131 replies to this topic

[Hapori Tohu]

While attending Brickcon this past weekend, I took advantage of the opportunity to talk to Kevin Hinkle, the bridge between the fan community and the Lego Group. In general we just chatted about Lego, Cuusoo, and random things. At one point, however, I did mention that'd I'd like some sort of official word on Bionicle's status within the company, so I asked him to say that Bionicle is never coming back, just to quell the rumours. His response? Read on.

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[toa electro]

well ill be darned ! that sounds promisng for bionicles future

[Taipu1]

I don't think this is anything more than we had already established, but at least its recent and from an official source.

[toa electro]

thank the great biengs! XD this has given me hope for it comming back,
i wonder if it will have a crosssover to hf or if it will be reincarnated in a different way, or possibly just what we have been hoping for just a continuation of bionicle in a more media freindly way ( like more kids books tv shows etc,)

[LewaLew]

Nothing new. Just like when it ended, they're not saying it isn't coming back, and they're not saying that it will.

Only new info I think is that we know we won't see it next year, but that's not exactly surprising. I think LEGO will wait longer, until all of those kids who already know what BIONICLE is are no longer in the target demographic. And that's only if they choose to bring it back at all.

[Takhamavahu]

I wouldn't get too excited. We already knew this. They're never going to toss Bionicle in the bin completely, but for now, and the forseeable future, Hero Factory is serving every purpose they needed Bionicle for. Think like the gap between runs of Knights Kingdom or Space Police as a reference for how long untill Bionicle might be considered to return.

[GSR]

Yeah, this sounds like reconfirmation of what we already knew, with the bonus tidbit that it's not coming back next year, which was already quite obvious if not (until now) explicitly stated. Lego's not going to say "line X is never coming back", because any line may very well come back some day, and it's silly to act like it's completely impossible. But like you put in bold at the top, I wouldn't read into this too much.

[Gamzee Makara]

Slow news day?

[Mesonak]

Old news. This news seems to me to only serve the purpose of inciting controversy and discussion when there really isn't just cause for it.

We already knew that Lego has never ruled out the possibility of its return. That's what the term "forseeable future" means. They have no immediate plans, but there's not going to put out the broad statement of "there's no way it'll ever come back", because Lego is a business. If they think that the return of BIONICLE sets could be profitable for their company, they will bring it back.

-Mesonak

Edited by Mesonak, Oct 09 2012 - 12:46 PM.

[afro toa]

Wow, It's been a while since I've been on here.

Anyway, Regarding to what Lewalew & Takhamavahu said. It makes sense that Lego would wait a while to bring back Bionicle. If Bionicle came back anytime soon, who's to say it we would all like it? They might redo the story, change some of the key features that made Bionicle unique or even change the building style?It would make sense for Lego to appeal to a new audience in the future because we might all criticize on how "not Bionicle" it might be.

But anyway that's my opinion. Regardless on how (or if) Bionicle ever come's back, I'll support it.

[SkullKid]

Meh, whatever you can do to keep the spark alive I guess!

[Makaru]

So the official word is there's no official word.

Gotcha.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Well, this changes nothing. Except that we now know that if Bionicle does come back, it won't be until 2014 at the earliest.

At least there is still a chance it could comeback someday.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

That just means that the company has an idea that to bring it back someday should it be deemed a moneymaker. He can neither confirm nor deny its return.

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

So... basically the same information we were given when Bionicle ended? Honestly, I think they could probably say the same thing for any line.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

(Not particularly surprising. I mean, of course they can't say it'll never return because Bionicle was one of Lego's most successful themes. If every they go through some hard times then they at least have something to fall back on as a last resort. So if they say it's not coming back, then have to bring it back, they're gonna look a right fool.)

[Meiko]

I'd actually heard the same reply at BrickFair, and I asked Kevin "Is that gonna be what you say about every unreleased theme information", and he said yes or something of the sort. I then asked him if there are any plans to bring back Galidor, and he said the same thing.

[xccj]

So a failed Troll attempt.

In my mind, if they ever do "bring Bionicle back" it'll look completely unlike the theme we knew and would probably just use the same theme name with different characters / setting, ext.

Plus, when it does come back, we'll have classic monorail back too. They confirmed this would happen at Bricks Cascade, after all. Yayz!

[Magnetic Vorahk]

Well, we already knew this, really. The press release announcing the end of the BIONICLE sets didn't say "cancelled" or "discontinued", it said "for the foreseeable future". Greg said LEGO is keeping BIONICLE "in their back pocket". LEGO did have the story continue, probably a failsafe if they ever wanted to bring it back, and keeping BIONICLE.com and BIONICLEstory.com up isn't free, so they probably don't want to erase it. Anybody who has been saying that BIONICLE is dead is just overreacting. I see its return as a certainty in the next couple years, especially considering that HF seems to be winding down. The sets are in resealable bags now, they've dropped the character's first names and numerical designations (what was once "William Furno 2.0" is now simply "Furno"), and the current line is really seeming like HF's Stars. So yeah.

[Bricknave]

What this probably means is if the circumstances were right, LEGO could continue Bionicle or reboot it, but they wouldn't otherwise. I don't think anyone should expect Bionicle to come back anytime soon, however, we should acknowledge that a Bionicle continuation or reboot isn't impossible.

[Takua Nui]

I honestly don't think that Hero Factory will run for more than two more years, so I think it may be possible.

[Creep Of The Deep]

As others said this doesn't really mean anything. Sadly this could give Anti-HF/"true hardcore BIONICLE fans" more stuff to whine about.

[Death of the Endless]

Even if it does come back, it won't be the Bionicle we know and love.

I'd love to be proven wrong, though.

Heh, I can see it now: all of us as crotchety old men and women muttering about how much better Bionicle was in our day. Oh wait, that's already what most of this forum is about.

[Obsessionist]

I hesitate to read to deeply into what might have no meaning, but this is something. Of course they're not going to throw away Bionicle completely, but haven't we had a lot of joking and sarcastic-y comments about Bionicle's return before? Something less negative is certainly welcome, and could be the result of some discussion, at least, withing the Lego company regarding Bionicle. Or it could be an offhand comment.

I'd actually heard the same reply at BrickFair, and I asked Kevin "Is that gonna be what you say about every unreleased theme information", and he said yes or something of the sort. I then asked him if there are any plans to bring back Galidor, and he said the same thing.

And the third, and, I think, most likely reason is that the Lego employees (or just Kevin) have have either come up with a set response to satisfy us annoying fans of discontinued themes.

Also it could be TLG's instructions regarding all discontinued themes.

Whatever it is, I thank you for posting it, because it is worth knowing. Here's hoping no serious flaming/arguments break out that have already been discussed multiple times.

[Vostrakha The Impossible]

Well, nothing dies truly. Fingers crossed, I guess. I just hope that the quality of the sets gets better, becasuse the last 3 years of Bionicle were pretty badly designed.

[Tekulo the WindWriter]

Well, I heard that they're going to make Lewa a girl and she'll be dating both Pohatu and Kopaka to challenge their friendship.

Also, the new shadow villain will have four heads instead of three!

It should all go down in 2020. You'll see.

On a serious note, I am interested by this. I wonder if we will see Bionicle's return someday. I hope they make a few changes if they do... Okay, a lot of changes. XP

Edited by Tekulo: Toa of the Breeze, Oct 09 2012 - 03:59 PM.

[fishers64]

Well, if he told us that Bionicle was never coming back, there is a fine possibility that some of us would get ticked off, pound some hard objects, and never buy Lego again.

In other words, it is the standard non-alienation speech. They would rather string us along on the possibility of it coming back if it gets them more money.

[kalhiki]

Hm. If it does come back in 2014, it'd be sooner than I expected. HF seems to be nearing its end with Von Nebula's possible return. Personally, I thought we'd have one short-ish constraction line between Hero Factory and a possible return of Bionicle, but if Bionicle comes back in 2014, that would mean Hero Factory gets two waves in 2013, and ends.
Either way, this is pretty cool to hear. If it does return, I want a reboot. Go back to the magical, simple, mysterious story that was 2001.

Kalhiki

[that guy from that show]

Lego often has reasonable gap between similar themes. After checking Brickset I listed the differences.

Alpha Team – Agents --> 3 years
Aquazone – Aqua Raiders --> 8 years
Aqua Raiders – Atlantis -->3 years
Dinosaurs – Dino Attack --> 4 years
Dino Attack – Dino --> 6 years
Exo-Force – Ninjago --> 3 years
Rock Raiders – Power Miners --> 9 years

After averaging the results I came up with the number 5.14. I predict Bionicle will return somewhere around 2015. I would be surprised if it returned latter then 2020.

My fear is that when it does come back, it will have the awful oversimplified building the Hero Factory is moving towards

Edited by that guy from that show, Oct 09 2012 - 04:51 PM.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

^ VERY interesting!

Maybe Lego doesn't want us to know their inner workings. Greg always used to say exactly the same thing whenever we quizzed him about future story.

Edited by Makuta_of_Oz, Oct 09 2012 - 04:46 PM.

[Valendale]

Eh, this seems to be just them covering thier bases in case it ever does come back. I know that's what I would do in that situation.

[Lewa Krom]

I really hope this turns out to be true, mostly because I want it to be true.

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive!

Edit: On a side note, I love the contrast between Lego and Wizards of the Coast. If this were WotC, and they were indeed going to be bringing it back, they would be flat out lying saying they weren't going to bring it back. Makes me respect Lego more having seen how other companies do it.

Edited by Lewa Krom, Oct 09 2012 - 05:44 PM.

[.:Yio:.]

Lego often has reasonable gap between similar themes. After checking Brickset I listed the differences.

Alpha Team – Agents --> 3 years
Aquazone – Aqua Raiders --> 8 years
Aqua Raiders – Atlantis -->3 years
Dinosaurs – Dino Attack --> 4 years
Dino Attack – Dino --> 6 years
Exo-Force – Ninjago --> 3 years
Rock Raiders – Power Miners --> 9 years

After averaging the results I came up with the number 5.14. I predict Bionicle will return somewhere around 2015. I would be surprised if it returned latter then 2020.

My fear is that when it does come back, it will have the awful oversimplified building the Hero Factory is moving towards

You do realise that these themes are not the same after the gaps. The storie and sets are totally different. That would be like BIONICLE followed by a similiar theme aka Hero Factory which has happened.

To be honest this news doesn't tell us anything new, this is exactly the same as LEGO saying they would discontinue BIONICLE for the"forseeable future" 3 years ago.

[that guy from that show]

Lego often has reasonable gap between similar themes. After checking Brickset I listed the differences.

Alpha Team – Agents --> 3 years
Aquazone – Aqua Raiders --> 8 years
Aqua Raiders – Atlantis -->3 years
Dinosaurs – Dino Attack --> 4 years
Dino Attack – Dino --> 6 years
Exo-Force – Ninjago --> 3 years
Rock Raiders – Power Miners --> 9 years

After averaging the results I came up with the number 5.14. I predict Bionicle will return somewhere around 2015. I would be surprised if it returned latter then 2020.

My fear is that when it does come back, it will have the awful oversimplified building the Hero Factory is moving towards

You do realise that these themes are not the same after the gaps. The storie and sets are totally different. That would be like BIONICLE followed by a similiar theme aka Hero Factory which has happened.

To be honest this news doesn't tell us anything new, this is exactly the same as LEGO saying they would discontinue BIONICLE for the"forseeable future" 3 years ago.

Well we can't expect Lego to bring back exactly the same sets, LEGO has never done that before. Making something they've already done before would certainly be a pour business move. I used the themes I did because they have the same basic conflict and same basic feel. We can't expect LEGO to bring back a series that uses the same characters and same appearances as the first. It would be repetitive and turn off newer buyers.

What was successful about Bionicle was not necessarily the appearance or story but the premise. The idea of robots fighting evil in a mysterious mythos is cool, when Bionicle come back it will probably use the same universe, powers, and some plot elements but expecting the same characters, story, and appearance is asking to much.

Most likely it will return in the same manner as the Bara Magna reboot.

Edited by that guy from that show, Oct 09 2012 - 05:19 PM.

[Wind Elemental]

I'm not sure whether he's keeping secrets or he's just saying that to get our hopes up. If it somehow comes back, people will go like "HF HAS NO REASON TO EXSIST ANYMORE" but yah, it would be great to see Bionicle again.

[Paleo]

So the official word is there's no official word.

Gotcha.

Ehhhh. I see whatcha did there.

But yeah. No certainty about a subject that fans want certainty about.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

What was successful about Bionicle was not necessarily the appearance or story but the premise. The idea of robots fighting evil in a mysterious mythos is cool, when Bionicle come back it will probably use the same universe, powers, and some plot elements but expecting the same characters, story, and appearance is asking to much.

I agree. I'd like it better if they did it like this. And they have a lot to work with too, both story-wise and set-wise, so this would definitely be the easiest way to do it.

[Nujanii: Kanohi Master]

I like to think they'll bring it back after breakout is over, but I think it'll be much longer...

[~Shockwave~]

there's just one thing that doesn't sit right here. the fact that it was stated that it would not be returning next year is... an interesting observation to make if he knew that it wasn't coming back at all. but the rest is probably what they would say for anything, really.

Well, we already knew this, really. The press release announcing the end of the BIONICLE sets didn't say "cancelled" or "discontinued", it said "for the foreseeable future". Greg said LEGO is keeping BIONICLE "in their back pocket". LEGO did have the story continue, probably a failsafe if they ever wanted to bring it back, and keeping BIONICLE.com and BIONICLEstory.com up isn't free, so they probably don't want to erase it. Anybody who has been saying that BIONICLE is dead is just overreacting. I see its return as a certainty in the next couple years, especially considering that HF seems to be winding down. The sets are in resealable bags now, they've dropped the character's first names and numerical designations (what was once "William Furno 2.0" is now simply "Furno"), and the current line is really seeming like HF's Stars. So yeah.

that's rock solid proof. for approximately nothing. in fact it doesn't say anything. the plastic bags probably cost less, so they can keep the price down. the names mean nothing. and considering they are releasing ALL of the heroes its nothing like that.

I am Shockwave. So, logically your argument is invalid.

'nuff said.

Edited by <shockwave>, Oct 09 2012 - 06:16 PM.

[Bulik]

Lego often has reasonable gap between similar themes. After checking Brickset I listed the differences.

Alpha Team – Agents --> 3 years
Aquazone – Aqua Raiders --> 8 years
Aqua Raiders – Atlantis -->3 years
Dinosaurs – Dino Attack --> 4 years
Dino Attack – Dino --> 6 years
Exo-Force – Ninjago --> 3 years
Rock Raiders – Power Miners --> 9 years

After averaging the results I came up with the number 5.14. I predict Bionicle will return somewhere around 2015. I would be surprised if it returned latter then 2020.

My fear is that when it does come back, it will have the awful oversimplified building the Hero Factory is moving towards

This quote sums up my opinions on the return of bionicle.

And in the official email black six, it said

the six BIONICLE Stars launching in January will be the last BIONICLE sets for the foreseeable future.

So within the next few years we will hopefully be outside of their foreseeable future fom 2009. Kevin Hinkle can neither confirm or deny that bionicle wil be dead forever, beause lego isn't going to throw money out the window if they have a line that has proven itself worthy before, and can do it again wih a new generation, backed up by the old fans.