Bionicle 2016 Story Discussion & Rumors

[Scarilian]

There are no more books for Bionicle on the horizon including graphic novels after the ones already planned. What does everyone think about this?

Honestly, this was to be expected. Bionicle G2 has primariyl been a series of tests to see what works and what doesnt.

- First year was animations and promotional items

- Second year was graphic novels mixed with an exclusive Netflix Series

- Third year i think it's highly likely we'd get a direct to dvd movie, something to tie-off the loose ends of the story

Cuz they only planned G2 to be three years anyway. :P

This is likely the reasoning behind why the graphic novels and books are done.The to-be-released graphic novels will likely finish telling the 2016 storyline and that is their main goal - to set-up 2017 and get people covered on the story leading up to 2017.

If they are going to have an affect on sales then chances are 2016 is the last year where Lego will actually be determining whether to continue the line beyond 2017. Sets normally are being worked on over a year prior to release, so if the line is being continued after 2017 then 2016 would probably be the final year for them to put the plan into action. No point getting people on to do graphic novels or books to get people invested in the story in 2017 if 2017 is the final year.

The line could very well continue after 2017 and if it does we could see the books and graphic novels return, but for the moment regardless of whether Lego is continuing the line or not, the purpose of the graphic novels and books is complete.

i heard of that. so our only way to indicate the success of the new medium is not avalible:(.

I would say we could judge from the reception of those on Youtube who have uploaded the episodes on there, see roughly how many people are viewing the episodes on other sites than Netflix, however most of those are being taken down.

Honestly, Netflix is the biggest mistake Lego have made with the idea of a series so far. I know they have it planned for Elves also, however the main issue is that Netflix does not target the same audience that Bionicle is targetting and Netflix is also not promoting JTO either - so less people are finding it. The only reviews on the series are those by fans of G1 or those who are already buying the toys or parents who are showing this to people who dont match the age range its targetting.

If they want Bionicle to be popular they should give it a comic like Ninjago, Nexo Knights or Chima - or some form of media promoting it to children. The only thing that actually has done that is the activity book and that never recieved a wide release compared to activity books from other lines such as Chima or Ninjago (I've still yet to see an activity book in store for Bionicle - even in Lego stores)

Edited March 25, 2016 by Scarilian

[MrHerofan]

Personally, Netflix is a great decision on the LEGO group's part. There could have been more advertising for the show, but in March there was Daredevil, Pew-Wee's movie, and House of Cards. It was kind of to be expected, that Bionicle was not going to be promoted heavily. Still, Bionicle getting a show at all is a huge step for the theme. You don't think they would have given the theme a show if they thought it was going to fail, would you?

[TwistLaw]

---I AM STATING MY OPINION NO FACTS BELOW THIS LINE---

BIONICLE G2 was handled pretty badly, and I'm in no way surprised it bombed. Little to no promotion through traditonal media (because of my mother's job tons of kids magazines fly around my place, and on none of them I ever saw a BIONICLE advertisment, while HF was constantly promoted), budget spent on useless stuff (14 karats masks?! jesus christ, spend your money on making the line WORTH of having such a promotion and then we can talk), targets missed by miles (you create a children TV show on a platform mostly aimed to an adult audience? boy...).

I thought, I mean, I hoped the crazy experimental years were confined to the Hero Factory days. But it looks like LEGO wanted to try new roads right with BIONICLE, and most of them weren't convincing to say the least.

As far as we know we're not even sure 2017 will be a full year of sets for BIONICLE, thus meaning we may be getting just the winter wave. I'm just furking depressed right now, because this also means we're not seeing anymore BIONICLE for a very long time this time around.

Thank goodness I have my Makuta Teridax right on my desk to remind me of the days where everything was mostly right.

[Quisoves Pugnat]

BIONICLE G2 was handled pretty badly, and I'm in no way surprised it bombed.

But we've seen nothing that indicates that it's bombed, have we? There may be reason to think that it hasn't lived up to LEGO's expectations, as I argued earlier, but that's not the same thing as utter failure.

Little to no promotion through traditonal media (because of my mother's job tons of kids magazines fly around my place, and on none of them I ever saw a BIONICLE advertisment, while HF was constantly promoted)

Surely this suggests that the magazine promotions were of little benefit to Hero Factory?

budget spent on useless stuff (14 karats masks?! jesus christ, spend your money on making the line WORTH of having such a promotion and then we can talk),

What do you mean by "useless stuff"? Nothing springs readily to mind.

I believe that the 14 karat masks were given away 2001, and thus planned before BIONICLE had proved itself worthy of having any promotion.

targets missed by miles (you create a children TV show on a platform mostly aimed to an adult audience? boy...).

Hmmmm? Perhaps this is technically true, in the sense of "60% targeted towards adults, 40% towards children," but Netflix is hardly an adults-only affair. It's got a specially-tailored children's section, and a plethora of choices for youngsters. A quick perusal of the Netflix website (in America, anyhow,) suggests that children are hardly a consumer-blind-spot.

because this also means we're not seeing anymore BIONICLE for a very long time this time around.

Even assuming that Gen2 has flopped, that's still a shaky assumption. If, as you say, poor marketing choices have put the lid on this iteration of BIONICLE, then it follows that a subsequent reboot would not necessarily be tainted by its immediate predecessor. Without the franchise fatigue/antipathy of the sort of line that flops in spite of its promotion, the only delay needed would be that of planning the next version.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Quisoves Pugnat

[Kalta the Noble Mind]

i am curious to why there hasnt been much advertizing for G2? were they banking on old guard like us to spread the media itself word of mouth?

[TwistLaw]

But we've seen nothing that indicates that it's bombed, have we? There may be reason to think that it hasn't lived up to LEGO's expectations, as I argued earlier, but that's not the same thing as utter failure.

not even having a full wave in 2017, as it's strongly theorized, is a clear sign things went much worse than expected.

>inb4 hurr where did you get that information

The ghetto, my friend. The ghetto.

Surely this suggests that the magazine promotions were of little benefit to Hero Factory?

where the hell does this come from, I didn't imply anything like that

What do you mean by "useless stuff"? Nothing springs readily to mind.

The golden masks most notably. And that horrible looking graphic novel...

I believe that the 14 karat masks were given away 2001, and thus planned before BIONICLE had proved itself worthy of having any promotion.

provide_source.jpg

we're noit seeing bionicle for a long time because being cancelled two times in a decade may ring a bell in LEGO's CEO

[MrHerofan]

I am in the boat that Bionicle is clearly not LEGO's main priority, and am a little saddened by this fact.

So TwistLaw, where did you get the assumption that there would only be one wave in 2017? This is the first I am hearing of this, and it smells of mindless speculation. There is no way of knowing how well Bionicle is doing. We just have to hope that this theme is doing good enough,to either warrant more. But even if 2017 is the last time we see Bionicle, at least it has some closure. It would have been a fun ride, and maybe the next constraction theme will be enjoyable as well.

[Tazakk]

provide_source.jpg

What exactly are you contesting here? The fact that there were gold masks at all? Because, uh... there were, there you go. If its more a matter of whether they were "planned before BIONICLE had proved itself worthy of having any promotion," then yeah. They were planned as part of the launch and LEGO had no idea how well the launch would go over. Same as the G2 launch.

[TwistLaw]

What exactly are you contesting here? The fact that there were gold masks at all? Because, uh... there were, there you go. If its more a matter of whether they were "planned before BIONICLE had proved itself worthy of having any promotion," then yeah. They were planned as part of the launch and LEGO had no idea how well the launch would go over. Same as the G2 launch.

Provide source they did it in 2001, I hoped it was clear what I meant.

Anyway ok, I got it.

The "there may be only one wave" talk originated at TTV and Mesonak itself is not 100% sure next year will be a full one.

here's proof for the filthy infidels worshipping Mega Bloks

[MrHerofan]

So we are making a big deal out of a maybe? It just seems strange to make a big deal out of this right now. The only way we will know if 2017 will be a full year is at toy fair 2017. So just enjoy what we do have of the line right now.

[TwistLaw]

While it's rightful to enjoy the line right now, it is also understandable to worry about the future of it.

And while me and you are two nobodies in the BIONICLE community, Mesonak is a well known member, founder of the biggest current community about BIONICLE and in direct contact with LEGO.

[Quisoves Pugnat]

where the hell does this come from, I didn't imply anything like that

You didn't, but surely the fact that you've never seen any BIONICLE-promotion in magazines does? LEGO doesn't want any of its themes to fail. If it saw magazines as a worthwhile means of advertisement for BIONICLE, then you think it would have used them. Ergo, it stands to reason that something convinced LEGO that magazine ads weren't beneficial to BIONICLE.

The golden masks most notably. And that horrible looking graphic novel...

The golden masks are hardly useless. In addition to adding aesthetic variety to the sets, they're a play feature. Kids can have the Toa fight the Skull Spiders/Creatures to claim them. Yes, they're not strictly necessary, but they're hardly a shocking extravagance. They're just more pieces for LEGO to mould.

As for the graphic novel, that's a promotional item. It earns LEGO guaranteed money from people that like BIONICLE, and serves as promotion, potentially creating new fans.

Not to mention that BIONICLE is hardly the exception. Ninjago, Friends, Elves, and Superheroes all have graphic novels, and Elves has chapterbooks. Gen1 had chapterbooks regularly, from 2003 to 2008, and had comics for its entire run.

we're noit seeing bionicle for a long time because being cancelled two times in a decade may ring a bell in LEGO's CEO

Gen1 was cancelled after nine years, and reputedly saved LEGO from bankruptcy. That's hardly going to mark BIONICLE as a doomed theme. If Gen2 is a failure, then the powers-that-be will say to themselves "How did Gen1 succeed where Gen2 failed?" They could go a number of places, from there.

And while me and you are two nobodies in the BIONICLE community, Mesonak is a well known member, founder of the biggest current community about BIONICLE and in direct contact with LEGO.

Popularity does not an oracle make. He may have good reason to think that 2017 will bring only a single wave of BIONICLE, but just telling me "Mesonak suspects it" is pointless. Could you point me to where he speculates this?

[TwistLaw]

Could you point me to where he speculates this?

You're an exhausting guy, QP. And blind I suspect, since I posted the Mesonak screen literally two posts above yours.If you want a link, just google his words and you'll find the exact post.

And when I was talking about golden masks I was clearly referencing the solid gold ones, not the cheap extra plastic in sets.

LEGO keeps on promoting Ninjago and Friends on magazines, BIONICLE is currently an exception among the "big" themes (big like HF may have been, since the ads).

While LEGO was saved by BIONICLE, it still was cancelled because of average sales, and we are SPECULATING it may be canceled next year because of flat out poor ones. And I think LEGO may just answer the question by saying "this isn't anymore the age for BIONICLE", putting the theme to sleep until cars will be flying.

The only reason I dislike the graphic novel is because it looks HORRIBLE and inconsistent with the sets.

[Kalta the Noble Mind]

The golden masks are hardly useless. In addition to adding aesthetic variety to the sets, they're a play feature. Kids can have the Toa fight the Skull Spiders/Creatures to claim them. Yes, they're not strictly necessary, but they're hardly a shocking extravagance. They're just more pieces for LEGO to mould.

i think twistlaw was referring to the 14 karat gold masks they had as contest prizes. G1 just had i think a single hau and one platinum avohkii for contests in 2002 and 2003 (along with those sterling silver and white metal krana). i think G1 paed itself with those precious metal masks as they saw the popularity of the toyline justify such fancy promotion while making 8 solid gold masks for the first year alone seemed like a waste as the hundreds of dollars used for the metal and craftsmanship could have been spent elsehwere.

[Quisoves Pugnat]

You're an exhausting guy, QP. And blind I suspect, since I posted the Mesonak screen literally two posts above yours.If you want a link, just google his words and you'll find the exact post.

Oops. It doesn't come up for me. It just says "Posted Image". It seems that Imgur is down, or at least unaccesible stateside.

And when I was talking about golden masks I was clearly referencing the solid gold ones, not the cheap extra plastic in sets.

Oh, those. I'd forgotten those existed. Sorry about that. :P

Still, they're promotional, so they have a purpose. You could argue that they're too expensive for LEGO to be worth the hype of giving them away, and you might be right, but they're not pointless. They're obviously intended to bring LEGO more money.

LEGO keeps on promoting Ninjago and Friends on magazines, BIONICLE is currently an exception among the "big" themes (big like HF may have been, since the ads).

That is interesting, though my point remains. Hero Factory and BIONICLE are niche themes, unlike Ninjago and Friends, and so it seems reasonable that LEGO thought that BIONICLE wouldn't benefit from the same sort of promotion, by virtue of Hero Factory not doing so. The alternative is that LEGO is deliberately underplaying Gen2, which speaks to a failure on Hero Factory's part, more than anything.

While LEGO was saved by BIONICLE, it still was cancelled because of average sales, and we are SPECULATING it may be canceled next year because of flat out poor ones.

Which it could well be, for all I know. The fact remains that Gen1 was a huge success, which provides a considerable incentive for LEGO to try to repeat it. Just because one attempt fails does not mean that LEGO will suddenly go "Well, I guess BIONICLE is worthless."

And I think LEGO may just answer the question by saying "this isn't anymore the age for BIONICLE", putting the theme to sleep until cars will be flying.

They might well say that. But it's hardly the only possibility. They might decide that Gen2 was mishandled, and try again with a different approach.

EDIT: I did a bit of research, using Google and Wikipedia (for the respective densities of ABS and 14K gold,) Bricklink (for mask-weights) and this site. It would seem that the total combined value of 2015's golden masks is no more than $11,000 USD. That takes a mere 275 consumers, each one buying a single Toa, Protector, and Skull Villain, for LEGO to recoup the costs of the golden masks.

EDIT2: Imgur is back up. Anyhow, I don't see why anyone is reading so much into what Mesonak said. It looks like he was merely saying that BIONICLE might follow the precedent of Ninjago, Exo-Force, etc. in having a single wave in its final year. I don't see what's so alarming about that.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Quisoves Pugnat

[VBBN]

This argument is going nowhere productive. Please refrain from continuing it beyond this point- agree to disagree and move on.

The truth is nothing is set in stone and the only way anyone here is going to have answers is to wait and see what happens.

[avatarbrickman]

So... no chances of G3?

lol

[Chimaninja454]

So.... Is the theme likely to be discontinued in 2017?

Edited April 3, 2016 by Chimaninja454

[TwistLaw]

We have many suggestions it may happen, but no concrete statement as for now.

Even if it will be discontinued, most people will use the three years originally planned for BIONICLE as a way to demonstrate "it went all as it was supposed to do". But HF lasted five years, so there will be a lot of stuff to be discussed by September 2016.

Of course, IF Bionicle will see an end. We have no data whatsoever about its state, and this alone should ring a bell.

[MrHerofan]

Of course, IF Bionicle will see an end. We have no data whatsoever about its state, and this alone should ring a bell.

Well do we really have that much data on other themes? Like other than what sold best for the year in terms of sets or themes. If Bionicle did not make it into the top 5 best Lego Themes so what? There are many themes that TLG produces. There are really two sides to the argument about the end, one which says it got its own show on Netflix, and the other stating that sales, advertising, and distribution are bad.

We really should just wait and see what will come into the future. Instead of having a discussion that will only go on circles for the rest of Bionicle's run. This really reminds me of a less extreme version of the Hero Factory vs. Bionicle arguments. Honestly though we should just instead enjoy what we are getting whether it would be from the toys or the media.

[GK733]

Kiddified story?

What about going to Hell then?

http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Underworld-Lego-Bionicle-Chapter/dp/0545925401/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461131040&sr=1-1&keywords=bionicle%20chapter%20book%203

[Lyichir]

Kiddified story?

What about going to Hell then?

http://www.amazon.co... chapter book 3

Preeeeetty sure that's not what it means by underworld. At least, I hope not—mostly because that'd come a little too close to Ninjago for my liking.

I mean, "underworld" can also just refer to tunnels... and what's more Bionicle than the Toa going underground for a climactic battle?

[Quisoves Pugnat]

Besides, it's not like kid's stories can't feature Hell. They just won't go into the gory detail of, say, Dante or Bosch.

But I digress. "Underworld" has a number of meanings, including "great big subterranean cavern," which is probably the intended usage here.

[xboxtravis7992]

Besides, it's not like kid's stories can't feature Hell. They just won't go into the gory detail of, say, Dante or Bosch.

But I digress. "Underworld" has a number of meanings, including "great big subterranean cavern," which is probably the intended usage here.

Of course kids stories can go to hell; has anyone else been on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Disneyland? They send kids to hell everyday on that ride! :P

[GK733]

Besides, it's not like kid's stories can't feature Hell. They just won't go into the gory detail of, say, Dante or Bosch.

But I digress. "Underworld" has a number of meanings, including "great big subterranean cavern," which is probably the intended usage here.

But the thing here is that Ninjago indeed has hell and it's called literally underworld. It's the final of the first wave.

What are the changes they won't recycle this kind of hell for Bionicle too as it has already borrowed so many other concepts from Ninjago?