Interview with Mark Warburton, producer of LEGO Dimensions

During the event dedicated to Lego dimensions during the day of 09/09/2016, the producer of the title, Mark Warburton, he kindly gave us a few minutes of his time. Below we report the question and answer that took place between our correspondent Simone and Mark, who answered a few small questions about the title in question. Enjoy the reading!

Simone: Where did the idea for Lego dimensions?

Mark: The idea came about 11 years ago, as we wondered what the best game we could have made could be. We have thought about it, and we have focused on the fact that when you have your own box at home LEGO staff, it is not the box of Batman or The Lord of the Rings, but it is a single box that keeps and mixes all those worlds. This is where the idea was born, and consequently the project: to create a video game that reflects this perspective. As we were creating the previous LEGO titles of various franchises, the technology improved, and we integrated ourselves better into this type of industry, to the point of saying "let's contact FOX", or "let's contact the BBC". This process took a very long time.

Simone: Were you the ones who took the first steps towards the various franchises and made the request, or were you contacted by them?

Mark: We have always approached the various franchises ourselves. This by showing them our idea and proposing to them to enter a complex and huge system, eager to create the best videogame version of each brand in its brick variant: so no matter which character you are a fan of, you will have the game you want.

Simone: We have seen the first series released today, and the second which will arrive in November. Will there be others?

Mark: Sure! Keep looking in the sky, on the internet, everywhere in short: we have structured LEGO Dimensions to make it continue and we intend to fully support it.

Simone: What was the biggest challenge in the game?

Mark: It was certainly stopping the people in the studio from continuing to develop and release the product. Imagine you're a fan of a franchise like Doctor Who (we have many Doctor Who fans in the studio). When you are developing a level of a game dedicated to him, incredibly happy, you don't want to stop but continue and continue! We have created so much Doctor Who script that we can create a stand alone game. It was huge, growing, full of characters. We only had to put in a few things, but now we have a lot of practically ready material to add in Year 2, like new features and so much more. In conclusion, it was a problem, but a good one.

Simone: Perfect! Last question, most important: which LEGO franchise do you love?

Mark: Doctor Who he's one of the ones I love the most, I'm a fan of the show and I love being able to play with those characters. On the other hand Sonic it is the first game I played on the Sega Master System, and on that occasion the passion for video games was born that made me enter this industry. Now, thinking that I am in a position to be able to create a game with Sonic, and to be able to work in contact with Team Sonic and SEGA, is a privilege that makes me feel very lucky, like a child living in a dream.

Simone: Thank you so much for the interview you gave us, we can't wait to play LEGO Dimensions!

Mark: Thanks to you! See you later!