Blocksworld
Developer(s)	BoldaiAB, (2012-2013), Linden Lab (2013-2020), Fortell Games Inc., Blocksworld LLC (2023-)
Publisher(s)	Linden Lab, BoldaiAB (2012 Nordic release), Fortell Games (2023)
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	iOS Windows macOS
Release	NR: November 21, 2012 [1] WW: July 6, 2013
Genre(s)	Sandbox
Mode(s)	Single-player

Blocksworld was a physics-based 3D sandbox video game developed by BoldaiAB and Linden Lab released originally for the iPad on November 21, 2012 in Nordic countries, and later worldwide on July 6, 2013. It was released for the iPhone in 2016, and later via Steam early access on September 25, 2017. As of 2020, Blocksworld is absent from Linden Lab's website (excluding previous press releases), and servers were fully shut down on June 17, 2020. It was subsequently removed from the App Store and later pulled from Steam on July 2, 2020.^[2] In 2023, Blocksworld was acquired by Fortell Games Inc, leading to speculation of a potential relaunch in the future.

Gameplay

The "build" screen. The player has placed down some blocks and a "Blockster". The build UI and action tab are visible on each side of the screen

In Blocksworld, players could build using 3D building blocks that could be combined to construct simple or complex creations. Players could also use "action blocks" and a drag-and-drop visual programming tool to add interactivity to their creations. Examples included drivable cars, flyable jets, and playable games with win/lose conditions, health systems, and other attributes.^[3] Players could also upload their creations for others to play.^[4] Blocksworld also included a feature where players could redeem a certain number of in-game coins for real money.^[5]

Not only did the game serve as a tool to make games, a full-sized community and an online marketplace for models (that can be bought with coins, the in-game currency) was included, where players could play worlds (community-made games) that other users made. Before the game was shut down by Linden in 2020, over 38 million worlds were hosted by the game's servers. Blocksworld also implemented community moderation; newly published worlds had to get "approved", and members of the Blocksworld community could "moderate" pending worlds by simply playtesting the world and approving or rejecting it.

On the build screen, 10 sub-menus are listed (as shown in the accompanying image), and their respective blocks are able to be placed into the world or the action panel (a sub-menu that hosts the code used to make the world). They are as follows:

• Blocks: Simple blocks that are the foundation to building models.
• Models: Creations made with blocks that can be imported into the world.
• Props: Premade blocks that have the shape of trees, landforms, food, and objects that cannot be made with true blocks.
• Colors: Textures that set a desired color to the block. While an infinite amount of them is supplied when building, they were originally finite.
• Textures: Similar to colors but are instead decals that can be overlayed onto colors. Unlike colors, textures are always finite.
• Blocksters: Playable or nonplayable characters. Animated Blocksters, mini-Blocksters, skeletons, and headless blocksters also fit the category.
• Gear: Props such as helmets, swords, or guns that can be applied onto Blocksters.
• Action Blocks: Blocks that can perform a respective action, such as motors, tank treads, wheels, hinges, and rockets.
• Coding Blocks: While not true blocks, they can be used inside the action panel of the building block. These blocks make blocks perform actions such as speaking, exploding, disappearing and reappearing, sparkling, etc. An infinite amount of these blocks is supplied.
• Sound Effects: Audio blocks that can be inserted into a block’s action panel. Sounds such as horns, exclamations, animal calls, and nature sounds are supplied. An infinite amount of these blocks is supplied.

Before 2017, licensed Hasbro sets including content from My Little Pony, Transformers, and G.I. Joe, as well as characters from Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, were available for purchase on the app.^[6][7][8]

Development

Blocksworld was initially developed by Swedish independent video game developer BoldaiAB. Originally slated to release in summer 2012, the game was presented as part of the Nordic Game 2012 conference, where BoldaiAB was awarded a 10,000-euro investment from the Nordic Game Fund.^[10] A paid version of the game was later released on November 21, 2012 in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway, and was originally intended to release worldwide on December 13, 2012 for $0.99 USD.^[11] However, it was later pushed back when the US-based Linden Lab acquired BoldaiAB.^[12][13] For the subsequent global release, the game was repositioned as a freemium offering where players had the option to purchase premium sets and games, additional building objects and pieces, coins, and other upgrades and extras for a small fee.^[14]

On March 3, 2016, Linden Lab released a press release announcing Blocksworld's expansion to iPhone devices.^[15] It was later added to Steam on September 25, 2017.^[2]

Prior to its shutdown in 2020, Linden Lab paused development and promotion on Blocksworld, with its last significant update having been released in March 2018. This was attributed to Linden Lab's focus on other projects, including Second Life and Sansar.^[16]

Legacy

Despite the game's shutdown in 2020, it still retains an active player base. Blocksworld: The Secondary Server, also known simply as Blocksworld 2, is an unofficial fan revival project which started in 2019.^[17]

Fortell Games acquisition

In August 2023, it was rumored that Blocksworld had been acquired by Fortell Games Inc,^[18] a studio located in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Santa Monica, California, after it was noticed the game's publisher changed on the Apple App Store. This was later backed up further when the Steam page was updated to list Fortell Games and "Blocksworld LLC" as developers.^[2]

On November 27, 2023, Blocksworld's official Twitter account posted a GIF of a heart monitor screen after years of inactivity, followed up the day after with a post on the similarly inactive Instagram account.^[19][20] On December 2, it was noticed that the game's official website had been edited to now include a beating heart instead of redirecting to the Linden Lab website.^[21] As of December 17, the website now shows a blue background and bouncing icons, some being direct links to the game's social media pages and merch store.^[22]

Several days later, on December 9, an official Google Forms survey was posted, asking users various questions on how the revival could be handled in terms of monetization, restored uploads, and additional features, suggesting the revival's early development.^[23] The following day, an official merch store went live.^[24]

On December 20, the official Blocksworld YouTube channel received an upload showcasing several vehicles created within the game.^[25] As of January 11, 2024, there has been no further activity since, excluding multiple comments made on Reddit by a developers account.^[26]

References

External links

• Official website (archived)