28 replies to this topic

[avisolo]

I understand that there is no LEGO Star Wars Chess yet due to licensing issues with Hasbro. Anyone know more about this issue?

[Super General Koopa]

It's also why LEGO can't individually sell Lego Star Wars Minifigures, so now we have the Planet/Galaxy sets to get around that issue.

[Legocrazy81]

avisolo, on 20 May 2012 - 10:20 PM, said:

I understand that there is no LEGO Star Wars Chess yet due to licensing issues with Hasbro. Anyone know more about this issue?

I don't know exactly if it's the Hasbro issue at work here. They could always make a lot of build able elements. The board, pieces much like the Giant chess set we saw in Fantasy Era Castle.

[Sid Sidious]

Legocrazy81, on 20 May 2012 - 11:59 PM, said:

I don't know exactly if it's the Hasbro issue at work here. They could always make a lot of build able elements. The board, pieces much like the Giant chess set we saw in Fantasy Era Castle.

That set still had tons of minifigs, so I think for the brick-built elements to minifigs ratio to be high enough, the set would have to be thousands of pieces.  You can't make a reasonably sized chess set out of thousands of pieces.

[johnnyvgoode]

I don't think that it is Hasbro's licensing issues, but rather that they haven't simply got to it. I wouldn't see that much a difference between a SW chess and the other SW games.

[Blondie-Wan]

Based upon the unavailability of LEGO Games' Star Wars: Battle of Hoth in the US, presumably because of licensing issues, I'd hazard a guess that TLG indeed isn't currently planning a Star Wars chess set because of licensing issues - though probably because of Fantasy Flight Games, which recently picked up a bunch of gaming rights for Star Wars board, card and roleplaying games, rather than Hasbro.

[Faefrost]

Blondie-Wan, on 21 May 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

Based upon the unavailability of LEGO Games' Star Wars: Battle of Hoth in the US, presumably because of licensing issues, I'd hazard a guess that TLG indeed isn't currently planning a Star Wars chess set because of licensing issues - though probably because of Fantasy Flight Games, which recently picked up a bunch of gaming rights for Star Wars board, card and roleplaying games, rather than Hasbro.

I'm betting this. Plus I believe here is already at least one other company that holds a license for a higher end collectables SW chess set. One of those Franklin Mint type outfits.

[Brickdoctor]

Blondie-Wan, on 21 May 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

Based upon the unavailability of LEGO Games' Star Wars: Battle of Hoth in the US, presumably because of licensing issues, I'd hazard a guess that TLG indeed isn't currently planning a Star Wars chess set because of licensing issues - though probably because of Fantasy Flight Games, which recently picked up a bunch of gaming rights for Star Wars board, card and roleplaying games, rather than Hasbro.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the licensing conflict in this case is over the license for a Star Wars board game, not for Star Wars action figures.

[Scubacarrot]

The thing is that Lego only has the rights for Star Wars construction toys. Anything that does not fall into that category will get shot down by Lego's competitors

[avisolo]

Scubacarrot, on 21 May 2012 - 07:30 AM, said:

The thing is that Lego only has the rights for Star Wars construction toys. Anything that does not fall into that category will get shot down by Lego's competitors

So if you have to build your chess set that could technically pass the loophole?

Edited by avisolo, 21 May 2012 - 07:37 AM.

[Scubacarrot]

avisolo, on 21 May 2012 - 07:35 AM, said:

So if you have to build your chess set that could technically pass the loophole?

Well no, since it would be a chess set, a board game.

[JackJonespaw]

I think that if Lego has the go ahead to do a LSW chess set, they still probably wouldn't. They already have chess sets out, and Star Wars doesn't really fit the chess theme as well as Kingdoms and Castle do. Plus, I'm pretty sure that no one would actually buy the set for playing chess but for the minifigs. Not that I'm saying that I don't want a LSW chess set, because I really, really do.

[johnnyvgoode]

Darn, I didn't know about the board game license... This sucks.  

[Legocrazy81]

JackJonespaw, on 21 May 2012 - 11:51 AM, said:

I think that if Lego has the go ahead to do a LSW chess set, they still probably wouldn't. They already have chess sets out, and Star Wars doesn't really fit the chess theme as well as Kingdoms and Castle do. Plus, I'm pretty sure that no one would actually buy the set for playing chess but for the minifigs. Not that I'm saying that I don't want a LSW chess set, because I really, really do.

All kinds of popular franchises have chess sets that have nothing to do with medieval times. Mario and Simpsons are just a few I have seen. So, a LSW set would fit. A little trip to Google also, I saw a SW chess set, pretty fancy. Rebel pieces gold and the Empire silver. So, they're out there.

[AndyC]

I'd imagine Hasbro would be unhappy with a 'cheap' Star Wars Chess set (or anything similar like the Tic Tac Toe sets) because they're pretty much minifigs with a baseplate there as little more than an excuse. It'd be pretty much the same deal as the magnet sets.

A big, expensive set with a more substantial building element, like the Giant Castle Chess Set, would be less likely to fall foul of that but as others have said I suspect there is already a license for collectors Star Wars Chess sets elsewhere. Whether they too would get upset over a Lego version is a whole other matter, but it's probably a big blocking factor.

Which sucks. Because Lego Star Wars Chess would be fantastic. Thankfully it's Lego, so we can always build our own (just need to stock up on a few more Storm Troopers/Rebels for Pawns, I guess!)

[Bilbo Baggins]

I think it's probably because LEGO doesn't have a Action Figure license.

[avisolo]

AndyC, on 21 May 2012 - 10:54 PM, said:

A big, expensive set with a more substantial building element, like the Giant Castle Chess Set, would be less likely to fall foul of that but as others have said I suspect there is already a license for collectors Star Wars Chess sets elsewhere. Whether they too would get upset over a Lego version is a whole other matter, but it's probably a big blocking factor.

Would a SW Chess set with theming and microfigs from the Battle of Hoth gameset have a better chance at being made by TLG?

[Hawkman]

I would wonder how much of a market there would be for a SW Chess Set. From a collector standpoint, sure, the minifigures would be great to have, however would people ever really use it for chess? I have to assume that if Lego ever thought of going with a chess set, they'd be asking themselves the same question. I just don't think there'd be that much of a market for a SW Lego chess set.  

Additionally, would it hurt Lego's chances at marketing certain figures in larger sets? Would people be more interested in skipping certain sets with major characters to just go the chess set route? For example, right now, the only way to get a Vader or Han is thru the Falcon - both characters would easily work in a chess, but then Lego might be competing with itself.

Lastly, SW is so large a franchise I think it might be hard to narrow down just one version of a chess set. Do they go Prequel, Original, or Clone Wars? Or do they combine all three?

[avisolo]

Hawkman, on 23 May 2012 - 03:39 AM, said:

I would wonder how much of a market there would be for a SW Chess Set.

My 7-year old son and his friends are crazy about playing the LEGO SW Chess MOCs I made for him.

Edited by avisolo, 23 May 2012 - 05:03 AM.

[johnnyvgoode]

Hawkman, on 23 May 2012 - 03:39 AM, said:

I would wonder how much of a market there would be for a SW Chess Set. From a collector standpoint, sure, the minifigures would be great to have, however would people ever really use it for chess? I have to assume that if Lego ever thought of going with a chess set, they'd be asking themselves the same question. I just don't think there'd be that much of a market for a SW Lego chess set.  

Additionally, would it hurt Lego's chances at marketing certain figures in larger sets? Would people be more interested in skipping certain sets with major characters to just go the chess set route? For example, right now, the only way to get a Vader or Han is thru the Falcon - both characters would easily work in a chess, but then Lego might be competing with itself.

Lastly, SW is so large a franchise I think it might be hard to narrow down just one version of a chess set. Do they go Prequel, Original, or Clone Wars? Or do they combine all three?

I think that people would use it to play chess or to collect the set (because it would look very nice).

About the figs, a chess set would be considerably expensive, so it would be like the Death Star, I think; it wouldn't be a source for cheap figs.

And I would think that they would make one from the Original trilogy, since it's the most popular.

[Hawkman]

johnnyvgoode, on 23 May 2012 - 05:28 AM, said:

I think that people would use it to play chess or to collect the set (because it would look very nice).

About the figs, a chess set would be considerably expensive, so it would be like the Death Star, I think; it wouldn't be a source for cheap figs.

And I would think that they would make one from the Original trilogy, since it's the most popular.

The current Lego Castle chess set is $49.99 with 32 minifigures. Even if Lego had to mark-up a SW version due to the license, I still can't see it going over $125 (maybe more if they really went all out on the board). No where near Death Star price levels. Stormtroopers themselves go for around $5 a piece on Ebay, so if you could get eight of them as Pawns, that's a third of the box right there; so it would still be a deal. Add in the Original Trilogy major characters as Rooks, Knights, etc and you'd walk away with a pretty economic set.

I think if Lego went this route, they would need something to really make it shine. SW Chess sets are already out there made by other companies, so Lego would have to include something strong, like an exclusive figure. Otherwise, I just don't see it.

[kermit]

Since star wars has become more of a hot item for its minifigures than the sets lately (take this summers wave for example) , a set like that would be rather expensive. Also if they go this route what incentive will there be to buy sets if we can get most of figures in a chess set.

Edited by kermit, 23 May 2012 - 09:08 AM.

[Tommy]

Second what everyone else has said.  I mean to get the new Luke minifig, you have to get either the Millenium Falcon or Hoth Echo Base.  Neither set is cheap and last I checked, Luke was the main character of the OT.

[OneSnowTrooper]

Just make your own SW chess set, like this 1:
http://infotoxin.net...o-Chess-Set.jpg

[avisolo]

OneSnowTrooper, on 23 May 2012 - 10:29 AM, said:

Just make your own SW chess set, like this 1:
http://infotoxin.net...o-Chess-Set.jpg

I already did, but an official set would be nice: