Greetings Teams:
Below please find a statement confirming the LEGO Company’s continued commitment to LEGO MINDSTORMS and FIRST LEGO League. A press release concerning LEGO MINDSTORMS is also posted on LEGO.com at
http://www.lego.com/eng/info/default.asp?page=pressdetail
It has come to our attention that recent news concerning events at the LEGO Company contained inaccurate information about our ongoing commitment and support for LEGO MINDSTORMS. In response to questions from FLL partners, FLL participants and other LEGO MINDSTORMS enthusiasts, the LEGO Company has prepared the following statement:
Recent speculation that LEGO Company will be abandoning the LEGO MINDSTORMS concept simply isn’t true. We are fully committed to the LEGO MINDSTORMS concept and the FIRST LEGO League program. The LEGO Company will constantly be developing new products and concepts that empower children to realize their own ideas and discover new possibilities, and we believe that technology and robotics are an important part of that. But going forward, LEGO Company will to a higher degree seek the balance between the core LEGO Idea and new expressions of the LEGO brand in ways that make sense for consumers and our business. The LEGO MINDSTORMS concept is close to the LEGO core.
We are extremely proud of the FIRST LEGO League program and our partnership with FIRST and all the FLL partners. FLL has a unique way to inspire and challenge children to make an effort to come up with their own unique solutions to complex problems. The LEGO MINDSTORMS concept and the RCX technology are playing an essential role in FIRST LEGO League and will continue to do so. We look forward to supporting the continued growth of the FLL program in the future.
Tormod Askildsen
Senior Director
LEGO Community Development