New LEGO Bluey game proves worldwide hit for Yorkshire games company as it dominates iPad charts
A new LEGO Bluey game has proved a worldwide hit for a Yorkshire independent video game development company, the firm has revealed.
Wakefield-based everplay group recently released the game which turns characters from the popular children’s cartoon Bluey into LEGO-style figures via its Dublin-based StoryToys division.
In a new results update, the company said the game had received more than 800,000 pre-orders before launch and has led iPad charts around the world.
Everplay set out the details in a results announcement for the first half of the year, during which group revenues were down 10 per cent to £72.4m compared to the same point in 2024 but gross profit was slightly up by two per cent to £33.7m.
The firm said revenue had fallen as a result of the timing of license revenues and new title launches in its astragon division as well as “declines in physically distributed sales and the very strong prior year back catalogue performance”.
It said the second half of the year is on course to deliver higher income.
The report said: “New release revenues are expected to be significantly higher in H2 2025 relative to H1 2025, following the launch of new titles including Date Everything!, LEGO Bluey and Firefighting Simulator: Ignite, along with the full launch of Sworn and the first dedicated products for Switch 2. In total, we expect around 10 new games to be released over the course of 2025.
"Following our trading performance to date, the strong line-up of titles in H2 2025, visibility over license deals later in the year and a favourable sales mix of titles on margins, the board expects full year adjusted EBITDA to be slightly ahead of current market expectations.”
It said of the performance of StoryToys: “The second half [of the year] is off to a strong start, with LEGO Bluey, featuring two of the largest global children's brands.
"Launched in August with pre-orders of over 800,000, it reached the number one iPad app position overall in six countries on launch day, including the US, and the number one kids iPad app position in 117 countries. An edition of LEGO DUPLO World by StoryToys will be launching on Netflix Games.”
Frank Sagnier, Interim Executive Chair of everplay, said: "It has been a strong start to the year. The improved performance of our new releases shows the progress we have made continually enhancing our internal procedures, such as our greenlight process, the quality of our production, and our marketing approach.
"I am delighted by the strategic progress we have made across the business, with the group already benefitting from new revenue streams from our recent IP and back catalogue acquisitions.
"I would like to thank our people across the group, led by teams that are truly focused on making great games and apps for our players. Since spending more time in the business in my role as interim executive chair, I have been overwhelmed by the teams' creativity, skills and knowledge.
"Looking ahead, we have a busy second half to deliver, but the team remains laser-focused on performance and delivering on our strategic priorities to ensure continued long-term growth for the group and our shareholders."