MATTEL LAUNCHES STAR WARS™ BLOXELS® FOR ASPIRING YOUNG JEDI AND VIDEO GAME DEVELOPERS-IN-TRAINING
Fans Can Embrace the Force and Learn the Basics of Programming and Coding by Creating Their Very Own Video Games Using the Bloxels Blocks Beginning Today
LOS ANGELES, CA—November 15, 2017—Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) and Pixel Press today, in collaboration with Lucasfilm, announced the introduction of Star Wars™ Bloxels®, letting curious-minded and creative young Jedi create their own video games in a galaxy far, far away with their favorite characters and stories. Bloxels provides kids with a highly-accessible video game creation platform where they get to act as the game designer, artist, storyteller, publisher and player, giving them a fun introduction to the world of video game development. Already used as a fun tool in classrooms to help kids understand the basics of coding, and brought into homes by parents who want to help prepare their young ones for the tech-focused careers of tomorrow, the new line of Bloxels is going to make technology and programming even more fun and accessible than ever. Star Wars Bloxels is available today here and at retailers nationwide for $49.99.
Interested in learning more? Check out The Story Behind the Creation of Boxels Star Wars
Whether keeping the dark side at bay, playing as Darth Vader, or navigating Luke Skywalker through the galaxy, Star Wars Bloxels helps kids bring the stories they imagine to life through a build-and-play platform that uses brightly colored building blocks to create and share games. Aspiring game developers and designers can use the Death Star themed gameboard and colored blocks to customize and build their stages and watch their game world come alive in cool retro arcade style with the Star Wars Bloxels app. Once the preliminary design is uploaded, kids can customize the game’s graphics into a Star Wars galaxy by choosing from different environments such as Hoth, Jabba’s Palace, Mos Eisley, the Ewok Village or the Death Star. The game builder app is available only with purchase of the Star Wars Bloxels kit.
Since their launch in 2015, Bloxels has been recognized by both parents and educators alike as a great entry point for students to get familiar with coding, programming, and game development and truly hone their technology skills. Bloxels offers an exciting and unintimidating way for kids to develop their abilities so that they are thoroughly prepared for the science and technology focused careers of tomorrow. Over the past few years, school programs have incorporated Bloxels into their curriculum as a platform for teaching the basic building blocks of programming, as well as helping students hone both analytic and storytelling skills.
Sven Gerjets, Chief Technology Officer at Mattel, said, “Through our collaboration with Pixel Press, as well as Disney and Lucasfilm to bring Star Wars Bloxels to store shelves, we are continuing our tradition of creating products that enable learning and development through play. Star Wars Bloxels not only gives kids the opportunity to enjoy the iconic characters and stories of this iconic franchise in a unique way, but also provides a great entry point for learning coding, programming and game design.”
After players have created their video game, it’s time to keep the stormtroopers at bay and save the day! Fans can publish their video games to a community of Star Wars Bloxels players where kids can play and explore each other’s gaming worlds. Players can also unlock Star Wars content through Story Mode games. Story mode highlights the unique ability of each Star Wars character and setting.
Mattel’s collaboration with Pixel Press on Bloxels is part of the company’s effort to evolve play by developing connected technology platforms. Bloxels was the brainchild of the founders of Pixel Press, who grew up playing video games and dreaming of one day creating their own. Now as parents, they focus on exploring ways to enable their children to be the next generation of creators by starting that process when they are at their most creative developmental stage. Bloxels is recommended for ages 8 and up.
Rob Bennet, Co-Founder & CTO at Pixel Press said, “Working with both Mattel, the experts in play, and the Star Wars team, who are master storytellers, has ensured that Star Wars Bloxels will be the kind of experience that will not only introduce kids to important skills, but also will be a total thrill for them to play with. We can’t wait for little fans to get gaming with their favorite characters.”
Star Wars Bloxels comes with a Star Wars themed game board, 320 blocks, a quick start guide and works directly with the Bloxels Star Wars app available on Apple, Google and Amazon phones and tablets.
