archived from the original on 27 October 2000.
- ↑ "Digital LEGO products". LEGO World Wide Web Press Info. The LEGO Group. March 22, 1996. Archived from the original on 10 January 1997.
- ↑ "LEGO MEDIA INTERNATIONAL, INC". Connecticut Business Directory. 0579539. Archived from the original on 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "Home". LEGO Media International (English Website). Archived from the original on 1999-02-18.
- ↑ "Home". LEGO Media International (Hebrew Website). Archived from the original on 1999-10-09.
