Light Brick Studios, LEGO’s in-house game development arm, is branching out on its own to make a mark in the indie space.

The Copenhagen-based creator of Apple Arcade’s Builder’s Journey (pictured) will now be free to explore a variety of new projects, and some of them might not be with the brickmaker.

Light Brick received a US$1 million investment from LEGO Ventures—LEGO’s venture capital arm that backs startups—for future growth. That number will grow as the studio reaches certain milestones. The gaming studio will also be supported by LEGO Venture’s incubation studio to help its transition. Light Brick was LEGO’s only in-house development studio, but the brickmaker still has a games division that focuses on licensing games.

Light Brick will focus on creating unique games that encourage learning and creativity, says Daniel Vámosi, senior communications manager for LEGO Ventures. While the studio has no new IPs to announce at press time, it will develop titles for all age groups, adds Vámosi.

The indie is to be led by Karsten Lund and Mads Prahm, and there are plans to grow the team. Light Brick’s first title, Builder’s Journey, was released on Apple Arcade in December 2019 and went on to snag two Danish games awards. The mobile puzzle tasks players with using LEGO bricks to build paths for themselves and find creative solutions to problems.

Light Brick’s split from its parent company comes as the video game market experiences a pandemic-driven boom. During lockdown, kid spending shifted to online games—including Roblox and Fortnite—and away from books and candy. eSports has also seen a big spike this year while kids have been stuck at home, and video gaming jumped 75% in the US in March, according to Verizon.