No Bionicle in 2017 confirmed

[TheOneVeyronian]

It's much worse than the ending of G1 in the sense that it had an amazing run, we were prepared and we had both closure and an open end, that is to say closure to why it ended and an open end to the story so the story could continue. Here it came out of nowhere, slamming the irrefutable end in our faces without saying why it ended. Perhaps it's premature seeing as apparently they haven't released a statement yet, but I can't say I've ever felt so bitter towards looking back on anything, and that's sad.

Oh and for the record teasing Makuta and the MoUP in the contest was straight up mean, especially given the timing of it. Timing is a key aspect as to the much more intense reaction I'm both giving and observing.

I agree with you on all of this. Having had a few hours to mull the news over, I think I would have taken the news better if LEGO explained why they've pulled the line so early without giving us the final pieces of the puzzle. The need to know why things happen is part of my very nature, and it drives me crazy not having a reason why something has happened. Hopefully LEGO will at the very least put out a reason why BIONICLE was pulled. Furthermore, not knowing what the future holds for Constraction makes me worry, as I have probably already harped on about. I'd like to see Constraction continue to have presence in at least 2 themes, even if it's just Ninjago or Nexo Knights buildable figures to run alongside the Star Wars ones. Or if LEGO have any sense, I'm kind of hoping they make their own in-house Constraction theme and casually slip in a new head or mask-like mould that looks suspiciously similar to the MoUP. Well, one can dream can't they?

Though part of me is tempted to just pack up my Constraction MOC stock and go, part of me is also wondering if I should go and grab more Storm Beasts in case that's the last time we ever get Dark Blue CCBS shells. Suddenly the rumours of limited distribution in the UK I heard about from Huw (from Brickset) make sense!

I do get upset when a favourite collectable of mine is brought to an end. I found that when a popular trading card game called Chaotic came to an end (that had different circumstances but it still had quite a fallout), but I dealt with that by making my own expansions. Maybe it's time for me to make my own G2 Toa and villains for them to fight, then pretend they are sets

But... there was one thing missing from my other post, and it's something more positive. I've got to say kudos to the LEGO designers for re-kindling my childhood passion for BIONICLE, you're all great people. And I seriously hope you've got another Constraction theme up your sleeve to compensate for the gaps that BIONICLE will leave, both on the shelves and in our hearts. Thank you!

[TheGreatSpirit]

How a lot of us are feeling right now

For the record I really liked the sets in general, but in terms of advertising i didnt see too much outside of typical bionicle social circles. Friends of mine who owned G1 sets had no idea that bionicle was even back for months until I told them. Say what you will, their advertising campaign was completely ineffective.

[MrHerofan]

I'm so sad now. I really enjoyed G2's sets and wanted to see more of them. Hopefully the next constraction line holds my interest.

[RAKRONDEWL]

I feel so shot in the foot, burned, or however you like to put it! And to make it worse, this is the approximately the forth time...first time I was disappointed by TLG couldn't get the toy license for Spider-man 3, I never had money for a set from the first two films but I had save my money for this one, only to be disappointed. Second time was with the POTC line, we never got my favorite ship the Flying Dutchman (LEGO has a chance to make up for this next year though ). Thirdly, the premature ending of the LOTR theme, leaving out many things from ROTK and the lord of the rings himself Sauron, the main antagonist (I could go on and on ranting about this but I will not). And last but not least, the discontinuing of Bionicle g2 without getting Makuta and the MOUP!

I have been a fan of LEGO since I was three and wouldn't give up on them, but it seems they are giving up on me. I have sincerely considered dedicating my time and abilities to work at LEGO but am not sure I want to now. LEGO has said they are committed to their fans but more and more it seems they are more committed to the dollar.

Sorry for the rant guys.

If anyone at LEGO reads this please rethink your decision. I know you have already done the marketing but is the money really more important to you or are your fans? Please make just one more set or at least just the MOUP for us to complete the theme, you say the physical toy is more important to you than your virtual content but your actions say different. If it is to late for you to do anything like this, please realize that if you commit to something you need to see it through to the end.

-RAKRONDEWL (a concerned fan for LEGO's future)

Edited July 29, 2016 by RAKRONDEWL

[Aanchir]

I know you have already done the marketing but is the money really more important to you or are your fans?

Kind of a moot question. Generally, themes that have more fans make more money and themes that have less fans make less money. If a theme isn't making money, then chances are more fans would be served by investing in more successful themes, or in new themes with the potential to appeal to a wider range of fans. LEGO doesn't have unlimited resources, so they can't keep all their less successful themes around for ever-shrinking groups of fans while also growing their more popular themes and introducing new themes for new groups of fans. Loyalty to the dollar IS loyalty to the fans if the fans are where the dollars are coming from.

Also, if a theme is not successful, then chances are a lot of stores won't want to carry them (the retailers want to make money too), which means even if LEGO did introduce a Mask of Ultimate Power mold, finding a way to get it to enough fans to both satisfy their desire for for that mask and subsidize the cost of making the mold could be tricky.

[YellowCorvette]

This is kinda shocking, but not too surprising. Unlike G1 where we actually get a proper ending and conclusion, how G2 will end leaves more bad taste in my mouth.

I didn't join the discussions in this board that much, but I brought some of the G2 sets like Skull Warrior and Lewa 2015, and I like both of the sets. The problem I have with G2 in general is the story and poor advertising. I can still appreciate TLG for bringing G2 back and designing some good sets for Bionicle fans to enjoy and having the fans something to talk about.

I will miss Bionicle G2, but not so much like the others in this board.

[PicnicBasketSam]

I remember seeing a TV ad for the webisodes back in very late 2014 in a hotel... long story... but I haven't seen much in the way of advertising since. My local Target didn't get very many of the winter sets, by the time I finally got there in March they had no Creatures or smaller Toa. I came back in April to buy Super Hero Airport Battle, and the same big sets were on the shelves that were there when I had went a month earlier. All through 2015 Target, and even Shopko (which has a notoriously limited LEGO selection in my town) had a bunch of the sets... ah well. I get the feeling much of the audience went, "Ooh! Star Wars action figures!" or "Ooh! Ninjago and/or Nexo Knights!" when 2016 rolled around. And now I have no opportunity to buy the summer wave, because there's no Toys R U or LEGO Store within at least 100 miles from me. The closest LEGO store to me is 500 miles away. And they're probably sold out online... not worth the fuss, with all the other stuff that I can still get. I personally called it quits on Bionicle when reviews rolled in of the summer wave, and it became clear that none of the sets were any good. I'm going to just catch up on some of the other terrific summer sets (Technic, Marvel, et cetera) and not worry about this too much.

[GK733]

How long will take for a new theme to get on the selves?

That's pretty much my only question now, I honestly feel cheated.

Edited July 30, 2016 by GK733

[RAKRONDEWL]

Kind of a moot question. Generally, themes that have more fans make more money and themes that have less fans make less money. If a theme isn't making money, then chances are more fans would be served by investing in more successful themes, or in new themes with the potential to appeal to a wider range of fans. LEGO doesn't have unlimited resources, so they can't keep all their less successful themes around for ever-shrinking groups of fans while also growing their more popular themes and introducing new themes for new groups of fans. Loyalty to the dollar IS loyalty to the fans if the fans are where the dollars are coming from.

Also, if a theme is not successful, then chances are a lot of stores won't want to carry them (the retailers want to make money too), which means even if LEGO did introduce a Mask of Ultimate Power mold, finding a way to get it to enough fans to both satisfy their desire for for that mask and subsidize the cost of making the mold could be tricky.

True but, it isn't a good business practice to start a theme, let it run a little while and then cut it short and turn off fans. If they would just give a "failing" theme a last wave to cover all potential/essential sets, many more fans may feel more inclined to give a different theme a try as apposed to being highly infuriated and giving up on the brand entirely. And as far as the set, they could make it a LEGO exclusive.

Don't worry I haven't giving up on LEGO, but I am infuriated.

Back to buying sets for pieces until something descent comes out...

Edited July 30, 2016 by RAKRONDEWL

[BrickJagger]

How long will take for a new theme to get on the selves?

That's pretty much my only question now, I honestly feel cheated.

Next year there will be Star Wars Constraction, and possibly Nexo Knights/ Ninjago (Former is more likely). Same for 2018. I think Lego is taking a break from construction for the moment because the last two themes they rolled out weren't that successful.

I expect the next line to come out with a smaller release in 2019 with drastically different design and approach.

[Still Raindrop]

Wow. I remember being on vacation in Oregon almost exactly two years ago. Because I was new at my job and hadn't racked up vacation days, I had to work remotely for part of the time. One day I booted up my computer and checked Eurobricks only to find news that Bionicle was returning, alongside the grainy black-and-white photo. Not long after, the grainy color photo came along.

I was ridiculously excited. I was 12 when Bionicle came out--on the older end of the target audience--but I loved it. I was going through a tough time, and I'd never encountered anything like it. I remember there was a line about blending the mystical and the mechanical, and that thrilled me.

Now I'm not just a (casual) fan, but also a parent. As such, I didn't get as many G2 sets (not even close!), but I did get a few, and followed the story as much as I could. I've seen a lot of ideas people have had over why it failed--some have more merit than others (the idea that no effort went into it is silly). Here are a few that I haven't seen mentioned.

1. Price/Size. Though my kids are too young for Bionicle, this would also apply to how I as a parent would operate if my kids asked for something. The original Toa were $7--and they had mostly new molds, plastic canisters, and mini-CDs. By the time the Glatorians came around (the year I got back into the theme after entering my Lego dark ages in late 2004), that had increased to $13.

The $7 of the original Toa and the $8 of the Nuva and Metru put these squarely into the realm of an impulse but. For me, the cutoff is around $10. For example, I bought 6217 Surge on a whim at $9 (followed by Splitface, who was pricier, but he went well with Surge, whom I had already bought). This is something I appreciated about Hero Factory: they downsized the hero figures and bright the price down too--I prefer slightly smaller figures anyway.

Given inflation, $15 was a decent price for the new smaller Toa. But it still put them out of the impulse buy category, at least for me. I had to really think about whether I wanted a Toa or whether I could use the $15 on tea or other Lego. And with the exception of 2015 Gali and 2016 Onua, the other stuff won out. I did buy a Protector on an impulse, though. Still, having the main heroes so inaccessible really didn't seem to work so well.

2. The lack of CDs--or an equivalent. For at least the first few years, the canister sets came with those mini CDs. I know those wouldn't be practical now, but something similar would have been nice--maybe a website code. I know I spent lots of time exploring the lore, layout, and feel of Mata Nui from those mini CDs. That kind of immersive experience that helps with worldbuilding and is tied to a purchase really helped those early years, I think.

[avatarbrickman]

Now that I've gathered my thoughts, I'd like to share a few sentiments as most people here have been expressing.

Bionicle Gen 1 was my childhood. I remember unwrapping canisters for Christmas under the tree, derailing the family vacations to search for toy stores selling Bionicle,

This is me XD. I am really sad they wont be continuing bionicle and ending it (again). Bionicle is the most awesome thing ever, at least G2 had an OK 2 year run. I guess they made the Makuta contest so kids could make what they thought Makuta would look like instead of making a set which I am really upset about, I was really hoping for a titan Makuta set about. We can only hope they don't revamp Hero Factory... Last comment about this news is: :iamded_lol: :iamded_lol: :iamded_lol:

[BrickBuilder3213]

This news has broken me. I am SO disappointed in Lego, right now.

They didn't even keep to the three year plan, like they clearly said they would.

[Fulcrumfan91]

Aw, LEGO actually had some hidden messages in Okotan in JtO thanking fans for their support! This comes from the TTV boards :)

[YellowCorvette]

This is the 2 things I always want from G2:

1. A proper Makuta set

2. An actual MoUP

But now, with the early discontinuation of Bionicle G2, now what I and the other fans want is impossible and what I can do now is : *Sit aside and crying out loud*

[Ngoc Nguyen]

To me, at least G2 introduces the waist-turning function, which is what I have been coveted in Bionicle since 2001. I was just hoping that next year they'd introduce waist-leaning too, but I'm satisfied with the waist-turning.

[Zorglorfian]

Should we make a hashtag to LEGO's Twitter to see if they can get the MoUP?

I'm thinking #LEGOMakutaSet. Anyone else?

Also, found this: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/release-a-makuta-set

[CabooseBM]

I... I think I need to lie down for a bit, think about my life.

[Dragon_Master_48]

Ouch. >_<

Just like before, I wish it had just one more good wave to wrap things up, but once again, things kinda go out on a whimper. It's rather unfortunate, because things seemed like they were going so well in terms of set design; at the very least, I hope they'll use parts like the gearbox, armor pieces, and Uniter torso again in future themes.

[Pate-keetongu]

Kind of a moot question. Generally, themes that have more fans make more money and themes that have less fans make less money. If a theme isn't making money, then chances are more fans would be served by investing in more successful themes, or in new themes with the potential to appeal to a wider range of fans. LEGO doesn't have unlimited resources, so they can't keep all their less successful themes around for ever-shrinking groups of fans while also growing their more popular themes and introducing new themes for new groups of fans. Loyalty to the dollar IS loyalty to the fans if the fans are where the dollars are coming from.

Well said, that man! I can't but feel that people tend to forget that TLG is a company. Fans = money. They actually owe nothing to us - We pay them to get some plastic warriors, not for promises of long, impressive theme and story. If TLG invests in themes like Ninjago or Elves or City or Star Wars, which are vital and well-selling themes, they are likely to get more fans and therefore more money. LEGO didn't become as strong as it is today - the biggest or second-biggest toy manufacturer - by investing in themes that don't sell very well*, despite there being some loyal fans.

I'm not very upset about the ending of Bionicle. I feel I can't complaim because I only ever bought five sets and three of them were second hand... My invest of 50€ to Kopaka and Onua, both from 2015, isn't enough to keep the theme profitable... And I still feel those were overprized. G2 always felt rather expensive to me. Protectors felt just smaller than G1 sets with similar prize tag; Piraka, for example. Of course every Protector set was a lot better than any piraka, by having different builds, smaller pieces and, well, more dynamic posing and aesthetics. But that wasn't enough for me to buy them, which means that the theme wasn't succesfull on me.

I like parts though, and I'm slightly dissapointed that we'll never get the printed dish and cloth parts from overlord Makuta. And I hope we get another un-licenced constraction theme - SW sets are good but expensive. But I'm not sure. Was the problem of Bionicle poor sales of Bionicle sets, or poor sales of action figures in general? Despite smart phones and pads and other magical contraptions of children of our time, SYSTEM building sets seem to sell better than before. But is it so with action figures, or is the era of buildable characters over? I hope not. There are lot of CCBS (or CBBS, I never remember that one) pieces I want recoloured. Bionicle or not.

*At least not very much. Expect in Chima, maybe, and LEGO universe. And the odd non-buildable stuff of early 2000s.

[Anthony12901]

I don't know if anybody read it or not, but the main post of LEGO (on the first page) says "Currently the last wave of LEGO BIONICLE is launching in Europe and North America." (Second to last sentance in the second paragraph.) So we may get another set...?

Edited July 30, 2016 by Anthony12901

[xboxtravis7992]

I know this is to soon to ask, but what are the odds the Bionicle sets will go up in price on Bricklink now that the theme has been cancelled? Now that G2 is over I am hoping to round out the collection, but if Bricklink prices rise I worry I won't be able to finish the collection. :(

[Still Raindrop]

They probably won't be too high, as Bionicle isn't in too high demand. You can even find Toa Mata for a reasonable price.

[Vorkosigan]

Sorry to all the fans of this theme. There are piles of the last wave on 50% off clearance in several stores near me, so it makes sense to me. At least there is a chance to stock up on parts affordably for fans who will keep MOCing.

[Illarion]

They promised to old funs that they would do much, that they will continue BIONICLE's glory on last year Comic-Con.And that's it. The big problem of this cancelling is LEOGs problem. In the 2015 there was a photo of information list and there was sais that BIONICLE sets are for children at the age of 9-12. I know, that on the boxes you can see another ages, but that is like a "mask" to hide original idea. So, they pressed on the story team much, look - protectors didn't have even names without books. There was one feature in G1. The story kept me buying all bohroks during two years. 12 (!) similar as clones models! And I collected all of them. Why? Because of a plot, personal identity of every bohrok and theit powers. The story and the atmosphere - the disigners and the "father" of BIONIICLE - Christian Faber worked so much and hard. In my language there is an interesting phrase - They worked with soul. That means they worked for the idea, trying to do all their best, making story and the universe more complicated and interesting. And now look at the beasts models, compare them with Toa-Uniters. Do you really suppose that designers did their best? How brilliant are Toa Uniters and Umarak the Hunter! And how these creatu Next, everybody knows that Lego tried to do the polt as simple as possible. Finally we got very common plot.

Raider Windham was shocked then he understood that Protectors don't even have hames. He and JtO animaters were only interested people (and funs), and that... TLG - not.

Look at journey to one. You can really see - animators really did their best - they show a lot of details, trying to tell us about Toa characters, thay never forget about background... The final was terrible. Like BIGBOSS came and ordered to make this series final. There supposed to be more...Next, the plot. LEGO was crared that children wouldn't understand it.BUT! children even at the age of 9-12 DO understand Remember yourself in your childhood - you didn't had problems with BIONICLE I suppose. They tried to get more money, they stopped people creavity and they lost a lot. That is not a BIONICLE problem. That is a TLG problem.Or there is somebody who hate BIONICLE and did everything to ruin these sets. Their policy was poor. They tried to listen to focus groups of children (too young children, I suppose - All people, who COULD got interested are older and so they lost the bigger part of their auditory and so they could do the plot more interesting) and advertize only ONE toa. But they could easily advertise less popilar Toa, make it "a sweet candy" to make bigger sales. But they didn't. They were lasy even trying to collect money. And that is really heartbrokening. Yes, they did a lot. Yes, they made my dream of returning BIONICLE true. But they didn't work on 100%, only at 20-30% they could do. Look at Makuta prototypes. I would like to say thank you for these two (1,5 actually, not even 2) years that I had some wishes about the story. But I will never say Thank you for what they finally had done.

Do you know that some times ago only BIONICLE saved LEGO from Bankruptcy?

the hole industry is now alive because of BIONICLE. And they couldn't even worked 100%.

They could! Look at Ninjago, look at TV series - they are interesting, they can teach children something good and new, characters are interestimg, there is a lot of place even for drama ant Polttwists! And what stopped them from doing something similar with BIONICLE?!

I cannot say I'm surprized. For the 1 world toy company it is a great failure. I suppose, it is the biggest LEGO failure for 21 century. Still, there were no sets or stories that could be enchanting but were destroyed. Gen 2 was so poorly handled especially compared to Gen 1. It felt really soulless, only created to try and get some money from old nostalgic fools like me. I only got 5 sets and don't have much interest in any more. If Bionicle gen 2 did anything it made me realize how special gen 1 was. It was just boring.

I would like to say "thank you" for these two (1,5 actually, not even 2) years that I had some wishes about the story, Raider, thank you too for all you did trying to make the Okoto world more complex and interesting, thank you, animators for all your work. But I will never say Thank you for what they finally had done. I will never say thank you for your pressure on really creative people who really could do everything to return BIONICLE its' glore again!

Now I feel completey at a loss. Thank you, TLG.

You could even sell polybags with a MoAP with DVD but you will not. Thank you for this spitting in my and all BIONICLE funs faces from the money mountain.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Illarion