When Hero Factory's End Does Come...

[Omicron Squad Leader]

...What do you think the community's general reaction will be? Will it be "NOOO! BRING IT BACK NOWZZZ!!1!11!1", "Aw, that's a bummer", or "OKAYZ HF IS GONE NOW BRING BACK BIONICLEZZZ!!1!11!1"? Will people be weeping, will most be raging or will everyone have grown up?

Edited November 17, 2011 by Omicron Squad Leader

[Makuta Matata]

I'd want Bionicle back by then.

[Mesonak]

Depends on, IMO, the lines of sets released before it ends. If the sets have degraded in quality over time, likely people won't be too sad. But if the line retains the same quality of sets, the community will likely be sad.'Course it's showing no sign of ending anytime soon, so there's no real way to tell.Also would depend on if the line is, in general, getting stale in a few years time. Once again, I guess time will tell.-Mesonak

Edited November 17, 2011 by Mesonak

[Tenebrae Invictus]

If it does well, people will cry and will petition to bring it back, after so many years of great sets, and a great plot, with a great show to back it up.

[Sumiki]

If Hero Factory ends within the next couple of years, I doubt that we'll be seeing original construction-figure lines from LEGO anytime soon. However, if Hero Factory extends into the future well beyond the foreseeable amount and ends, say, six or even ten years down the road, then the possibility of BIONICLE's return increases - albeit with more Hero Factory-ish builds.

[Aanchir]

I figure now that BIONICLE's ended, reactions to future lines ending will be a bit mellower. After all, if BIONICLE, which was a huge phenomenon at its outset, could come to an end, I'm sure people would understand a more everyday theme like Hero Factory coming to an end. That said, people would still miss it, but more like the way people today miss Exo-Force, Fantasy-Era LEGO Castle, and Space Police III. But since BIONICLE's end, I'm sure fans have sort of come to terms with the reality that LEGO themes don't last forever.Hero Factory also has the advantage that unlike BIONICLE, it's not trying to distance itself from the LEGO brand. The LEGO logo almost invariably appears beside the Hero Factory logo, unlike with BIONICLE which usually sequestered the LEGO logo to the bottom of the image in the center or even tucked away in a corner. So Hero Factory has more of an image of a run-of-the-mill LEGO theme.I don't think that BIONICLE would be any more likely to return if Hero Factory ended. If it's going to return after it's been gone for a while, then it's probably going to do this whether or not Hero Factory is still around. A lot of people assume that if Hero Factory ends it will be because it wasn't enough like BIONICLE, not recognizing that Hero Factory could possibly have flaws that BIONICLE, in its heyday, might have shared.The idea of BIONICLE rising from Hero Factory's ashes was particularly absurd when Hero Factory first began, since a failure for the theme at that point could have simply indicated that there was no longer a market for buildable action figures in general. If HF ended at some point in the future then I'd expect another "constraction" line to arise in its place. But the likelihood of that new line being BIONICLE is very slim, especially given how much forethought it would take to revive BIONICLE and transform it back into something marketable.

[FrozenFlash]

Something tells me that people will go like "NOOOOO!!!!!! WHY HERO FACTORY HAF TO END???" when Hero Factory ends. That is basically the standard reaction whenever a Lego theme ends.

[T3CHn0-LAz0oRZ]

i will be incredibly sad, unless they continue with recon team.

[GeluNumber1]

People will probably throw a hissy fit, then get over it. After that, they'll want Bionicle back even more.

[dotcom]

I don't expect much outrage, except maybe from those newer and mostly familiar with HF. For other people who are only interested in sets (hey there, me) will just wait to see what new thing LEGO comes up with.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

I would no doubt be interested to see what would come next, but I honestly wouldn't expect it to be Bionicle just yet. I'll also be more likely to get into it because it wasn't the new line that replaced Bionicle.

[Dorek]

I would no doubt be interested to see what would come next, but I honestly wouldn't expect it to be Bionicle just yet. I'll also be more likely to get into it because it wasn't the new line that replaced Bionicle.

And there's the horrible misconception: Hero Factory didn't "replace" BIONICLE, it was developed because BIONICLE was cancelled.That's what worries me most about a new line; that if Hero Factory establishes itself well enough, then gets canned, the resulting product will be viewed even less favorably, and so on until LEGO realizes they don't have a market for constraction figures. It's the same with TV shows; certain genres flop because their isn't a viewership for it, and then they just disappear for a few years.

[dotcom]

@Dorek: But wasn't Hero Factory in development since 2008?Anyways, I don't think LEGO has to worry about that happening. It ends and recreates lines all the time. The only people who would be bothered by that sort of thing are TFOLs and AFOLs, who do not in any way constitute the major portion of the target audience.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

I would no doubt be interested to see what would come next, but I honestly wouldn't expect it to be Bionicle just yet. I'll also be more likely to get into it because it wasn't the new line that replaced Bionicle.

And there's the horrible misconception: Hero Factory didn't "replace" BIONICLE, it was developed because BIONICLE was cancelled.

HF is a reminder that Bionicle is canned. The next line will not be so much; it'll be more of a reminder that HF is gone. And so on.

[SolitaryHyena]

Well, i'd want lego and greg to stop for like a year or two and think about how they could make a GREAT comeback for Bionicle to come back as a set and story. I mean, I would want to wait to have a better result than to make them rush it and have a sloppy result, kinda like how Lego made the bionicle stars and the ending to it...but yeah, a year or two after hero factory is gone.

[Klak]

...What do you think the community's general reaction will be? Will it be "NOOO! BRING IT BACK NOWZZZ!!1!11!1", "Aw, that's a bummer", or "OKAYZ HF IS GONE NOW BRING BACK BIONICLEZZZ!!1!11!1"? Will people be weeping, will most be raging or will everyone have grown up?

I'd probably be okay with Bionicle coming back sometime after. But then again, who knows how old I'll be by then. The reaction will probably be the exact same as when Bionicle 'ended'. Funny thing is, the same people that claim that Bionicle fans haven't move on will do the same with Hero Factory.

[Dorek]

@Dorek: But wasn't Hero Factory in development since 2008?Anyways, I don't think LEGO has to worry about that happening. It ends and recreates lines all the time. The only people who would be bothered by that sort of thing are TFOLs and AFOLs, who do not in any way constitute the major portion of the target audience.

Not really. I'm sure they tossed around ideas that evolved into Hero Factory at one point or another, but Hero Factory itself would not have come into existence if BIONICLE had continued.I'm just hoping that HF sales have showed that the constraction market is still alive.

I would no doubt be interested to see what would come next, but I honestly wouldn't expect it to be Bionicle just yet. I'll also be more likely to get into it because it wasn't the new line that replaced Bionicle.

And there's the horrible misconception: Hero Factory didn't "replace" BIONICLE, it was developed because BIONICLE was cancelled.

HF is a reminder that Bionicle is canned. The next line will not be so much; it'll be more of a reminder that HF is gone. And so on.

And that kind of attitude would doom HF from the outset, if BZP was in the majority. Hero Factory is the phoenix that rose out of BIONICLE's ashes, not the grim reaper of it. It's poor logic. Hero Factory is only bad because it "killed" BIONICLE, so the line that kills it will be better because it killed BIONICLE's killer, based on the wrong assumption that HF killed BIONICLE in the first place.

[DOTM Shockwave]

When Hero Factory ends, I'll say the same thing I said when Bionicle ended: "Oh well, there's always the Transformers"

[dotcom]

@Dorek: I don't know. I remember back in 2010 there was an article about how HF had been in development for two years. Which is not to say that it killed BIONICLE, but it does not exist solely because it ended.I'm not sure what point I'm making, though.

[Tenebrae Invictus]

When Hero Factory ends, I'll say the same thing I said when Bionicle ended: "Oh well, there's always the Transformers"

but what if those suddenly end

[GSR]

I think the reaction will by and large depend on how and when the series ends. Assuming the sets are high quality in the end, their loss will be mourned by builders, but that factor is mitigated if a sequel series appears using the same construction ideas. As for requests for a return for Bionicle, there's the slight paradox that the longer until HF ends the more likely a return to the older line is plausible, but the less said older line's fans will be around to request it.

[DOTM Shockwave]

When Hero Factory ends, I'll say the same thing I said when Bionicle ended: "Oh well, there's always the Transformers"

but what if those suddenly end

If that happens, I honestly don't know what I'll say

[Rarity]

It'll probably have less of a backlash than ending Bionicle did.

[Dralcax]

I'd see it as an oppertunity to petition for Bionicle-style sets (Not neccesarily Bionicle itself). I miss masks and mechanical detailing and complex builds and less hollow armor not connected via ball-and-socket connections and eyes not the same color as the head.

Edited November 19, 2011 by Chaos Makuta: Dralcax

[Omicron Squad Leader]

I'd see it as an oppertunity to petition for Bionicle-style sets (Not neccesarily Bionicle itself). I miss masks and mechanical detailing and complex builds and less hollow armor not connected via ball-and-socket connections and eyes not the same color as the head.

I think Aanchir will have something to say about that. Edited November 20, 2011 by Omicron Squad Leader

[Aanchir]

I'd see it as an oppertunity to petition for Bionicle-style sets (Not neccesarily Bionicle itself). I miss masks and mechanical detailing and complex builds and less hollow armor not connected via ball-and-socket connections and eyes not the same color as the head.

I think Aanchir will have something to say about that.

Ehhh, it's a matter of preference. I really like the new building system and I think it reduces "buildable action figures" to their core experience. I certainly wouldn't be fond of going back to a build style that's so reliant on specialized limb pieces and limited-use, Technic-dependent shell pieces. At the same time, the high-detail, mechanical-looking parts of BIONICLE were one of the things I loved best about that theme, and while I like Hero Factory's simpler style as well I wouldn't cry if higher-detail part designs began to reappear, as long as versatility wasn't sacrificed in the process.Of course, "eyes the same color as the head" doesn't really fit well with the rest of the ways BIONICLE might be better than Hero Factory, since BIONICLE had eyes the same color as the heads as early as 2001 (the "McToran") and as late as 2010 (the Glatorian and Matoran heads used for the Stars).

[-Blank-]

I hope the fan backlash won't be annoying like when Bionicle ended. That was really annoying. I can't believe people still think it's coming back and think these petitions will work. The line is dead deal with it. I personality won't care. I have Evo 2.0 that's all I need.

[Dralcax]

I'd see it as an oppertunity to petition for Bionicle-style sets (Not neccesarily Bionicle itself). I miss masks and mechanical detailing and complex builds and less hollow armor not connected via ball-and-socket connections and eyes not the same color as the head.

I think Aanchir will have something to say about that.

Ehhh, it's a matter of preference. I really like the new building system and I think it reduces "buildable action figures" to their core experience. I certainly wouldn't be fond of going back to a build style that's so reliant on specialized limb pieces and limited-use, Technic-dependent shell pieces. At the same time, the high-detail, mechanical-looking parts of BIONICLE were one of the things I loved best about that theme, and while I like Hero Factory's simpler style as well I wouldn't cry if higher-detail part designs began to reappear, as long as versatility wasn't sacrificed in the process.Of course, "eyes the same color as the head" doesn't really fit well with the rest of the ways BIONICLE might be better than Hero Factory, since BIONICLE had eyes the same color as the heads as early as 2001 (the "McToran") and as late as 2010 (the Glatorian and Matoran heads used for the Stars).

Which is why I almost never use them as heads.

[Phauxx Lightning]

As long as there's still hope of BIONICLE returning, I really wouldn't care. At least maybe more then other discontinued lines (NOT BIONICLE)

[Peach 00]

With the way people are acting now about BIONICLE, it'd be a nightmare. People are still going on about Bionicle's end and it's been dead for a year. However, the fanbase for HF is probably half of BIONICLE's, so it might not be as bad. Nonetheless, it'll be exasperating. =/

[Smitty]

I'd want Bionicle back by then.

Don't count on it.It all comes down to this when Hero Factory end and your still playing with them your too old to be playing with toys. The flip side is you should also be old enough to know that toy line come and go and that is they way thing work. Lego is a busyness and making money comes first and when Hero Factory stops making money it's time for Lego to make something new that will sell.

[Devorath]

Something tells me that people will go like "NOOOOO!!!!!! WHY HERO FACTORY HAF TO END???" when Hero Factory ends. That is basically the standard reaction whenever a Lego theme ends.

Snap!

[Studs Not On Top]

There will probably be less of a hype about it on these forums. As for me, I might be out of college by then-- I have no idea how long I'll stay connected with the sets and story anyway. HF is definitely a good idea and will be missed, though.

[Makuta Matata]

I'd want Bionicle back by then.

Don't count on it.It all comes down to this when Hero Factory end and your still playing with them your too old to be playing with toys. The flip side is you should also be old enough to know that toy line come and go and that is they way thing work. Lego is a busyness and making money comes first and when Hero Factory stops making money it's time for Lego to make something new that will sell.

You're never too old to build a Bionicle.

[Zakann the Delirious]

I'll be disappointed when it ends, and probably resistant to the new constraction line(if there is one) at first, but then just like with Hero Factory it'll grow on me within about a month of release. If HF's end does provide an opportunity for Bionicle's return, that would be great, but it does seem pretty unlikely.

[Smitty]

I'd want Bionicle back by then.

Don't count on it.It all comes down to this when Hero Factory end and your still playing with them your too old to be playing with toys. The flip side is you should also be old enough to know that toy line come and go and that is they way thing work. Lego is a busyness and making money comes first and when Hero Factory stops making money it's time for Lego to make something new that will sell.

You're never too old to build a Bionicle.

You said you the 30 year old man with four kids of his own.

[Aanchir]

I think saying you're too old to be playing with toys is an exaggeration. The benefit of growing up is that you get to choose what interests you want to pursue, and that includes things that might not be designed with you in mind or considered appropriate for you by the general public.But at the same time, you're right that growing up also means recognizing the reality that not all the things you like are necessarily targeted towards you or people like you, and that they might therefore be out of your control. This is something a lot of BIONICLE fans forget when they feel that a petition or similar movement can bring the theme back. TLG hasn't forgotten fans of the franchise exist; it's just that there are fewer fans of the franchise than there were in the theme's heyday and those there are aren't enough to keep the theme running with full steam.I think adult fans of Hero Factory will have an easier time understanding this than many who started out liking BIONICLE as kids and thinking it had some special permanence. We've seen a major theme come and go, so it's no longer a foreign concept to us. And most of us recognize that Hero Factory isn't as big a deal as BIONICLE was, now that TLG has so many other successful themes.BIONICLE was such a phenomenon during its early years that people continued to believe until it ended that it was essential to TLG's success, not realizing that its success petered out a bit as the years went on. And so for many its end was a genuine shock, and some even expected TLG to suffer as a result of that decision. Hero Factory thankfully hasn't gotten quite as much hype, so while I'm sure people will miss it just like all themes, it won't be perceived as such a huge shock to everyone-- especially if another constraction property takes its place.

[Makuta Matata]

I'd want Bionicle back by then.

Don't count on it.It all comes down to this when Hero Factory end and your still playing with them your too old to be playing with toys. The flip side is you should also be old enough to know that toy line come and go and that is they way thing work. Lego is a busyness and making money comes first and when Hero Factory stops making money it's time for Lego to make something new that will sell.

You're never too old to build a Bionicle.

You said you the 30 year old man with four kids of his own.

I'm 16.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

I would no doubt be interested to see what would come next, but I honestly wouldn't expect it to be Bionicle just yet. I'll also be more likely to get into it because it wasn't the new line that replaced Bionicle.

And there's the horrible misconception: Hero Factory didn't "replace" BIONICLE, it was developed because BIONICLE was cancelled.

HF is a reminder that Bionicle is canned. The next line will not be so much; it'll be more of a reminder that HF is gone. And so on.

Well, by your logic, the next line would actually be a reminder that HF was canned. And HF is, as you said, a reminder that Bionicle was canned, so by extension the next line will still be a reminder that Bionicle was canned.~B~ Edited November 28, 2011 by Ballom

[Akuna Toa of Sonics]

I'd be "What's next, Heronicle?".lol