When designing LEGO Horizon Adventures, a game that merges the limitless imagination of LEGO with the sprawling beauty of Horizon, Studio Gobo and Guerrilla Games found their secret weapon: LEGO bricks — lots and lots of them.
“We had LEGO everywhere,” David Wilson, Lead Engineer at Studio Gobo, shared in an interview with Quest Daily.
“It wasn’t just for testing ideas — sometimes you’d walk into a meeting room and find someone mid-build, working out a design problem or just having fun,” he said.
READ MORE: Review | LEGO Horizon Adventures: ‘Building an Epic, Brick by Brick’ (PS5)
No Gimmick! This LEGO Means Business.
This hands-on approach wasn’t just a gimmick; it became a core part of the design process. With physical LEGO sets on every desk, designers could experiment with concepts in the real world before translating them into the digital space.
“It’s one thing to build digitally, but getting your hands on actual LEGO bricks brings a different perspective,” said Stephane Varrault, Guerrilla Games’ Design Director.
“We wanted the game to reflect that same tactile creativity, and having the sets around really helped,” he said.
The studio atmosphere often mirrored a child’s playroom. Employees would hold impromptu build challenges or collaborate on massive creations during breaks, finding innovative ways to translate that playful energy into the game.
Wilson laughed about how it even blurred the line between work and play.
“It wasn’t unusual to see someone ‘working’ on a LEGO set and wonder if they were deep into problem-solving — or just really into building a spaceship that day.”
Bringing the LEGO to Life
This creative chaos paid off. LEGO Horizon Adventures is packed with authentic LEGO moments, from recreating iconic machines in-game to building your own structures brick by brick.
It’s a testament to how letting a team immerse themselves in the product they’re creating can lead to something truly special.
READ MORE: New LEGO Horizon Adventures Set For March 2025
For these developers, bringing the world of Horizon to life in LEGO form wasn’t just a job — it was like being handed the ultimate toy box. And it’s clear that the joy of playing with those bricks, both in the studio and on screen, is something they’re hoping players feel, too.
LEGO Horizon Adventures is out now on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC. The new LEGO set is available from March 1st and retails for $69.99.
