131 replies to this topic

[Makuta_of_Oz]

Can I just say, this rumour that has popped up here sounds a lot like the kind of thing one could see on the LEGO Club Messageboards, no offence.

[Ballom]

It amuses me that people respond to this as if it meant anything new.

Also, lol, British spelling. Wonder which reporter posted this one. . .

~B~

Edited by Ballom, Oct 09 2012 - 06:33 PM.

[Applejack]

inb4itdoesntcomeback


If it comes back in 2 years, I'll be surprised.

[Spinjitzu Master]

Ah...I think that is a true statement. No one really knows about what will happen in the future, so this is a very reasonable answer. Not really anything new.

I do hope it returns in glory, though.

[Dorek]

So in order to get explicit confirmation in order to quell the rumor machine, you instead get an ambiguous statement, which you post knowing that will only fuel the rumor machine, but also tell us "not to read too much into it" knowing people will do exactly that no matter what?

That makes my brain hurt >:

[Makuta_of_Oz]

So in order to get explicit confirmation in order to quell the rumor machine, you instead get an ambiguous statement, which you post knowing that will only fuel the rumor machine, but also tell us "not to read too much into it" knowing people will do exactly that no matter what?

That makes my brain hurt >:

Slow news time.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Wow, a representative of a company chose not to speak in absolutes. Clearly we should take this as a sign that the chances of BIONICLE coming back have somehow gotten stronger.

Seriously, this might have made sense as an offhanded comment in someone's blog. Posting it as news makes it sound as if we know something now that we haven't known since BIONICLE ended in the first place: that given an unlimited span of time, a company is capable of changing its plans.

Personally, I think it's possible that under certain circumstances BIONICLE could return. I think it's impossible at this time to predict what those circumstances would be or how they would arise. But that doesn't make it any less ridiculous to expect an absolute confirmation of the company's future plans no matter what those might be, because there will always be the possibility that they could change.

Hopefully once Ninjago's been gone for two years people who ask this question (just like they ask about Fabuland, or 9V train tracks, or monorails) will know better than to mistake a non-commital answer for news.

Edited by Aanchir: Rachira of Time, Oct 09 2012 - 08:06 PM.

[MIY]

The negativity in this forum is unbelievable, what happend to the BZPower I once new and loved? This is the exact reason why I left this forum because everyone here focuses on the negatives of every situation. My gosh I swear when Bionicle does come back, most of the comments will be "Oh well it won't be as good as it was". Okay sure you're probably right, but who cares? We have Bionicle and that's what matters to me, and that's what should matter to you as well. As soon as there's hope on this forum, people shoot it down like nothing matters anymore. All the great memory's I've had with Bionicle, I'd do anything to get those back and relive them. You people act like it's done forever and there's no hope at all, we might as well get the hero factory because that's all we'll ever get. People there is hope, and it will come back, do you honestly believe that LEGO is stupid enough to not bring back Bionicle with a full reboot just to share all the great memory's (and money) all over again? There's a reason it is Lego's 2nd best selling theme of all time, because it it was good. People like story, people like to feel the characters they're buying are important, something Hero Factory fails to do...and LEGO realises this, they know that Hero Factory has no story. How do I know this? Because they haven't attempted to give it any real one yet. Lego knows that Bionicle is better and they don't want to admit it because they want people to buy Hero Factory. Hero Factory relise on the "new" factor for it's sales and it's the same sets every year. I can garantue you that this is Hero Factory's second last year, that's why there's a lack of new molds. Bionicle will come back in the next 3 years I garantue you that, and why you people don't want to admit it, or every time someone like me comes along and says things like these you shut them down, I don't know why, but face the facts, Bionicles coming back.

[GBV]

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.

I would have to be dead if they bring it back then.
My one fear of TLG bringing BIONICLE back, would be if they completely butcher the story/building system and we would be stuck with Hero Factory sets under the name of BIONICLE.

Edited by Brander, Oct 09 2012 - 08:34 PM.

[Lewa Krom]

The negativity in this forum is unbelievable, what happend to the BZPower I once new and loved? This is the exact reason why I left this forum because everyone here focuses on the negatives of every situation. My gosh I swear when Bionicle does come back, most of the comments will be "Oh well it won't be as good as it was". Okay sure you're probably right, but who cares? We have Bionicle and that's what matters to me, and that's what should matter to you as well. As soon as there's hope on this forum, people shoot it down like nothing matters anymore. All the great memory's I've had with Bionicle, I'd do anything to get those back and relive them. You people act like it's done forever and there's no hope at all, we might as well get the hero factory because that's all we'll ever get. People there is hope, and it will come back, do you honestly believe that LEGO is stupid enough to not bring back Bionicle with a full reboot just to share all the great memory's (and money) all over again? There's a reason it is Lego's 2nd best selling theme of all time, because it it was good. People like story, people like to feel the characters they're buying are important, something Hero Factory fails to do...and LEGO realises this, they know that Hero Factory has no story. How do I know this? Because they haven't attempted to give it any real one yet. Lego knows that Bionicle is better and they don't want to admit it because they want people to buy Hero Factory. Hero Factory relise on the "new" factor for it's sales and it's the same sets every year. I can garantue you that this is Hero Factory's second last year, that's why there's a lack of new molds. Bionicle will come back in the next 3 years I garantue you that, and why you people don't want to admit it, or every time someone like me comes along and says things like these you shut them down, I don't know why, but face the facts, Bionicles coming back.

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

[Delta Titan Sparta]

Yeah! I mean, Bionicle's back! It might not exactly be what you grew up with, but it's a better story than Hero Factory!

[Tecnokua]

Even if bionicle came back what would it do would they restart it with same characters different story line or continue on from before i mean they did a pretty good job of raping bionicle up so i don't know what they could do with it if they brought it back.... so i got no clue of what will happen next but all i know is that i can say is i can't wait "if it does" come back see how Bionicle has improved with new elements and parts.

Edited by tecnokua, Oct 09 2012 - 09:05 PM.

[bonesiii]

As I pointed out before, even the CEO of LEGO can't accurately say for sure that Bionicle will never come back, as the current CEO might change his own mind in the future or a new CEO might disagree. How much more, then, is an employee bound to not say that!

And since I pointed that out already prior to this, IMO that makes it clear that it wasn't "settled" in that sense. What was settled is that for now LEGO has no plans to bring it back. A statement that it's possible someday it might doesn't contradict that.

I see nothing here, sorry.

[Mesonak]

The negativity in this forum is unbelievable, what happend to the BZPower I once new and loved? This is the exact reason why I left this forum because everyone here focuses on the negatives of every situation. My gosh I swear when Bionicle does come back, most of the comments will be "Oh well it won't be as good as it was". Okay sure you're probably right, but who cares? We have Bionicle and that's what matters to me, and that's what should matter to you as well. As soon as there's hope on this forum, people shoot it down like nothing matters anymore. All the great memory's I've had with Bionicle, I'd do anything to get those back and relive them. You people act like it's done forever and there's no hope at all, we might as well get the hero factory because that's all we'll ever get. People there is hope, and it will come back, do you honestly believe that LEGO is stupid enough to not bring back Bionicle with a full reboot just to share all the great memory's (and money) all over again? There's a reason it is Lego's 2nd best selling theme of all time, because it it was good. People like story, people like to feel the characters they're buying are important, something Hero Factory fails to do...and LEGO realises this, they know that Hero Factory has no story. How do I know this? Because they haven't attempted to give it any real one yet. Lego knows that Bionicle is better and they don't want to admit it because they want people to buy Hero Factory. Hero Factory relise on the "new" factor for it's sales and it's the same sets every year. I can garantue you that this is Hero Factory's second last year, that's why there's a lack of new molds. Bionicle will come back in the next 3 years I garantue you that, and why you people don't want to admit it, or every time someone like me comes along and says things like these you shut them down, I don't know why, but face the facts, Bionicles coming back.

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

I've got no problem with people having hope. But there are certain people on this forum and elsewhere that like to take every grasp of info supporting BIONICLE's possible return to the extreme (like certain quotes from Greg, to name one) and obsess over it, going on and making repetitive comments, mini-rants, and ... interesting ... posts (like the one you quoted) regarding the issue.

It's pretty annoying. The majority of people who actively peruse the forums got pretty tired of it a while ago. There's a very fine line between optimism and fanaticism, just like there's a way regarding pessimism and realism.

You don't have to want BIONICLE to come back to be a fan; some just don't think now is the right time with Lego's current mindset (which it isn't), some don't want to see the franchise they love tarnished by a return handled improperly, this has all been covered before. This news article is nothing substantial, and was created solely to incite all of this again and get peoples' tempers flaring. It's obviously succeeded. :/

-Mesonak

Edited by Mesonak, Oct 09 2012 - 09:07 PM.

[Bfahome]

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

No, see, this is the problem. "I can't say" is not "yes". "Maybe" is not "yes". All the people were doing was giving a reality check. Trying to keep people from latching fervently on to any answer that isn't "no" as absolute proof that BIONICLE's coming back.

It might.

It might not.

You need to be prepared for either outcome and not be so attached to one that the other is not within your comprehension.

As it is, we have a vague answer that could be applied to anything. It doesn't mean anything more than this story.

[MIY]

The negativity in this forum is unbelievable, what happend to the BZPower I once new and loved? This is the exact reason why I left this forum because everyone here focuses on the negatives of every situation. My gosh I swear when Bionicle does come back, most of the comments will be "Oh well it won't be as good as it was". Okay sure you're probably right, but who cares? We have Bionicle and that's what matters to me, and that's what should matter to you as well. As soon as there's hope on this forum, people shoot it down like nothing matters anymore. All the great memory's I've had with Bionicle, I'd do anything to get those back and relive them. You people act like it's done forever and there's no hope at all, we might as well get the hero factory because that's all we'll ever get. People there is hope, and it will come back, do you honestly believe that LEGO is stupid enough to not bring back Bionicle with a full reboot just to share all the great memory's (and money) all over again? There's a reason it is Lego's 2nd best selling theme of all time, because it it was good. People like story, people like to feel the characters they're buying are important, something Hero Factory fails to do...and LEGO realises this, they know that Hero Factory has no story. How do I know this? Because they haven't attempted to give it any real one yet. Lego knows that Bionicle is better and they don't want to admit it because they want people to buy Hero Factory. Hero Factory relise on the "new" factor for it's sales and it's the same sets every year. I can garantue you that this is Hero Factory's second last year, that's why there's a lack of new molds. Bionicle will come back in the next 3 years I garantue you that, and why you people don't want to admit it, or every time someone like me comes along and says things like these you shut them down, I don't know why, but face the facts, Bionicles coming back.

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

I've got no problem with people having hope. But there are certain people on this forum and elsewhere that like to take every grasp of info supporting BIONICLE's possible return to the extreme (like certain quotes from Greg, to name one) and obsess over it, going on and making repetitive comments, mini-rants, and ... interesting ... posts (like the one you quoted) regarding the issue.

It's pretty annoying. The majority of people who actively peruse the forums got pretty tired of it a while ago. There's a very fine line between optimism and fanaticism, just like there's a way regarding pessimism and realism.

You don't have to want BIONICLE to come back to be a fan; some just don't think now is the right time with Lego's current mindset (which it isn't), some don't want to see the franchise they love tarnished by a return handled improperly, this has all been covered before. This news article is nothing substantial, and was created solely to incite all of this again and get peoples' tempers flaring. It's obviously succeeded. :/

-Mesonak

Okay dude, you have a problem with my post great but ask yourself this question, would you rather listen to consint positivity or negativity?

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

No, see, this is the problem. "I can't say" is not "yes". "Maybe" is not "yes". All the people were doing was giving a reality check. Trying to keep people from latching fervently on to any answer that isn't "no" as absolute proof that BIONICLE's coming back.

It might.

It might not.

You need to be prepared for either outcome and not be so attached to one that the other is not within your comprehension.

As it is, we have a vague answer that could be applied to anything. It doesn't mean anything more than this story.

Okay but people treat every inch of hope in disbelif and refuse any hope they might get from it. Just negative people are not happy and fun to be around and extremly annoying to listen to, which is why I left this forum because it's an un-official rule here that you have to deny all hope and take every news with negativity.

The negativity in this forum is unbelievable, what happend to the BZPower I once new and loved? This is the exact reason why I left this forum because everyone here focuses on the negatives of every situation. My gosh I swear when Bionicle does come back, most of the comments will be "Oh well it won't be as good as it was". Okay sure you're probably right, but who cares? We have Bionicle and that's what matters to me, and that's what should matter to you as well. As soon as there's hope on this forum, people shoot it down like nothing matters anymore. All the great memory's I've had with Bionicle, I'd do anything to get those back and relive them. You people act like it's done forever and there's no hope at all, we might as well get the hero factory because that's all we'll ever get. People there is hope, and it will come back, do you honestly believe that LEGO is stupid enough to not bring back Bionicle with a full reboot just to share all the great memory's (and money) all over again? There's a reason it is Lego's 2nd best selling theme of all time, because it it was good. People like story, people like to feel the characters they're buying are important, something Hero Factory fails to do...and LEGO realises this, they know that Hero Factory has no story. How do I know this? Because they haven't attempted to give it any real one yet. Lego knows that Bionicle is better and they don't want to admit it because they want people to buy Hero Factory. Hero Factory relise on the "new" factor for it's sales and it's the same sets every year. I can garantue you that this is Hero Factory's second last year, that's why there's a lack of new molds. Bionicle will come back in the next 3 years I garantue you that, and why you people don't want to admit it, or every time someone like me comes along and says things like these you shut them down, I don't know why, but face the facts, Bionicles coming back.

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

I hear ya, Bionicle will always live on in my heart.

[Tahkorain Toa of Lightning]

I'd give it a few years. To me, I think Lego wanted to try new things and decided to give their most accomplished successes, namely Bionicle, a rest so they can expand on new ideas. And then with careful consideration, Lego would decide to bring it back, but who knows how they're going to bring it back; it could be a reboot or an all-new expansion of the storyline or explore another Bionicle-like universe. One can wonder...

I believe it will come back sometime this century but I wouldn't buy into the whole secrecy and rumor of Bionicle's "haitus", its better to wait and see where things go.

--B.D.L.

[Bfahome]

Okay dude, you have a problem with my post great but ask yourself this question, would you rather listen to consint positivity or negativity?

Neither, if "positivity" takes the form of "BIONICLE has to come back because Hero Factory sucks".

because it's an un-official rule here that you have to deny all hope and take every news with negativity.

No. No it isn't. Acknowledging that BIONICLE has no guarantee of returning isn't "negativity", it's realism. And, honestly, I wouldn't consider clinging to the ghost of BIONICLE like some people are doing "positivity". I haven't turned my back on BIONICLE at all. As I type this I have four Toa Nuva, Turaga Nokama, and two Bohrok staring at me from my windowsill. But I also have MOCs made of both BIONICLE and Hero Factory parts standing next to them. I just don't fervently await its return, because there's the very real possibility that it's done.

Not wanting what you want isn't negativity.

Edited by Bfahome, Oct 09 2012 - 09:31 PM.

[Delta Titan Sparta]

I'm not saying Hero Factory sucks, I'm just saying that Bionicle has a better story, because it's slightly more mature.

[MIY]

Okay dude, you have a problem with my post great but ask yourself this question, would you rather listen to consint positivity or negativity?

Neither, if "positivity" takes the form of "BIONICLE has to come back because Hero Factory sucks".

This doesn't make sense, I never said Hero Factory sucks, I said that Hero Factory doesn't have as close to a story as Bionicle had and LEGO never tried to give them one, stop trying to twist my statment it's rude.

Last time the word sucks has a negative effect so...yea...

I'd give it a few years. To me, I think Lego wanted to try new things and decided to give their most accomplished successes, namely Bionicle, a rest so they can expand on new ideas. And then with careful consideration, Lego would decide to bring it back, but who knows how they're going to bring it back; it could be a reboot or an all-new expansion of the storyline or explore another Bionicle-like universe. One can wonder...

I believe it will come back sometime this century but I wouldn't buy into the whole secrecy and rumor of Bionicle's "haitus", its better to wait and see where things go.

--B.D.L.

I think you mean decade, I hope you mean decade.

Okay dude, you have a problem with my post great but ask yourself this question, would you rather listen to consint positivity or negativity?

Neither, if "positivity" takes the form of "BIONICLE has to come back because Hero Factory sucks".

because it's an un-official rule here that you have to deny all hope and take every news with negativity.

No. No it isn't. Acknowledging that BIONICLE has no guarantee of returning isn't "negativity", it's realism. And, honestly, I wouldn't consider clinging to the ghost of BIONICLE like some people are doing "positivity". I haven't turned my back on BIONICLE at all. As I type this I have four Toa Nuva, Turaga Nokama, and two Bohrok staring at me from my windowsill. But I also have MOCs made of both BIONICLE and Hero Factory parts standing next to them. I just don't fervently await its return, because there's the very real possibility that it's done.

Not wanting what you want isn't negativity.

"no" has a negative output so yes it is negativity, especially whenever BZPower comes out with something new to discuss about Bionicles return, the most commen responce is "it won't come back and if it does, it won't be as good" people should just be happy that there's evidence that LEGO has intrest of bringing it back.

[Bfahome]

Neither, if "positivity" takes the form of "BIONICLE has to come back because Hero Factory sucks".

This doesn't make sense, I never said Hero Factory sucks, I said that Hero Factory doesn't have as close to a story as Bionicle had and LEGO never tried to give them one, stop trying to twist my statment it's rude.

and LEGO never tried to give them one

Well that's kinda not true at all. Hero Factory has a story. It's not as involved as BIONICLE, but that isn't inherently bad. It's fun where BIONICLE couldn't be. And when you say that LEGO knows that Hero Factory is bad and they know that BIONICLE is inherently better, you're making a pretty bold claim.

Also, what lack of new molds? There's been no dearth as far as I can tell.

"no" has a negative output so yes it is negativity, especially whenever BZPower comes out with something new to discuss about Bionicles return, the most commen responce is "it won't come back and if it does, it won't be as good" people should just be happy that there's evidence that LEGO has intrest of bringing it back.

"No" is an inherently negative answer, but using it does not automatically make for a negative statement in the way you mean.

I contend that people should "just be happy" with what we have now instead of looking forward to something that may not happen.

Edited by Bfahome, Oct 09 2012 - 09:42 PM.

[MIY]

Neither, if "positivity" takes the form of "BIONICLE has to come back because Hero Factory sucks".

This doesn't make sense, I never said Hero Factory sucks, I said that Hero Factory doesn't have as close to a story as Bionicle had and LEGO never tried to give them one, stop trying to twist my statment it's rude.

and LEGO never tried to give them one

Well that's kinda not true at all. Hero Factory has a story. It's not as involved as BIONICLE, but that isn't inherently bad. It's fun where BIONICLE couldn't be. And when you say that LEGO knows that Hero Factory is bad and they know that BIONICLE is inherently better, you're making a pretty bold claim.

Also, what lack of new molds? There's been no dearth as far as I can tell.

You forgot the part where I added the word "real" aka. serious, in depth. No no where near as complex as Bionicle's story and you're kidding yourself if you think it's better. I never said they know Hero Factory is bad, they know that they won't get the same effect that Bionicle had on people.

And the lack of molds I ment the masks how they've been recycling.

[Bfahome]

You forgot the part where I added the word "real" aka. serious, in depth. No no where near as complex as Bionicle's story and you're kidding yourself if you think it's better. I never said they know Hero Factory is bad, they know that they won't get the same effect that Bionicle had on people.

And the lack of molds I ment the masks how they've been recycling.

In which case we're using words in entirely different contexts. I figured you either didn't follow the line at all, and so didn't know, or were taking the "no true Scotsman" route. I chose the first interpretation, but I was wrong.

You dismiss Hero Factory's story as not "real" because you don't like it as much, but it nevertheless has one. It's not trying to emulate BIONICLE's edgy serious story. It's a more comic-book style series.

And yes, I like how non-serious Hero Factory is. I like that it can throw out lines like "The function of the surrounding blades has not yet been determined, but one senior analyst suggests they are there to make the entire staff "look scary."" and have them fit with the tone. I like that they had a "ticker" on the website for silly little reports that people sent in. Hero Factory isn't to be taken seriously, which is why I like it.

Also, if you're only looking at the helmets, you're missing a ton. Here's a quick sample of the molds Hero Factory has provided. And that's only what LDD had; not all the pieces are there. Given how in one wave the entire building system was overhauled, personally I'm willing to give them a bit of leeway with new face molds.

[bonesiii]

you're kidding yourself if you think it's better

I only skimmed the other replies here, but really guys, the phrase "much ado about nothing" is very apt here. We don't need to go insulting others just because someone said that he couldn't say Bionicle wasn't ever coming back ever.

In case you really don't know this, the mistake you used there is what I have called "taste discrimination" (not to be confused with discriminating tastes ). It assumes that your random, genetically and experientially acquired preferences for what you enjoy in a story are inherently better than others' different tastes, just because they happen to be yours; a subspecies of Hasty Generalization fallacy (in this case using yourself as the thing that is hastily generalized, and failing to realize that others are legitimately "wired differently.")

I could go into a long lecture on it, re: Society Variety (healthier with different sets of strengths and weaknesses -- which tastes flow from -- in different individuals to meet different challenges, thus we should appreciate others' differences ), but I suspect that at heart you know these things. I think what you're trying to get across is what we all know -- Bionicle was indeed more serious, more in-depth, etc. And thus to those of us who like that better, it is (subjectively) better. And that's probably most of us on here, even now. It's me.

Just pointing out, though, that that doesn't make that taste inherently superior. It is quite possible to have different preferences for a more light-hearted, light-on-story approach that HF does.

In other words, the argument that "it's better, period" only works if it's a given that the person you're talking to already shares your preferences in entertainment (or if you are discriminating against them, but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt ). To someone with the tastes to prefer HF, HF is better.

Personally I can see both tastes, actually. I can enjoy HF for what it's worth and Bionicle. Honestly I never even came close to considering HF would rival Bionicle in terms of epic storytelling, nor did I want that. Bionicle was like lightning striking. If you try to desperately keep up that kind of thing continually instead of relaxing into other lines being something more "just for fun" as with all previous lines (but with story), then IMO it is pretty much doomed to fail. I can wait however long it takes for lightning to strike twice, and I'm "happy with what I have" in Bionicle.

Anywho, back-on-topic... nothing to see here, folks, move along.

Edited by bonesiii, Oct 09 2012 - 10:34 PM.

[~Shockwave~]

Of coarse this would happen....

Hero factory's story isn't really inferior. It's different... that's not bad. It leaves more room for creativity. thats more lego than bionicles story.

But I think most of us can agree that some if it is just bad. But bionicle had a good amount of those moments.

[KlakWest]

Hmm, this was rather unexpected. And people said it wouldn't come back

Well, I known of possibilities of Bionicle coming back, but not something as rumor inducing as this. I think what the person being interviewed meant to say was that Lego has not fully thrown the option of bringing Bionicle back off of the table. Sometime down the road, they'll consider the option, probably when Hero Factory starts to decrease in sales (which probably won't be anytime in the next 2 years).

[Alyska]

I would question the presentation of this "news". I have a feeling that the news team was being facetious when they suggested that this would/should spawn rumours about Bionicle coming back in 2014, but a lot of people are unfortunately taking it seriously. Really, it's just one guy affiliated with LEGO telling us that he can't answer a question/give a statement, either because he's not allowed to, or not informed enough to be sure about it.

[Lyichir]

Yeah, this isn't worth a news post. All it does is create false hope in the people who haven't followed the issue enough to recognize this as a standard response.

[Angel Bob]

IDK what exactly happened, but I agree. The comments here basically have been making sure that all of the coals in the fire of hope are out. They all saw that there was a very faint sliver of possibility of Bionicle coming back that got some people interested and everyone else rushes in to stamp out the fire (which isn't even there).

Let's Keep Bionicle Alive,

Lewa Krom

My personal view on the matter is that, when in doubt about the outcome of some situation, you have two options.

1: Optimistic. If BIONICLE does come back, you have the glory of saying you were right, and everyone should be happy. If it doesn't, however, then you've gotten your hopes up for nothing.
2: Pessimistic. If it does come back, then you're pleasantly surprised. If it doesn't, then at least you were expecting it, so it's less of a blow.

I would always choose the second option, because I think it's better to be pleasantly surprised about being wrong than being crushed and defeated by being wrong.

[Sumiki]

Since the end of BIONICLE, any LEGO employee who has been asked this question - or one similar enough to it - has responded with the same statement, which is essentially a glorified combination of "I don't know, so let's not rule anything out." Anybody with a connection to the LEGO Group says the same exact thing. Heck, Kevin Hinkle has said the same thing about Galidor and the same thing about Monorail, and I don't think anyone envisions the return of Galidor - or, for that matter, wants it. (I myself shudder at such a thought.)

From what I can infer, "I can't say that" is a standard response to inquiries about the status of discontinued lines. Now, is it more ambiguous than, say, Binkmeister saying that "we don't have any plans right now, but hey, you never know?" Certainly. Anyone who wants to think that Hinkle meant it in a "we're-trying-to-keep-it-under-wraps" sort of way can think that, but in the end, they're kidding themselves, and deep down somewhere they have to know it.

LEGO's not a stupid company; they know what's smart and what's not. No one affiliated with LEGO would say - or could truthfully say - anything regarding a permanent discontinuation of any line, not just BIONICLE. Galidor is a good example for this - it was easily one of the worst lines that LEGO produced, if not the worst. But no one - no one - that works for LEGO would ever say that Galidor was never coming back. They might think that, but it's conceivable that there would be a future in which the return of Galidor would be profitable. I can't think up a viable scenario for this, but I'm sure one is out there.

Now, if no LEGO employee will say, with 100% certainty and truthfulness, that [insert line here] is never going to return, this indicates that LEGO has some policy which prevents canceled lines from being permanently canceled. After all, as Binkmeister said, you just never know. There may come a time, perhaps a decade from now, when LEGO wants to launch a new constraction line. Since LEGO tends to recycle the same general themes every so often, the possibility of BIONICLE returning is feasible. Likely? I'd air on the side of "no" there. But still, the possibility is there.

But the question remains - if BIONICLE returns, would we recognize it? After all, rarely does a theme come back, carrying the same name and the same story. Alpha Team was much different than Agents, Aqua Raiders had a different focus than Atlantis, and Exo-Force and Ninjago share tropes, but nothing major. BIONICLE, in all likelihood, would not come back as BIONICLE. I contend, and still do, that BIONICLE was immediately reincarnated as Hero Factory, but I feel as if I'm in the minority.

Mini-essays aside, I'm just wondering why this "news" was posted now instead of two years ago, when it would have been more apt and newsworthy. The bookends of the article are the bolded "I wouldn't read to much into this" and "Let the rumours commence!" - and if I didn't know better, I'd say that this article was designed to stir up drama on this topic once again.

[Lyichir]

Since the end of BIONICLE, any LEGO employee who has been asked this question - or one similar enough to it - has responded with the same statement, which is essentially a glorified combination of "I don't know, so let's not rule anything out." Anybody with a connection to the LEGO Group says the same exact thing. Heck, Kevin Hinkle has said the same thing about Galidor and the same thing about Monorail, and I don't think anyone envisions the return of Galidor - or, for that matter, wants it. (I myself shudder at such a thought.)

From what I can infer, "I can't say that" is a standard response to inquiries about the status of discontinued lines. Now, is it more ambiguous than, say, Binkmeister saying that "we don't have any plans right now, but hey, you never know?" Certainly. Anyone who wants to think that Hinkle meant it in a "we're-trying-to-keep-it-under-wraps" sort of way can think that, but in the end, they're kidding themselves, and deep down somewhere they have to know it.

LEGO's not a stupid company; they know what's smart and what's not. No one affiliated with LEGO would say - or could truthfully say - anything regarding a permanent discontinuation of any line, not just BIONICLE. Galidor is a good example for this - it was easily one of the worst lines that LEGO produced, if not the worst. But no one - no one - that works for LEGO would ever say that Galidor was never coming back. They might think that, but it's conceivable that there would be a future in which the return of Galidor would be profitable. I can't think up a viable scenario for this, but I'm sure one is out there.

Now, if no LEGO employee will say, with 100% certainty and truthfulness, that [insert line here] is never going to return, this indicates that LEGO has some policy which prevents canceled lines from being permanently canceled. After all, as Binkmeister said, you just never know. There may come a time, perhaps a decade from now, when LEGO wants to launch a new constraction line. Since LEGO tends to recycle the same general themes every so often, the possibility of BIONICLE returning is feasible. Likely? I'd air on the side of "no" there. But still, the possibility is there.

But the question remains - if BIONICLE returns, would we recognize it? After all, rarely does a theme come back, carrying the same name and the same story. Alpha Team was much different than Agents, Aqua Raiders had a different focus than Atlantis, and Exo-Force and Ninjago share tropes, but nothing major. BIONICLE, in all likelihood, would not come back as BIONICLE. I contend, and still do, that BIONICLE was immediately reincarnated as Hero Factory, but I feel as if I'm in the minority.

Mini-essays aside, I'm just wondering why this "news" was posted now instead of two years ago, when it would have been more apt and newsworthy. The bookends of the article are the bolded "I wouldn't read to much into this" and "Let the rumours commence!" - and if I didn't know better, I'd say that this article was designed to stir up drama on this topic once again.

I don't want Galidor back, but I'd sure as heck like it if the TV show would come out on DVD. It was an awful theme, but the show was decent, and I don't think it ever even came out on VHS. [/offtopic]

[Gatanui]

BIONICLE isn't coming back in 2013? Who'd have thought that.

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.

Not sure how the packaging or dropping the characters' first names is in the least way related to it ending or anything of the sorts, really. Especially if you consider that the last line of BIONICLE were Agori-sized sets in canisters.

There's a reason it is Lego's 2nd best selling theme of all time, because it it was good.

Only BIONICLE isn't LEGO's 2nd best selling theme of all time.

-Gata

Edited by Gatanui, Oct 10 2012 - 01:28 PM.

[MIY]

Whatever, this forum is unbelievable, I'm done with it, everyone here apparently thinks that it's wrong to get your hopes up and it's wrong to support a dead line and you should be happy with what you have, yea well I never had Hero Factory, I had Bionicle something with a compeling story and unforgetable characters. People's opinions that Hero Factory is more fun and it's story is just as good and stuff like that is alright, but there's no need to bash Bionicle completly (not in this topic but others). I'm not mad at Hero Factory, but just dissapointed in some of you.

[Lyichir]

Whatever, this forum is unbelievable, I'm done with it, everyone here apparently thinks that it's wrong to get your hopes up and it's wrong to support a dead line and you should be happy with what you have, yea well I never had Hero Factory, I had Bionicle something with a compeling story and unforgetable characters. People's opinions that Hero Factory is more fun and it's story is just as good and stuff like that is alright, but there's no need to bash Bionicle completly (not in this topic but others). I'm not mad at Hero Factory, but just dissapointed in some of you.

It's not wrong to get your hopes up for a good reason. But really your hopes shouldn't be any higher than they were before this news story, because it literally tells us nothing we didn't know. Lego has no plans to revive Bionicle, but they're not going to rule out bringing it back if some cultural shift makes it seem like a practical idea again. But that's unlikely to happen any time soon, and if it doesn't happen before Lego's trademarks on names and terms expire then, if it ever comes back, it'll be a very different theme than the one we knew before.

The chances of Bionicle's return is still slim, and unfortunately non-news events like this serve only to convince the gullible that its return is not only inevitable, but right around the corner.

[Ghabulous Ghoti]

I really don't care about the toys either way, as I stopped playing with them years ago, but if the story ever returns, I hope it's decent. Not the simplified thing Hero Factory did, but the longer and more complex story that BIONICLE had (preferable the feel from 2001-2003, but pretty much anything like before what we got in 2008 was pretty good in my opinion.)

I just don't want to ever see it used in a way like Hero Factory, something that only young children really enjoyed. BIONICLE was a bit deeper, darker, more mature (or I'm just a sucker for nostalgia...)

[Lyichir]

I really don't care about the toys either way, as I stopped playing with them years ago, but if the story ever returns, I hope it's decent. Not the simplified thing Hero Factory did, but the longer and more complex story that BIONICLE had (preferable the feel from 2001-2003, but pretty much anything like before what we got in 2008 was pretty good in my opinion.)

I just don't want to ever see it used in a way like Hero Factory, something that only young children really enjoyed. BIONICLE was a bit deeper, darker, more mature (or I'm just a sucker for nostalgia...)

Only young children, or the young at heart? There are plenty of adult Hero Factory fans on here. And frankly, the recent Hero Factory novel Secret Mission #1: The Doom Box reads like a police procedural, and is no less "mature" than Bionicle.

Yeah, the TV show is corny as heck. But judging Hero Factory's story by the TV series alone is like judging all of Bionicle by The Legend Reborn.

[bonesiii]

Whatever, this forum is unbelievable, I'm done with it, everyone here apparently thinks that it's wrong to get your hopes up and it's wrong to support a dead line and you should be happy with what you have, yea well I never had Hero Factory, I had Bionicle something with a compeling story and unforgetable characters. People's opinions that Hero Factory is more fun and it's story is just as good and stuff like that is alright, but there's no need to bash Bionicle completly (not in this topic but others). I'm not mad at Hero Factory, but just dissapointed in some of you.

Well, lemme respond to what you said here in order of importance IMO. You said much that is good there, but yeah...

Firstly, which is worse? Directing negativity towards a non-living entity, a fictional storyline? Or at real people? You make it sound like it's okay as long as it's just people you're... whatever you wanna call what you're doing -- I don't want to insult you by reading more into than you really mean. But it came across in a very bad way...

And I'm not saying you should be mad at a story either. But don't forget that these are real people on here, and none of this is worth... not getting along with them, let's word it.

As for disappointment, maybe this is just a life lesson you needed to learn and this was the time and place you learned it, but it's Life 101 -- real people are simply not going to live up to our own idealized demands for how they act. IMO it's far better to accept that "chaos is the norm", and to encourage improvement, so you yourself are not taken down by others' failures, but rather you rise above them and encourage others to rise out of them as well. This is not to accept that it can't be improved, but to recognize that the kind of kneejerk reaction to the negative that you're using does not help it but just makes it worse, like fighting fire with fire.

And if you really aren't reading this, then I guess I'm wasting my words except for the benefit of others reading who may share a similar mistake. But please seriously consider that it is you who need to improve, not "this forum in general" -- though obviously we all need to improve always in many ways. Many of us have learned these life lessons and grown beyond the less experienced reaction you are exhibiting (no offense, we've usually been there ourselves once ). It can be hard to understand when you interact with people who are more mature than you -- I get it. But that fact does not mean that those people aren't more mature, yanno? Or that their attitude isn't wiser.



Now to your actual points, I agree that nobody should be "Bionicle bashing", but what exactly does that mean? If we are all responsible people who respect others for their differences, and are mentally stimulated by thoughtful analysis of reality and fun, then honestly assessing the differences between Bionicle and HF, and those that have the tastes to see HF as better in some ways saying that Bionicle wasn't as enjoyable in those ways -- that's fine. And we can handle it. Right?

If someone is saying that "Bionicle is simply worse, and if you disagree you're crazy", then that would be bashing. On the other hand, what if Bionicle legitimately did some objective things worse (for majority tastes, etc.)? Pointing that out isn't necessarily bashing but constructive criticism. It gets complicated. Basically, developing a thicker skin would be wise, as well as refraining from 'bashing' others or whatever you want to call it.

My general advice is to simply limit your descriptions of what you like and dislike to just that -- say "I personally dislike HF for these reasons" rather than making it sound like something objectively true. Objective criticisms take a lot more research and analysis. Or, if you want to bring that up, phrase it more like an open question for others to comment on and help you analyze.

Anywho, I may be speaking to the wind, but there's some of the sage wisdom I learned from many others that has helped me a lot, both here and in real life (practice value FTW!), food for thought and stuff. ^^,


As for hope, there's a big difference between positive hope that it returns, which I and most people here share, and a harmful demanding, destructive attitude. Too many have allowed themselves to fall into the latter. Especially when it makes them see statements that to any objective eye are clearly just factual and try to twist them into evidence that a plan for a return is in the works... That's just not healthy, in any walk of life.

Also, guys, us here online are such a tiny minority of fans, we really need to come to grips with the fact that even if we 'fan the flames of hope' forever and send the message to LEGO that we're here and ready -- even without any negativity, hypothetically -- we'll never be enough for a return.

If we really hope for that, our message needs to be that we are engaged with the situations as they are now, as LEGO has to be, and are understanding what they're doing for the target age audience, as new fans enter that age constantly, and keep in mind that a return would have to be geared at them. To try to focus on proposing ways that could be done well while still pleasing open-minded old fans.

Not saying it would have to be an HF type story or couldn't evoke feelings of 2001 (as I'd hope, storywise anyways; setwise there are real reasons it likely couldn't), but that we understand that if LEGO does bring it back, it needs to be primarily for the current generation, whenever that is, of young kids. Not just for us.

Yeah?

If instead our message is "we should keep up hope, but I'm frustrated so I'm going to withdraw from the current reality and just live in nostalgia forever" then LEGO will rightly translate that as "I'm not actually willing to consider the real-world challenges LEGO has to deal with, the 'facts on the ground' and adapt, so my advice will tend not to be very accurate." If you really want to fan the flames of hope, then we do need to be understanding of the changes LEGO makes as they learn more about doing this kind of sets.

Again, let me reiterate -- this does NOT mean they can't do an epic version of Bionicle in a return, not saying it has to be like HF. Ninjago is going on now and isn't quite like HF or Bionicle; they do a variety, and that's normal. As far as that goes, what I say is this -- LEGO, if lightning of brilliant inspiration for an epic arc hasn't hit again, then don't bring it back -- I'd be content with that. But encourage it to hit in the future. =D

Edited by bonesiii, Oct 10 2012 - 05:12 PM.

[MIY]

Whatever, this forum is unbelievable, I'm done with it, everyone here apparently thinks that it's wrong to get your hopes up and it's wrong to support a dead line and you should be happy with what you have, yea well I never had Hero Factory, I had Bionicle something with a compeling story and unforgetable characters. People's opinions that Hero Factory is more fun and it's story is just as good and stuff like that is alright, but there's no need to bash Bionicle completly (not in this topic but others). I'm not mad at Hero Factory, but just dissapointed in some of you.

Well, lemme respond to what you said here in order of importance IMO. You said much that is good there, but yeah...

Firstly, which is worse? Directing negativity towards a non-living entity, a fictional storyline? Or at real people? You make it sound like it's okay as long as it's just people you're... whatever you wanna call what you're doing -- I don't want to insult you by reading more into than you really mean. But it came across in a very bad way...

And I'm not saying you should be mad at a story either. But don't forget that these are real people on here, and none of this is worth... not getting along with them, let's word it.

As for disappointment, maybe this is just a life lesson you needed to learn and this was the time and place you learned it, but it's Life 101 -- real people are simply not going to live up to our own idealized demands for how they act. IMO it's far better to accept that "chaos is the norm", and to encourage improvement, so you yourself are not taken down by others' failures, but rather you rise above them and encourage others to rise out of them as well. This is not to accept that it can't be improved, but to recognize that the kind of kneejerk reaction to the negative that you're using does not help it but just makes it worse, like fighting fire with fire.

And if you really aren't reading this, then I guess I'm wasting my words except for the benefit of others reading who may share a similar mistake. But please seriously consider that it is you who need to improve, not "this forum in general" -- though obviously we all need to improve always in many ways. Many of us have learned these life lessons and grown beyond the less experienced reaction you are exhibiting (no offense, we've usually been there ourselves once ). It can be hard to understand when you interact with people who are more mature than you -- I get it. But that fact does not mean that those people aren't more mature, yanno? Or that their attitude isn't wiser.



Now to your actual points, I agree that nobody should be "Bionicle bashing", but what exactly does that mean? If we are all responsible people who respect others for their differences, and are mentally stimulated by thoughtful analysis of reality and fun, then honestly assessing the differences between Bionicle and HF, and those that have the tastes to see HF as better in some ways saying that Bionicle wasn't as enjoyable in those ways -- that's fine. And we can handle it. Right?

If someone is saying that "Bionicle is simply worse, and if you disagree you're crazy", then that would be bashing. On the other hand, what if Bionicle legitimately did some objective things worse (for majority tastes, etc.)? Pointing that out isn't necessarily bashing but constructive criticism. It gets complicated. Basically, developing a thicker skin would be wise, as well as refraining from 'bashing' others or whatever you want to call it.

My general advice is to simply limit your descriptions of what you like and dislike to just that -- say "I personally dislike HF for these reasons" rather than making it sound like something objectively true. Objective criticisms take a lot more research and analysis. Or, if you want to bring that up, phrase it more like an open question for others to comment on and help you analyze.

Anywho, I may be speaking to the wind, but there's some of the sage wisdom I learned from many others that has helped me a lot, both here and in real life (practice value FTW!), food for thought and stuff. ^^,


As for hope, there's a big difference between positive hope that it returns, which I and most people here share, and a harmful demanding, destructive attitude. Too many have allowed themselves to fall into the latter. Especially when it makes them see statements that to any objective eye are clearly just factual and try to twist them into evidence that a plan for a return is in the works... That's just not healthy, in any walk of life.

Also, guys, us here online are such a tiny minority of fans, we really need to come to grips with the fact that even if we 'fan the flames of hope' forever and send the message to LEGO that we're here and ready -- even without any negativity, hypothetically -- we'll never be enough for a return.

If we really hope for that, our message needs to be that we are engaged with the situations as they are now, as LEGO has to be, and are understanding what they're doing for the target age audience, as new fans enter that age constantly, and keep in mind that a return would have to be geared at them. To try to focus on proposing ways that could be done well while still pleasing open-minded old fans.

Not saying it would have to be an HF type story or couldn't evoke feelings of 2001 (as I'd hope, storywise anyways; setwise there are real reasons it likely couldn't), but that we understand that if LEGO does bring it back, it needs to be primarily for the current generation, whenever that is, of young kids. Not just for us.

Yeah?

If instead our message is "we should keep up hope, but I'm frustrated so I'm going to withdraw from the current reality and just live in nostalgia forever" then LEGO will rightly translate that as "I'm not actually willing to consider the real-world challenges LEGO has to deal with, the 'facts on the ground' and adapt, so my advice will tend not to be very accurate." If you really want to fan the flames of hope, then we do need to be understanding of the changes LEGO makes as they learn more about doing this kind of sets.

Again, let me reiterate -- this does NOT mean they can't do an epic version of Bionicle in a return, not saying it has to be like HF. Ninjago is going on now and isn't quite like HF or Bionicle; they do a variety, and that's normal. As far as that goes, what I say is this -- LEGO, if lightning of brilliant inspiration for an epic arc hasn't hit again, then don't bring it back -- I'd be content with that. But encourage it to hit in the future. =D

One you make it sound like I'm insulting people on this forum, when I have never, ever insulted or attacked anyone on this forum, I'm just saying a forum is more fun without negativity.
You're going into way too much detail about this and making me seem like some nolstalgic freak that hates everything new and hates anyone who disagree's with me. No. I all I want is for some people to just stop thinking the worse is for worse and glass is half empty, every time that there is news regarding Bionicle, they try to shot it down like it doesn't matter, and this topic doesn't really bring much no, but people go beond what is neccecay and diminish all hopes of any people. People are thinking to much of the normal and majority, when there are some people out there who do wish for Bionicle's return and are not happy with what is the current state of it, yet people prefer to act like those people don't exist.

I never attacked anyone on this forum, I'm not just entering the stages of denial that Bionicle is dead, I just don't think like some of you people do and want a return which some people need to accept. I just said that it saddens me to see people deminishing Bionicle and the people who want a return.

[bonesiii]

MIY, I originally started responding to you because you did 'attack' those with different tastes than you when you said:

you're kidding yourself if you think it's better

And:

Whatever, this forum is unbelievable, I'm done with it, everyone here

I understand you're trying to say it came out poorly, and I get that, but just pretending you weren't feeding the flames yourself isn't going to work. Bad word choice can do that as much as intentional insults.

It's forgiven, but it shows a need to learn some things. Don't spurn the advice that can help you feel better. Basically, relax, man.

And the advice I'm giving you is more general advice I've learned related to this subject -- if any of it honestly doesn't apply to you, then simply disregard it. Better to hear useful advice that isn't useful to you personally than to not hear any useful advice at all. But you seemed quite upset.

People are thinking to much of the normal and majority, when there are some people out there who do wish for Bionicle's return and are not happy with what is the current state of it, yet people prefer to act like those people don't exist.

They are not acting that way. Well, maybe some are, but I'm not, if that's what you mean. What constructive, peaceful meaning do you intend by this statement? Also, not being happy with things, as I pointed out, can often have a lot to do with the attitude you choose to bring to it, and you can improve in those ways by choice.

Your personal tastes, however, will always be what they are (at least your natural ones; experiences affect taste too, and they often naturally change as we age too). That's good. But they don't justify attacking others for being different, right?

No. I all I want is for some people to just stop thinking the worse is for worse and glass is half empty, every time that there is news regarding Bionicle, they try to shot it down like it doesn't matter

What you're saying appears to be in support of illogically twisting things into false evidence for a return. I think your motives for doing this are probably fine -- you want it to return, and I get that. So do I, but it is simply not healthy to twist things unrealistically to make yourself think it's happening.

Mainly because then you're just setting yourself up for yet more disappointment because that's just not reality. (That's not really optimism; that's a false optimism that's more likely to turn you into a disillusioned pessimist later in life. )

All he said was the only answer even the CEO himself of LEGO could honestly give even if that CEO is dead-set against a return. Pointing out the reality of this is not "shooting" anything legitimate down. Nor is it arguing against a return. I want a return as much as the next guy. And I see why using bad logic to try to bring one about is only going to be counterproductive. I see this kind of reaction as harmful to its chances of a return, and since I want one, that is a problem.

Make sense?

Finally, to your charge that I am overthinking it, if I may, I'll just quote Stargate Universe -- Let's not underthink it.


To sum up the life lesson here -- Bionicle was always meant to make us happier. Don't turn it into an excuse to be upset. It's entertainment. Don't miss the point of it.

Edited by bonesiii, Oct 10 2012 - 06:30 PM.

[Meta-Mind]

So basically, this is exactly the same condition as we've been in for two years - but now with official confirmation.

As far as bringing Bionicle back, remember that Bionicle was - or perhaps is - one of Lego's longest-running themes, and it had plenty of room for exploration - remember all those worlds that Mata Nui visited which supposedly had intelligent life? It's possible that Lego could bring it back, but millenia into the future or something, as an excuse to make new heroes (and perhaps make the Toa Nuva Turaga, if they're looking for cameos).