36 replies to this topic

[Hapori Tohu]

I actually heard about this yesterday, but it was under embargo. But today we can talk about it! The LEGO Group and Lucasfilm Ltd have renewed their contract for the Star Wars license for the next ten years, so you can expect to see plenty more X-Wings and TIE Fighters between now and 2022. You can read the full press release <a href="http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/news-room/2012/february/The-Force-Remains-with-The-LEGO-Group" target="offsite">here</a>.

View the full article

[Toa of Nerds]

I wonder how well the Lego Star Wars sets are doing...

-don't touch my pocket protector

[Avohkah Tamer]

Not a big surprise, Star Wars has always been one of the best-selling (if not THE best-selling right now) toy themes, and there's no shortage of ships and battles to make sets out of.

It's kinda crazy to realize the Lego Star Wars theme has been around since 1999, even outlasting BIONICLE.

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)

[Sumiki]

2022?

Seriously?

I know the Star Wars line is still selling supremely well, but there are only so many sets that can be produced from the films and some of the expanded universe. Plus, it's not usually the norm to hammer out ten-year contract extensions. But how many incarnations of the Millennium Falcon will we see in the next ten years? If it's been like the last ten, probably three, bringing the total for twenty years up to six. That's rather a lot of repetition, and though I don't know LEGO's policies and I don't have access to the same in-depth statistics as they do, ten years is an awful long time. Five year extensions would probably have been more prudent, unless LEGO has some opt-out clause if set sales begin to plummet.

[Manterax Prime]

NOOOOOOO!!!!!! I WAS HOPING FOR STAR WARS TO GET OFF STORE SHELVES ENTIRELY!!!!!!!!

###### it all Lego!

[-Windrider-]

I actually heard about this yesterday, but it was under embargo.

This gives them more time to release a UCS ARC-170. I know they will do it for me one day. <3

Edited by -Windrider-, Feb 13 2012 - 02:34 PM.

[Bulik]

This was obvious.
but anyways, there are alot of sets that lego can make: the clone wars tv show, then also lucas is putting all the star wars movies in theatres again but with 3d, so that will last atleast, if not more than 5 years, which will rekindle the need for sets based off the movies, and with all the new lego parts, the sets will only get better

[Gatanui]

This is both good and bad news. LEGO Star Wars sets have greatly improved over the course of the past years and continue to do so, so that´s definitely a good thing. However, I am worried about the huge success of LEGO Star Wars. In 2011, LEGO Star Wars has had a share of LEGO sales of over 20% in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Obviously, LEGO Star Wars won´t stay as popular as ever, so when LEGO is forced to quit LEGO Star Wars, what will happen? Will LEGO lose over 20% of its benefits? I hope LEOG will have come up with a solution to that problem by 2022 (which doesn´t imply LEGO Star Wars should end in 2022). Until then, I am sure we can expect many great sets.

~Gata.

Edited by Gatanui, Feb 13 2012 - 12:18 PM.

[CHTrilogy]

They must be mad! George Lucas has quit working on Star Wars. They can't possibly wring any more money out of it?!

[Toa of Nerds]

They must be mad! George Lucas has quit working on Star Wars. They can't possibly wring any more money out of it?!

George Lucas is never done screwing with his masterpiece. The question is if Lego will stop screwing with his masterpiece. I don't think so, but that may not be a bad thing. Because of the success of Lego Star Wars, we've seen sets of things that were barely seen in the movies, if at all. This extended license will give Lego the freedom to delve into some of the extended universe of Star Wars and give us something new.

Or they could just use it to make a dozen more Millennium Falcons.

-don't touch my pocket protector

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

They must be mad! George Lucas has quit working on Star Wars. They can't possibly wring any more money out of it?!

2022?

Seriously?

I know the Star Wars line is still selling supremely well, but there are only so many sets that can be produced from the films and some of the expanded universe. Plus, it's not usually the norm to hammer out ten-year contract extensions. But how many incarnations of the Millennium Falcon will we see in the next ten years? If it's been like the last ten, probably three, bringing the total for twenty years up to six. That's rather a lot of repetition, and though I don't know LEGO's policies and I don't have access to the same in-depth statistics as they do, ten years is an awful long time. Five year extensions would probably have been more prudent, unless LEGO has some opt-out clause if set sales begin to plummet.

Why would TLG care how many Millennium Falcon's they've already released? For one thing, there's always the potential to improve on older models. The sets in the past two years demonstrate that greatly, including the Gungan Sub and Anakin and Sebulba's Podracers sets, which are almost exactly the same size as the 1999 versions but with far more detail.

For another thing, if a set is no longer on store shelves it's no longer relevant to the vast majority of LEGO buyers. Some kids buying the Gungan Sub later this year might not have the foggiest idea that there was an inferior version of it released thirteen years ago. Obviously a dedicated LEGO fan will know this and might choose not to buy a new set of a vehicle, just like a dedicated LEGO City fan might opt out of buying yet another fire engine or police car. But the fans who choose not to buy the set just because one has already existed, or who even realize that one already existed, are a minority within the vast demographics the Star Wars theme appeals to.

Repetition has been a reality for about as long as TLG has been around, and has never really been relevant to how successful a concept can be. It matters to a certain number of collectors but is irrelevant to quite a number of kids who might never have had a chance to get a set before. That should be obvious enough considering that TLG releases a new police station roughly every three years, sometimes more frequently. What makes three Millennium Falcons in ten years more significant than three police stations in ten years? Or using the past ten years as an example, five police stations in ten years?

They must be mad! George Lucas has quit working on Star Wars. They can't possibly wring any more money out of it?!

Sure they can. People still watch the Star Wars movies, don't they? People still buy non-LEGO Star Wars merchandise. So people will continue buying LEGO Star Wars sets. I don't see why everyone seems to think that something about LEGO Star Wars's originality or success has changed in the past thirteen years.

[Sir Kohran]

For a company that once extolled the value of creativity and imagination, I find this eternal reliance on a licensed franchise more than a little sad.

Not that it'll matter in the slightest to Lego of course, as long as the line remains profitable.

Edited by Sir Kohran, Feb 13 2012 - 03:06 PM.

[Damaracx 7.0]

Wait does that mean before they had the renewal this was originally the last year of lucas arts partnership with LEGO?

[Zarohum]

I thought they just renewed it in 2010. Not complaining. Well, looking forward to seeing how many more hundreds of specialized bricks they'll make. They've already made 3 of every good set. Let's just see how many X-wings we'll have in the next 10 years.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

For a company that once extolled the value of creativity and imagination, I find this eternal reliance on a licensed franchise more than a little sad.

Not that it'll matter in the slightest to Lego of course, as long as the line remains profitable.

Is it really less imaginative to build something from a movie than it is to build something from real life? If you build a police car then you're building off the creativity of the people who designed that car and the many other creative minds whose works inspired its design. If you build an X-Wing Starfighter, likewise, you're building off the creative minds of the designers for the films and all their sources of inspiration.

A lot of people even consider story themes like BIONICLE an insult to TLG's values of imagination and creativity, because, in their eyes, TLG is doing the imagining "for" kids and spoon-feeding them a pre-made story rather than letting them make up stories of their own. But as with licensed themes, the official stories and models are just a starting point for kids' creativity. Hence I feel the argument against licensed themes falls apart almost as easily as the argument against story themes.

Meanwhile, I wouldn't say TLG is relying on the Star Wars theme. The City theme, after all, is quite successful, probably even more so than Star Wars these days. But TLG would be foolish to give up their Star Wars license. Why? Because Lucasfilms by now is well aware that Star Wars building toys sell well. If TLG failed to renew their license, then Lucasfilms would approach one of TLG's competitors, and no matter how good TLG's in-house themes remained I don't think that that turn of events would end well for them.

[Heisenberg]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

[Phyoohrii]

Oh man, MORE X-Wings and TIE Fighters? Man, they've done those to death! Maybe they should try thinking of doing some other Star Wars sets.

[Waffles]

Cheers to ten more years of remakes of remakes old sets!

However, by the time Mr Lucas is finished screwing around and changing the movies, (if there is an end, he might pass the responsibility to someone else after his death) the sets will be so different they'll be practically recognizable save for the names.

When the Millenium Falcon turns into a space llama, I will buy it.

[ChocolateFrogs]

Sounds awesome!
I just wish they could negotiate prices a little more reasonably. Ideally LEGO sets should be at 10 cents per part, but Star Wars sets are almost twice that sometimes.

-CF

[Lyichir]

Sounds awesome!
I just wish they could negotiate prices a little more reasonably. Ideally LEGO sets should be at 10 cents per part, but Star Wars sets are almost twice that sometimes.

-CF

While price-per-piece is almost always a terrible judge of set value (since a piece that's twice as big as another generally costs twice as much to produce), it's well known that Star Wars sets are overpriced. But that's licensing costs for ya.

[Toa Zaz]

Should've known that greedy capitalist George Lucas would want to keep the money rolling in...

[Zarohum]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year, and the Clone wars ends in about a year and a half, according to plan.

[Despair]

Looks like I just won a years-long debate with one of my real life friends who thought LEGO wouldn't renew their deal with Lucasfilm.

Pardon me while I go brag about it to him.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the remakes that will (inevitably) come. There are a few sets that had potential, but couldn't quite meet expectations; hopefully the next time around they will succeed.

[DeeVee]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

[Bambi]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

So, Lucas won't be making anything new?

[Zarohum]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

So, Lucas won't be making anything new?

There's a live-action TV show they're working on between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Plus there's always video games.

[Lyichir]

Should've known that greedy capitalist George Lucas would want to keep the money rolling in...

Not to mention the greedy capitalist LEGO. Seriously, George Lucas has made some major headdesk-inspiring decisions, but there's honestly no reason to lay blame on him for LEGO and him mutually agreeing to continue a line that fans love and is consistently a top-selling item. LEGO stopping making LEGO Star Wars wouldn't be any virtuous thing; it would be economic self-mutilation that would land the highly profitable Star Wars building toy license with a competitor. And don't think Lucas would think twice about that, either: not out of spite, but as the only sane business decision he could make. With a fanbase of thousands, the fury over LEGO Star Wars ending would be exponentially greater than that over BIONICLE's end. LEGO would look absolutely brainless for bowing to haters of the franchise rather than serving their actual customer base.

[Parazan]

If LEGO star-wars DID end,imagine the thousands of "Bring back LEGO STAR WARS!" ideas submitted to CUUSOO everyday.
Plus,Legoboy would bring more of his minions to CUUSOO.
All-in-all,most LSW sets are good,and while BIONICLE had millions of fans,LSW has a a fanbase of HUNDREDS of millions of fans,and if that Curious George Lucas moved on to Mega-blocks,it would earn him a bad reputation,and sales would drop.

-CDP

Edited by cooldynamyteproductions, Feb 20 2012 - 10:17 PM.

[Erebus]

Not surprised that they renewed the license, but I am surprised they renewed it for another ten years.

[Damaracx 7.0]

I thought they just renewed it in 2010. Not complaining. Well, looking forward to seeing how many more hundreds of specialized bricks they'll make. They've already made 3 of every good set. Let's just see how many X-wings we'll have in the next 10 years.

and Millennium Falcons as well.

[Heisenberg]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

So, Lucas won't be making anything new?

The Clone Wars has at least two more seasons, if I recall correctly, so it'll either end in 2013 or 2014. I expect the live-action TV series will spring up after TCW is done. Not to mention video games, though with TFU3's apparent cancellation, I'm not sure if that'll be coming back.

You've also got novels and comics, which I suspect will continue being written until the end of time.

[Zarohum]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

So, Lucas won't be making anything new?

The Clone Wars has at least two more seasons, if I recall correctly, so it'll either end in 2013 or 2014. I expect the live-action TV series will spring up after TCW is done. Not to mention video games, though with TFU3's apparent cancellation, I'm not sure if that'll be coming back.

You've also got novels and comics, which I suspect will continue being written until the end of time.

Well, since TFU II didn't do so well (For obvious reasons. Sorry if you disagree, which your avatar suggests you might), I doubt they'd bother. Plus what are they gonna do? Clone Marek again?

I thought they just renewed it in 2010. Not complaining. Well, looking forward to seeing how many more hundreds of specialized bricks they'll make. They've already made 3 of every good set. Let's just see how many X-wings we'll have in the next 10 years.

and Millennium Falcons as well.

Yeah. And Slave I.















Man, I need to watch the original trilogy sometime soon.

Edited by Zarohum, Feb 25 2012 - 01:47 PM.

[WORT WORT WORT]

we do not have the new ahsoka minifig
maybe we need a clone wig pack, comes with 13 wigs 4 ur clone armymaking needs
mayeb we need a jawa batle pack
maybe we need a wookie battle pak
maybe we need the dude with the glowy thing.. .glowstick... watev it is called

hakkan: lego star war was gonna end in 2015

Edited by WORT WORT WORT, Feb 25 2012 - 02:01 PM.

[Heisenberg]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

So, Lucas won't be making anything new?

The Clone Wars has at least two more seasons, if I recall correctly, so it'll either end in 2013 or 2014. I expect the live-action TV series will spring up after TCW is done. Not to mention video games, though with TFU3's apparent cancellation, I'm not sure if that'll be coming back.

You've also got novels and comics, which I suspect will continue being written until the end of time.

Well, since TFU II didn't do so well (For obvious reasons. Sorry if you disagree, which your avatar suggests you might), I doubt they'd bother. Plus what are they gonna do? Clone Marek again?

Don't worry, I hated TFUII. Though I must point out that Marek['s clone] is still alive at the end of TFUII, as well as Kota, with Darth Vader in custody, so something has to be resolved there for the sake of continuity.

Anyway, yeah. Star Wars ain't goin' nowhere.

[Zarohum]

It's not surprising. Star Wars is everywhere, and undoubtedly will be for the next decade or so, what with the 3D re-releases and the ongoing Clone Wars.

I'm not complaining, though. I love me some LSW.

Well, the 3-D movies are only this year.

Actually, the current plan is one a year, so Episode I was this year, II would be next year in 2013, etc.

So, Lucas won't be making anything new?

The Clone Wars has at least two more seasons, if I recall correctly, so it'll either end in 2013 or 2014. I expect the live-action TV series will spring up after TCW is done. Not to mention video games, though with TFU3's apparent cancellation, I'm not sure if that'll be coming back.

You've also got novels and comics, which I suspect will continue being written until the end of time.

Well, since TFU II didn't do so well (For obvious reasons. Sorry if you disagree, which your avatar suggests you might), I doubt they'd bother. Plus what are they gonna do? Clone Marek again?

Don't worry, I hated TFUII. Though I must point out that Marek['s clone] is still alive at the end of TFUII, as well as Kota, with Darth Vader in custody, so something has to be resolved there for the sake of continuity.

Anyway, yeah. Star Wars ain't goin' nowhere.

Ok, well... I've never played either one. Own the first one, my computer's just to ###### to play it. Even though, just like The Old Republic, i was with it since the beginning of production. ;_;

Well, uh... TFUII is between IV and V, right?

[The Legendary QQQQ]

This isn't really surprizing.

I'd already gotten bored of LEGO Star Wars remaking the same sets every year at the last renewal tho.

[QQQQ]

[Lyichir]

This isn't really surprizing.

I'd already gotten bored of LEGO Star Wars remaking the same sets every year at the last renewal tho.

[QQQQ]

So had I, until I actually took a closer look at how much better each rerelease was than its previous version. Take a look at the new X-Wing and TIE Fighter (or for that matter, the most recent Slave I) and you'll see what I mean.