Should LEGO Invest in a 'Disney Infinity' Type Game?

[somelegothings_]

Hello,

After pre-ordering Disney Infinity 2.0, I thought that LEGO would make a really good format for that type of game? What are your thoughts? What would you like to see? How do you think LEGO could do it?

I was personally thinking that you get a blank minifigure and you can change it on the base and customize it in the game. I would also like a few MMO style stories in there. It's a pretty logical way to re-boot LU if they wanted to. I know LEGO Minifigures is a thing but having a game like that on multiple platforms would be awesome. I'm referencing LEGO Universe a lot simply because it was a great idea that sadly got abandoned. So a new start to that would be nice. While also staying away from both Disney Infinity and Skylanders type formulas. Just think about it. While this is going off topic, this would be an amazing reboot to LEGO Universe. Lots of potential that LEGO is sadly missing, and money. It seems like games of that stature are actually overwhelmingly profitable. #1 toy-brand + an E10 or PEGI7 game would be awesome and a smart move for the company...

[just2good]

They don't need to. They already get enough bank from the LEGO video games, it would just clutter up their time and money they make from their current console series to focus on a game the scale of Disney Infinity/Skylanders. They have the Minifigure MMO to cover the PC market and market that focuses on buying up toys to power up. And then they have LEGO Fusion for the app market.

[Aanchir]

In the United States, the Legend Beasts from LEGO Legends of Chima include RFID "game cards" that you can scan with a mobile device to unlock the Legend Beasts in the game Legends of Chima Online. I think that this would probably be a more efficient way for the LEGO Group to invest in this kind of technology than actually embedding NFC tags in the toys themselves, like Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and the upcoming "Amiibo" from Nintendo all do.

[Master_Data]

^ Agree completely.

They should definitely do something similar, but I think that the method they are using for the Minifigures MMO is probably the best way to do it. They should have included codes with the LEGO Movie sets and ceated this type of MMO for it, but it seems like they missed that opportunity. Maybe in a few years...

[Dorayaki]

In the original Universe era, I think it could actually be interesting if we may also use the actual minifigures of that time, and we could use any character from any theme to team up a trio. Now the MMO only utilize the popularity of CMF series so we may not make a team like Emmet+Evo+Eris. Maybe the success of the online game itself would allow us to use other non-CMF characters in the future.

[CrazyDalton777]

Maybe have a game that incorporates all of the playable minifigures from every main LEGO game made and then players can unlock the parts from that minifigure to use on a custom minifigure in game. So what if someone has Indiana Jones with an Iron Man mask, let them.

[Shib]

The only way I can see a 'Toys to life' style game working for lego is if you could use actual minifigures, not just little statues of minifigures that are not usable as minifigures, otherwise there would be no point to it being Lego. I will admit I'm not a fan of these types of games, seems to me if you're already paying a premium to get a game with a peripheral device the least they could do is include all the content, not make you fork out more for each character.

[Galactic13]

I don't think Lego can keep making the games like they have for long. Yes they have added sand box worlds but even that will get tiresome. I have actually had this very same idea that Lego make a game series in this format. Perhaps the best way to do it would be to have the CMS come with a display plate and a plate with a playable version of that minifig to connect to an adaptor that hooks up to the station and runs through the game. And with other minifigs, (E.g listened sets) have the main minifig from every set over say $20 or $30 have the same thing.

[Lyichir]

The only way I can see a 'Toys to life' style game working for lego is if you could use actual minifigures, not just little statues of minifigures that are not usable as minifigures, otherwise there would be no point to it being Lego. I will admit I'm not a fan of these types of games, seems to me if you're already paying a premium to get a game with a peripheral device the least they could do is include all the content, not make you fork out more for each character.

Actual minifigures are probably too small for that purpose—the reason Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and similar toys have bases like they do is to hide the chips that make them work. Perhaps you could include a stand for the minifigures that contains the required electronics, but I think that would lose a lot of the magic if all it needed to work was the base and not the figure itself. Maybe in a few years the components will be able to be shrunk down enough to work?

Also, I wonder if it would be easier to do such a thing with an action figure theme like Bionicle? It'd probably be much easier to incorporate the proper components into a larger piece like a Bionicle mask than it would be for minifigures. Masks would probably be the most apt choice for such a game, since they can represent the characters even when removed from the figure itself, whereas working the electronics into a less iconic or essential element like the feet could be a hassle for kids who had disassembled their sets. Of course, Bionicle's audience is smaller than one for general Lego could be, especially when one based on general Lego could work across many themes.

[Flipz]

Also, I wonder if it would be easier to do such a thing with an action figure theme like Bionicle? It'd probably be much easier to incorporate the proper components into a larger piece like a Bionicle mask than it would be for minifigures. Masks would probably be the most apt choice for such a game, since they can represent the characters even when removed from the figure itself, whereas working the electronics into a less iconic or essential element like the feet could be a hassle for kids who had disassembled their sets. Of course, Bionicle's audience is smaller than one for general Lego could be, especially when one based on general Lego could work across many themes.

How about the canister lids? When I first saw Skylanders and Disney Infinity, one of my first thoughts was how much they reminded me of the suva lids from the original Bionicle Toa.

IMO, the main problem with this sort of idea is that it puts two of LEGO's core features into conflict: on the one hand, you can do anything you want with LEGO, and so when that freedom is somehow restricted it can lead to frustration (as we saw with the limited size and part supply, and part selection in many of the LEGO Universe building areas); on the other, TLG prides itself on being family-friendly, and so to maintain that image it either resorts to aggressive, bank-breakingly expensive moderation (LEGO Universe) or else just severely limits the extent of the building features (LEGO Minifigures Online, the Traveler's Tales games, etc.). In my opinion, the ideal LEGO toybox game would look a lot like LEGO Universe with the focus shifted to the building and properties features, but in reality it could never happen because TLG can't take the risk of allowing that much freedom in a digital space that adults share with children (or at least, not without the need for constant 24-hour moderation that would suck away all the profits).

On the other hand, as Lyichir suggested, perhaps one of the action figure themes would be better-suited for this sort of thing (though personally I'd prefer to be able to build my own character, perhaps with additional IRL sets unlocking additional pieces from that set in-game). I can imagine a very MNOLG II-esque Bionicle game done in a more Disney Infinity-like format, and it seems pretty fun in my head. (I say Disney Infinity specifically because, IMO, the way they implemented the new Toyboxes is superior to Skylanders and also better fits a story-based franchise like Bionicle, as TLG could easily release a new Toybox for each new story year/location.)

[Lind Whisperer]

I could see a Bionicle style game, but I think if LEGO really wanted to actually make some profits, they'd bring back LEGO Universe and let a company that actually has experience handling MMOGs run it for them. Of course, the moderation would obviously not be as tremendous as LU advertised having...but to be honest, as a normal player, you never actually saw any of the much toted moderation. Not to be annoying, but it just wasn't there.

EA, much as people seem to hate them, has done an incredible job balancing F2P with P2P in SW:tOR. I really think that they could do the same with LU. And as to whether or not they'd be interested in such a "niche game," Rayhawk himself said that LU was having legendary numbers of players. The market's there, it just needs someone to handle it.

Of course, LEGO doesn't seem very interested in bringing back LU, looking over their response post-game. Ah, well - maybe someday when the majority of LUer's are AFOLs, not just the minority, maybe then we all can make our voices be heard a little bit better.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Lind Whisperer

[Shib]

Actual minifigures are probably too small for that purpose—the reason Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and similar toys have bases like they do is to hide the chips that make them work. Perhaps you could include a stand for the minifigures that contains the required electronics, but I think that would lose a lot of the magic if all it needed to work was the base and not the figure itself. Maybe in a few years the components will be able to be shrunk down enough to work?

That's exactly what I was getting at, I just don't think that it translates the same way for a Lego minifigure as a Skylanders figurine. To my mind as soon as the toy is just a hiding case for electronics the game isn't truly "toys to life" - a big part of why I don't like them. If someone was able to develop a game where kids could scan in actual toys I think that would be amazing, but the technology as it exists is just too much in the line of selling unnecessary peripheral devices.

[somelegothings_]

http://www.thebrickfan.com/lego-toys-to-life-game-rumored-for-later-this-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LegoEverlasting-LegoReviewsNews+%28The+Brick+Fan+-+LEGO+Reviews+%26+News%29

Looks like my question was answered in time...

[SomeAssemblyRequired]

/excitement

I really enjoy Disney Infinity, so I'll buy this. Can only assume they'll include LEGO Movie, Ninjago, Chima and Space characters to play as. Me thinks LMO isn't doing well.

[Umbra-Manis]

If this turns out to be a Lego Universe reboot i will lose it! Especially if they make all those awesome figures.

[Dorayaki]

Ninjago, Chima and Space characters to play as. Me thinks LMO isn't doing well.

Well CMF is also a theme of LEGO so if there is a rivival or crossover game, hope that all the elements could be herited.

[Krikkit]

Skylanders and infinity are money pits. This hobby is already costing more than it should, if something like that came out, i would probably lose the house!

[Faefrost]

I think the best hope for Lego in that regard is to leverage camera recognition, similar to what they are playing with with the Fusion games. Because of its modular nature Lego is very well suited to camera recognition, while at the same time embedding RFIDs in certain components limits to ability to mix and match and build, thus taking away from the core product.

So some further evolution into a fused collectable toy -> video game type platform is probably guaranteed, I think Lego's best business course would be to skip over the expensive embedded custom RFID tech step that Skylanders and Disney use.

[tafkatb]

Looks like we might see some more info about this come Thursday, if the teaser on The LEGO Movie's Facebook page is what I think it is.

[tafkatb]

Another teaser pic showed up on Back to the Future's Facebook page last night...

[just2good]

So Toys"R"Us had the page up, but now it's down.

[Robert_88]

Thanks a lot for the picture!

Another Gandalf? Oh là là! At least this game shows that the LotR licence doesn't expire this year.

[Robert_88]

Edited April 9, 2015 by Robert_88

[Dorayaki]

It's a something innovative but doesn't surprise me that LEGO would do this. The major problem is that this technology could only interact with the toys that are exactly designed for this game, but we couldn't use the current minifigures and bricks we have on hand, like the Fusion case last time. This would somewhat violate the natural rule of LEGO bricks.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Dorayaki

[tafkatb]

You're not going to see anything from Disney in this game - they have their own.