Skip to main content

LEGO announces iPhone-based building game

Now here’s an unexpected pairing that makes a wacky sort of sense: LEGO and iPhones.

The Danish company responsible for the iconic building blocks announced its new interactive iPhone app this week, and it’s an interesting one, to say the least.

Titled The Life of George, the app challenges users to quickly build small models using real LEGO bricks and then snap a photo of the finished product with the iPhone’s camera. Points are then awarded for accuracy and speed.

Sounds easy enough, but before you start building, you’ll need to purchase a real-world retail package required for the app. The package comes with all the necessary blocks and a special pad that facilitates pattern recognition on the app.

The game will feature 12 levels of brick-manipulating challenges, all of which revolve around George, a tech-savvy character who travels the world. Users will build things like George’s board shorts, a pineapple, or other items he encounters during his travels.

LEGO has indicated that, along with the specified models in the game, there will also be a “My Life” feature that allows users to create their own models. The company plans to add some element of Facebook-facilitated sharing of these models down the road.

At this point, the app is iOS-only and limited to the iPhone and 4th-generation iPod touch, though LEGO has indicated that an Android version is being considered. The Life of George will retail for $29.99, and is only available at LEGO’s website and LEGO retail stores for now.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Netflix games may be coming to TVs soon, as revealed by new iOS app
Selecting a game in Netflix Games.

It looks like Netflix might be expanding its gaming offerings to TVs soon, as a Netflix Game Controller is now on the iOS App Store. Netflix has yet to announce or comment on the purpose of the app, but a message shown when the app boots up confirms that it's coming.
Netflix has slowly made its way into the gaming industry over the past couple of years, acquiring studios and adding a dedicated game section to its mobile app that lets players download premium mobile games. The library includes some great games like Poinpy and Before Your Eyes, but has yet to break into the mainstream, likely due to its somewhat obscure availability. This new app, which was preemptively listed on Apple's storefront by Netflix and lines up with leaks from earlier this year, indicates that Netflix Games are coming to the TV.
The description for the app states that "this Game Controller app pairs with your TV and allows you to play games on Netflix using your phone or mobile device." After downloading and booting up the app, Digital Trends discovered two more messages asking players to "choose a game on your TV and follow the directions to connect" and that "Netflix Games on TV are in beta. Some devices may not be supported at this time."
All of this points to an impending beta rollout for games on Netflix's TV apps, which has not been announced yet. As such, we don't have any idea about which televisions or games the iOS app or Netflix Games on TV will support just yet. Regardless, this looks like a massive evolution for Netflix's gaming efforts, especially as it gears up to release a cloud gaming service.
Netflix declined to comment on the program when asked by Digital Trends, but it did refer us to previous statements it made about its intentions to break into cloud and TV game streaming.

Read more
Netflix may bring its gaming service to TVs, with iPhones serving as controllers
The Netflix Games section.

Netflix is working on a feature that will bring its games to smart TVs and allow players to use their iPhone as a controller, reports from Bloomberg and MacRumors' Steve Moser said on Wednesday.

The move would take Netflix’s gaming service beyond only smartphones and tablets, giving subscribers more ways to play. And for iPhone owners, it also eliminates the need to buy a dedicated controller, making it more likely that people would give its games a go.

Read more
Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works
Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin's Creed games in the works, although he doesn't specify which ones.

"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

Read more