Con un post su Brickset, del tutto inaspettato, scopriamo che in giornata The LEGO Group ha acquisito il famoso sito dedicato agli AFOL per la compravendita di pezzi e set BrickLink.
Nonostante fosse ipotizzabile, dopo il progetto dell’AFOL Designer Program di un anno fa, il gruppo LEGO ha annunciato oggi di aver acquisito la proprietà del sito BrickLink.
In molti lo avevano urlato a gran voce, noi in primis, ed ora l’acquisizione si è realizzata.
Per ora nessun cambio di rotta all’orizzonte, ha dichiarato Julia Goldin, Global Chief Marketing Officier.
Un chiaro segnale comunque che LEGO ha finalmente iniziato a prendere in considerazione seriamente la comunità AFOL, che negli anni è sempre cresciuta ed inizia ad avere un certo peso nell’economia del gruppo LEGO.
Per cui, prima di mettersi le mani nei capelli e gridare allo scandalo, attendiamo di vedere come si comporterà in futuro LEGO nei confronti del sito.
Di seguito il comunicato stampa dell’acquisizione.
The LEGO® Group acquires BrickLink, the world’s largest online LEGO® fan community and marketplace to strengthen ties with adult fans
Acquisition will strengthen the LEGO® Group’s engagement with its growing community of adult fans.
BILLUND, Denmark, November 26, 2019: The LEGO® Group today announced it has acquired BrickLink Ltd (www.bricklink.com), the world’s largest online community of adult LEGO fans from NXMH LLC to strengthen its connection with its important adult fan base.
The BrickLink platform has more than one million members and comprises an online marketplace of more than 10,000 stores from 70 countries; a digital building software where builders can design and showcase their creations; and a vibrant online community where fans share ideas and builds.
The platform was founded in 2000 by Dan Jezek as a way to connect like-minded adult LEGO fans from around the world. It was acquired in 2013 by NXMH, which is owned by Korean entrepreneur Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim. BrickLink is headquartered in Irvine, California
The LEGO Group CEO, Niels B Christiansen said: “Our adult fans are extremely important to us. They are passionate, committed and endlessly creative. We have worked closely with the community for many years and look forward to deepening our collaboration through BrickLink. We plan to continue to support the active marketplace and evolve BrickLink’s digital studio which allows our talented fans to take their creativity to the next level.”
Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim, owner of NXMH, said: “It has been a privilege to lead the transformation of BrickLink during the past six years. I am grateful to the community for being so welcoming, supportive and constructive. I am constantly amazed by everyone’s endless creativity and their love for building. I am confident the platform will be in good hands with the LEGO Group. As a fan myself, I can’t wait to see what’s next.
The LEGO Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin, said: “BrickLink provides the LEGO Group with a unique opportunity to connect with adult fans through new channels and exciting experiences. We’ve recently collaborated with BrickLink on a range of crowd-sourced sets to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the brick. We learned a lot and are keen to explore more ways of working together to create value. We look forward to collaborating further with our adult fans, while retaining and nurturing the independent spirit of the digital platform.”
