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If there's one thing I know about rumors, it's that they are almost never to be trusted. If you must put your faith in something, it's word from the official source, which has apparently been confirmed to remain the same as it was in 2010: Bionicle will not be back next year, but the door will remain open indefinitely.If Bionicle ever does make a return, it'll almost certainly be a little different from what the "First Generation" was like. Whatever Bionicle may be like when it comes back, I can guarantee that I'll still like it, simply because it's Bionicle. Hey, there are Star Trek fans out there who like both the original series and the "Next Generation" series equally as much (not one over the other). For me, Bionicle will be no different.

Formerly known as Takanuva's Symbol, I rejoined BZPower on October 10, 2012.

These days, I am perhaps best known for my obsession with all Lego video games.

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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.
I left BZPower for many months for about the same reason you did: negativity. But it wasn't just negativity against BIONICLE. It was negativity on both sides: people who were tired of BIONICLE treating it like it deserved its fate and people who wanted it back being hateful towards Hero Factory, towards the LEGO Group, and towards people who weren't desperate for it to continue.You may not realize it, but you continue that negativity by saying that getting BIONICLE back is what we SHOULD want. Who are you to say what we should want?Some people lost interest in BIONICLE long before it ended, either because they didn't like the story direction or because they simply "grew out of it". Other people lost interest in certain aspects, either the sets or the story, but kept following them on a whim. And some people-- myself included stuck it out until the end. Of these people, there are some like myself who think the theme wrapped itself up as well as it needed to, and were willing to let it rest. Others wanted to wait around until the last plot threads were wrapped up so they could see what was-- in their opinions-- a proper conclusion. Others never wanted to see the story conclude at all.None of these fans should be looked down upon for their preferences, because they are just that-- preferences. And it's totally OK to remain on BZPower whether you're hoping to keep the BIONICLE fandom strong or funnel your past interest in BIONICLE into other, new interests. So it's not right to say that other people should or shouldn't want BIONICLE back.
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.
Second-best-selling theme of all time? I don't think I've ever seen that statistic. It was definitely the second-best-selling theme in 2002, but if you have info on its overall sales I'd love to hear it. As I understand it, LEGO City and LEGO Star Wars have almost always been more successful, though.And I'm not trying to crush anyone's hopes. I'm trying to keep people from inflating their hopes. It's fine to want BIONICLE back, but not to expect it back just because some BZP news reporter thought it would be funny to toy with BIONICLE fans by posting a misleading article. The chances of BIONICLE coming back are not insignificant, but they are also no stronger now than they ever were before.
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.
And once again, here you are with negativity about Hero Factory. It's not just relying on the "new factor". There are a lot of things about the sets I and other fans really find appealing. But with that said, it's different than BIONICLE, and it's perfectly normal that some people like one theme more than the other.I think it's a real double-standard to complain about negativity and claim Hero Factory fans are trying to snuff out hope, but to then post hateful, negative comments about Hero Factory and talk about how the theme is ending soon with the same gloating tone used by some people who claim BIONICLE is over for good.
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
Some people are always going to react with hostility to an emotionally-charged issue. But you seem to be overestimating the hostility in this conversation. I doubt many people here hate BIONICLE, and I doubt many of them hate people who like BIONICLE. I, for my part, love BIONICLE and have wonderful memories of it. The only reason I don't care about whether it comes back is because I liked the ending nearly as much as any other part of it and see no reason to push it past that point when the same brilliant set designers and story writers who created it could just as easily be creating new stories that have the same brilliance. BIONICLE was not by any means a once-in-a-lifetime possibility. It was just one of many examples of brilliant writers and designers putting their heads together to create something kids would love.To put it simply, BIONICLE wasn't some miraculous story and set design concept that spontaneously appeared in the world. The brilliance of BIONICLE's creators made it what it was, and that human brilliance doesn't go away just because the theme ended. We just might have to look elsewhere for it, whether that be another LEGO theme or another interest entirely.If BIONICLE does come back, I'll probably collect the sets again, because I am an optimist and believe that just as the creative minds at LEGO have continued to improve their set designs year after year, they will continue to create products that impress me with their beauty and imaginativeness. But I feel this will happen whether or not BIONICLE comes back, hence why I don't really have an opinion either way.
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Just watch. They'll bring back Bionicle an it'll use the HF building system. Then all the HF haters will complain about those sets.And I'll be like "In your face! Should've accepted HF when you had the time." Then the complaint will die down as the sets get cooler soley because it Bionicle. Then I'll be like "There is something seriously wrong w/ you people." *insert serious look here*HF haters are to Lego as Geewuns are to Hasbro.In my opinion, Bionicle and HF are equal in terms of awesomeness. Storywise, Bionicle was well written but it was a bit too unidirectional, always making the same theme point repeatedly, and relied heavily on flashbacks at some points and that caused the story to get boring. HF on the other hand goes the multidirectional route, given us a brand new theme and story to tie in with a particular wave, and uses little to no flashbacks to get the story's point across. It also leaves room for alot more possibilities than Bionicle, which had a singular focus. That's why I say, even though Bionicle was great, HF has become superior in so many ways. Take it from someone who's been w/ Bionicle since it started. Sure, I'd like to see Bionicle come back, but I wouldn't want it to stay. Perhaps a crossover story arc, w/ each side being half HF, half Bionicle. I'd be happy w/ that. A full comeback..............no......*shakes head*

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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.I assume by your statement of "it's fun where bionicle couldn't be" meant its storyline was more flexible. Kind of like the first years of bionicle.
"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.
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.
That just reminded me if the horrible puns of bionicle's earliest years...As for the story, I must admit it allows alot more room for creativity, but its basic concept is still a bit bland to me. Part of the reason I liked bionicle was for the intriguing nature, before it got complicated.
ohhh man this devolved from a pleasant topic of discussion to a fiery pit pretty quickly. can't believe i didn't see this coming.the way i see it? it's very unlikely the line will ever come back. there have been no statements that support or deny it, just hand waves away from the subject. i doubt that beating a dead horse on a forum that was once far more active than it is now is going to have the "star trek effect" or whatever the fans who want the return of the line call it.in other news, hero factory is not a bad line. bionicle had some great years, story-wise, but there's a lot of nostalgia that seems to dim people's perceptions. they're both constraction figure lines, one with a deep and complex story that got a bit out of hand because of how complex it was and another with generally superior sets (pieces less likely to crack, more aesthetically cool and less lanky-looking, more points of articulation, etc. etc.). i don't think the constraction figure concept is going anywhere because of how successful it's been for, what? 13 years or so?that being said, i don't think it's out of the question for the line following hero factory to be something of a bionicle reboot, and by that i mean a line connected thematically, for instance how rock raiders and power miners were connected. a science-fantasy line with emphasis on mystery, exploration, and teamwork as opposed to a science-fiction line with emphasis on tribute to silver age comics, smaller story arcs, and recurring characters. even if it's not bionicle in name i think something along these lines is far more likely to happen.either way, there's still a great possibility the line won't come back in any incarnation. we just don't have the evidence, and tlg doesn't plan that far ahead of time. i see a lot of discussion of optimism and pessimism around here and i don't think that even is a factor here. bionicle had a good run. most of the people i see who demand its return wouldn't be satisfied with a reboot because of how different it would be. it's a thing of the past, and there's no use clinging onto it. that being said, a return would certainly be most welcome in my eyes but as an unexpected, pleasant surprise and not as something demanded by a long-dead niche fanbase.
I do admit the armor pieces look cool, but in general, I found bionicle construction to be more complex and fun.
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.
Funny thing is, I never really foresaw the end of bionicle. I stopped collecting sets around 2008, and the few I got were from my birthday or something similar. But I never saw that bionicle was in a decline. The point where I could truly say it was losing steam would be 2009, with the Bara Magna line. Not that it was bad, but you could feel the exhausted minds of the writers.
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 signoff.png
But it sure IS one of Lego's best-selling themes.
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For nine years, LEGO put out the BIONICLE theme. For most of those years, BZPower (or BZCommunity and KanohiPower) was there discussing, speculating, reviewing, and all-in-all enjoying this mix of toys and story that made up BIONICLE. We had fun. We had positive outlooks, and positive looks back. And for those of you who don't remember, we had a lot of negativity also. Remember the complaints about silver? Inika builds? Cheesy films? We've offered both praise and criticism for BIONICLE long before Hero Factory was a mere idea in some LEGO executive somewhere.And criticism is not a bad thing. Many of us are looking back, noticing things about the line that we never noticed before. We have new perspective, and with that perspective, we are reexamining BIONICLE. GregF was awesome, back in the day, but we're older now. We've read more books, invested in more stories, and we now find that, as a book author, Mr. Farshtey was not the great literary giant we once saw him as. We see him as a talented author, whose books were entertaining, but not exactly as incredible as some of the authors we have read as we moved on past books with 200 pages or less and with easy-to-read text.We also look back on BIONICLE's story, and now that we have expanded our view of entertainment, it is no longer the grand epic we thought once we have read true epics, and engaged in other mythologies. BIONICLE was great for what it was, but it is still a kid's toy line.We follow Hero Factory and Ninjago now, because those are what are being made now, and when they're complete as BIONICLE is, we will move on to whatever is next. It's not negativity, it is a healthful contentedness, while we also look back favorably and sometimes with a more critical eye towards what our past has been.But we don't need to coddle BIONICLE and cling to hope of its return to be happy, or to be positive. If it returns, I will give the shouts of victory with all the rest, but just as I enjoy and discuss BIONICLE today, two years after it gave up the ghost, I will enjoy and discuss the new guard of LEGO themes. I also will talk about BIONICLE in ways that examine its weak points. "How could this have been done better? Was this really as impressive as it seemed, or was it simply the novelty? Does this make sense?" One does not need to coddle BIONICLE to be positive. In fact, this discussion of BIONICLE's strong and weak suits are inherently positive, because even though we are looking at it with minds that have absorbed things that may be more impressive, we are still talking about it.As people who have seen things come and go, and as folks who have had things they love give their swan song, we understand that BIONICLE is very likely gone, but that does not mean we wouldn't like it back. And we understand from the past that LEGO rarely brings back themes without radically changing them, which, in many cases, alienates those who followed the theme before. (See Alpha Team: Mission "Deep Freeze", so-called)It is in fact, another very positive thing when we look forward to what the LEGO Company has in mind. They gave us BIONICLE, so why do so many, in the name of that very theme, often bear a negative attitude towards anything the company puts out, if it doesn't have the name "BIONICLE" on it.Discussion is positive. Rejecting the present and future in nostalgia for the past is negative.

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I think it was funny how the day I come back to BZPower just out of curiosity and find this bit of news. Although, I'd love to see the Bionicle franchise return, I think we can agree that it needed a break. I personally couldn't keep up with it since there was always something new to look forward too. I didn't get to buy anything during its last three years. there are actually some people now who weren't born to see the very first ones come out in 2001. I'm proud to have stuck with it from the beginning. The story itself was definitely worth following.

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Ultimately, to follow up on what Aanchir was saying about negativity, "the buck stops with me" -- and you, and you, and you. If we want BZP to be positive, then be positive. :) BZP is made of us, and we have the choice to make those responsible changes in our own behavior, and set a good example for others. :)Pouring more negativity on top of existing negativity only fuels it. Especially acting offended that someone else encourages you to be positive, even though you were upset that someone else was negative... yeah. That comes across as in one breath saying "stop being negative" and in the next breath "but I have a right to be negative 'cuz I feel like it." It just don't make sense. :P You do technically have that right, but we'd all be better off if we all make the choice to be positive.And, BTW, being positive includes constructive criticism and intelligent analysis.At the end of the day, LEGO exists for fun. And so does this forum, so... enjoy! =D

We follow Hero Factory and Ninjago now, because those are what are being made now, and when they're complete as BIONICLE is, we will move on to whatever is next. It's not negativity, it is a healthful contentedness...It is in fact, another very positive thing when we look forward to what the LEGO Company has in mind. They gave us BIONICLE, so why do so many, in the name of that very theme, often bear a negative attitude towards anything the company puts out, if it doesn't have the name "BIONICLE" on it.
Very wise words, LL, as well as the rest of what you said. I grew up a fan of LEGO, with lines that essentially had no story period, and I was able to love them. When the invention of LEGO-originated story came with Bionicle, I was even more thrilled. I'm a fan of LEGO, yanno? So a less intensive story is still more fun than what I was perfectly content with back then. I can enjoy even story-free lines now.And they are free to experiment with anything in between as well, like HF. Why not? :)

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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Just watch. They'll bring back Bionicle an it'll use the HF building system. Then all the HF haters will complain about those sets.And I'll be like "In your face! Should've accepted HF when you had the time." Then the complaint will die down as the sets get cooler soley because it Bionicle. Then I'll be like "There is something seriously wrong w/ you people." *insert serious look here*HF haters are to Lego as Geewuns are to Hasbro.In my opinion, Bionicle and HF are equal in terms of awesomeness. Storywise, Bionicle was well written but it was a bit too unidirectional, always making the same theme point repeatedly, and relied heavily on flashbacks at some points and that caused the story to get boring. HF on the other hand goes the multidirectional route, given us a brand new theme and story to tie in with a particular wave, and uses little to no flashbacks to get the story's point across. It also leaves room for alot more possibilities than Bionicle, which had a singular focus. That's why I say, even though Bionicle was great, HF has become superior in so many ways. Take it from someone who's been w/ Bionicle since it started. Sure, I'd like to see Bionicle come back, but I wouldn't want it to stay. Perhaps a crossover story arc, w/ each side being half HF, half Bionicle. I'd be happy w/ that. A full comeback..............no......*shakes head*
I must say, I'm done with HF, however, I see your point about the system thing. Lego obviously isn't going to regress to the old system.

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Hmm, this was rather unexpected. And people said it wouldn't come back :PWell, 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).
I see your point, but in case you don't remember, in 2008 I remember reading about how Lego had their plans figured out until 2011. So, assuming they're still planing that far ahead, they would probably have a more definite answer than saying it wasn't returning in 2013 specifically. They would have said something more along the lines of, "It definitely won't return during the next 3 years." Therefore, my theory is that either A.They are considering its return seriously in 2014. or B.They have already decided it will return in 2014 and they hope to surprise the fans and win back the loyalty of some. If you don't understand what I mean by "win back the loyalty of some", I'm a little more active on #######, and many there have turned away from Lego entirely because of Bionicle's end.

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Neverminding that that site can't be mentioned (and you should edit out the filter result too, just say "another site") -- re this:

many there have turned away from Lego entirely because of Bionicle's end
I don't buy that. What about the end would justify such a reaction? LEGO was forced into it financially, and they were very close to when it would have ended naturally anyways. There were three big blunders in it -- the Stars sets could have been a bit better in some ways, not having TLR be about the giant robot battle (IMO; you could argue a fifth movie instead, but same idea), and the Golden Armor Deus Ex Machina. None of these are significantly worse than other blunders they've made along the way. It ending itself, and at about that time, made all the sense in the world as the story was always building up to that grand finale.And LEGO is LEGO. We are fans of LEGO, right? Not just of that one line. However, if some are fans only of that one line, then whenever it ends, they will naturally fall out from the LEGO fanbase anyways, period, and it thus couldn't be used as evidence against the wisdom of the end. (Because they're not the only fans to consider.)Keep in mind the vast majority of kids "grow out" of LEGO anyways -- and sometimes some are insecure about it. More likely those who are telling you this felt they needed to make some excuse for what was really natural growing out of it (not having the tastes to become an AFOL). Or they may have been part of a small group who strangely seems to have almost become addicted to Bionicle irrationally and wouldn't have accepted an end, which IMO is clearly not "being true to Bionicle" because it was always a story designed to come to an end.Now it's also a story designed to have a return well, so we'll see about that, but we need to stop buying into this myth that's coming from a tiny vocal minority pretending that there is this widespread anger over LEGO having supposedly done something wrong by ending Bionicle. It's just not accurate. :)
I see your point, but in case you don't remember, in 2008 I remember reading about how Lego had their plans figured out until 2011. So, assuming they're still planing that far ahead, they would probably have a more definite answer than saying it wasn't returning in 2013 specifically. They would have said something more along the lines of, "It definitely won't return during the next 3 years." Therefore, my theory is that either A.They are considering its return seriously in 2014. or B.They have already decided it will return in 2014 and they hope to surprise the fans and win back the loyalty of some.
Both of those are possible, but they're really B & C respectively -- and this article is not logically evidence for them. Theory #A is that, as LEGO employees have consistently stated, there are no plans for it to return anytime soon.Just want us to be cautiously optimistic and not fool ourselves into seeing a return that probably isn't planned for that soon. :) Edited by bonesiii

The Destiny of Bionicle (chronological retelling of Bionicle original series, 9 PDFs of 10 chapters each on Google Drive)Part 1 - Warring with Fate | Part 2 - Year of Change | Part 3 - The Exploration Trap | Part 4 - Rise of the Warlords | Part 5 - A Busy Matoran | Part 6 - The Dark Time | Part 7 - Proving Grounds | Part 8 - A Rude Awakening | Part 9 - The Battle of Giants

My Bionicle Fanfiction  (Google Drive folder, eventually planned to have PDFs of all of it)

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Hmm, this was rather unexpected. And people said it wouldn't come back :PWell, 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).
I see your point, but in case you don't remember, in 2008 I remember reading about how Lego had their plans figured out until 2011. So, assuming they're still planing that far ahead, they would probably have a more definite answer than saying it wasn't returning in 2013 specifically. They would have said something more along the lines of, "It definitely won't return during the next 3 years." Therefore, my theory is that either A.They are considering its return seriously in 2014. or B.They have already decided it will return in 2014 and they hope to surprise the fans and win back the loyalty of some. If you don't understand what I mean by "win back the loyalty of some", I'm a little more active on #######, and many there have turned away from Lego entirely because of Bionicle's end.
I think it's a stretch to deduce that Lego phrased their statement that way specifically because they're strongly considering bringing it back. Frankly, the 2008 statement was made at a time when it was almost unthinkable that Bionicle would be ending. It had become a mainstay, and Lego was only affirming the status quo. Currently, the status quo is that Bionicle is over. If it were to return, Lego would be either A: keeping it under wraps like they do for new themes (consider that Lego Friends was kept a secret for around three years), or B: making a big announcement to the fans, as opposed to dropping vague hints that may not be hints of anything at all. And I doubt Lego is very concerned with "winning back the loyalty" of fans who didn't care about any Lego products beyond Bionicle. The lack of crossover from Bionicle fans back to general Lego was one of the theme's great failings.

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Even calling it a "statement" is a bit of a stretch. I mean, yes, that's what it was in the technical sense, but it was really just a part of what seems to be a relatively informal conversation with one guy, not an official statement, press release etc, and it's really unfair to treat it like one. Heck, the default email that gets sent to people emailling LEGO about Bionicle is more official and informative than this.

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I really hate cynics that say that they are being realistic.There is (somehow) hope that Bionicle comes back though. Yaaay.

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I really hate cynics that say that they are being realistic.There is (somehow) hope that Bionicle comes back though. Yaaay.
Is being cynical and realistic at the same time impossible? I don't think there's no hope for BIONICLE to return. I just think it's really unlikely that the circumstances for that to be a good decision will come about any time soon.More importantly, nothing significant has changed about the chances of BIONICLE returning. There has ALWAYS been hope that it might come back, but this article makes it sound like somehow the LEGO Group is now giving it more consideration than they have in the past, and we have no evidence to suggest that-- just a LEGO employee's word that they haven't ruled out the chance of it returning any more than they did in the past. It's not being cynical to realize that this isn't "news", just a tricky way of repeating what we already knew.Really the news article almost seems like it was intended to toy with BIONICLE fans by giving a false impression that somehow there was new information about BIONICLE's chances of returning. And if so, then that's almost sadistic, because anyone could have foretold that this sort of false "news" would create arguments between people with differing opinions but not tell anybody anything they couldn't have found out from more honest sources on their own.
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Honestly, Aanchir, it's more likely that he just didn't follow past discussions as closely as some of us and misunderstood that LEGO had ever settled firmly against a return. Our reporting staff has no desire to stir up arguments. It's fair to call this a blunder, but an understandable one.Also, Vahki-Nui, I know it's just a figure of speech, but I hope you don't actually hate anyone. :) (IMO it's a poor figspeech that should be avoided. Pet peeve. Anywho.)And I don't know who specifically you're referring to as cynics (hopefully not me :P I see myself as a realist). A realistic, objective assessement can indeed come to conclusions that something is not likely to happen -- if objective logic shows that. Also, all we're really talking about is "anytime soon". All bets are off for the more distant future, and eventually as I've pointed out before, there will come a time when the majority of people who were the fans in Bionicle will be parents of their own kids, and that'll be a prime opportunity for a return so it'll be nostalgic parents buying what they loved for their kids.The earlier opportunity for a return would have been before now, to capitalize on older fans who were still in or close to the target audience and would be reinvigorated by a return and boost sales that way -- IMO this time has now passed, so it's pretty conclusive as I understand it that it won't return in the near future. (Also, such a return would likely have been brief anyways.)

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All bets are off for the more distant future, and eventually as I've pointed out before, there will come a time when the majority of people who were the fans in Bionicle will be parents of their own kids, and that'll be a prime opportunity for a return so it'll be nostalgic parents buying what they loved for their kids.The earlier opportunity for a return would have been before now, to capitalize on older fans who were still in or close to the target audience and would be reinvigorated by a return and boost sales that way -- IMO this time has now passed, so it's pretty conclusive as I understand it that it won't return in the near future. (Also, such a return would likely have been brief anyways.)
Bonesiii has voiced exactly my thoughts exactly. Unfortunately, this is the reason why Bionicle won't return. Trust me, I would absolutely love for the line to make a comeback, like most of us here (I hope :P), but the scenario and circumstances for that to occur have come and gone. It was really fun and exciting while it lasted, and I think that if the Lego Company were to return to the world of Bionicle, it would feel a bit "forced" and contrived. The storyline ended on a good note, the last few sets helped return the line to its former glory, and the brand as a whole was wrapped up pretty nicely. I think it's best if it's left that way, and we can simply return to the good old days ourselves by dusting off old sets, reading the comics and books, and coming back to BZP.-LH Edited by -{Lion Heart}-

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Crazy PR reps.Always creatin' rumours and making the community go crazy.
It's not his fault. This has been Kevin Hinkle's standard response to questions about ANY theme or element returning. It would be stupid of Lego to rule out any theme returning, and indeed they've given the same response for themes as unsuccessful as Galidor. But just because Lego won't speak for what decisions they may make far, far into the future doesn't mean Bionicle's any closer to returning.

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Let me make the 100th reply by saying, Lego doesn't want to cut the last string in the chord that keeps Bionicle alive because Bionicle would be a excellent fail safe. If for some reason, they aren't making money, or HF falls out of popularity Leaked content removed. -B6. There is still a chance that we will never get Bionicle back, and if we do, there is a chance it will be in 20 years time.Devorath

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Let me make the 100th reply by saying, Lego doesn't want to cut the last string in the chord that keeps Bionicle alive because Bionicle would be a excellent fail safe. If for some reason, they aren't making money, or HF falls out of popularity (Like I suspect it will, if any of you have seen the [you're not supposed to talk about that] pictures). There is still a chance that we will never get Bionicle back, and if we do, there is a chance it will be in 20 years time.Devorath
I don't think that's really Lego's intention at all. First of all, Hero Factory falling out of popularity probably wouldn't make Bionicle any more popular than it was when they ended it in the first place. Bionicle would need to have a cultural shift in its favor like it did when it originated. Bionicle's concept was a reaction to the newfound interest kids were showing in complex mythologies such as Harry Potter and Star Wars (which were at the forefront of pop-culture during the late nineties/early noughts). Without a resurgence in that sort of fascination in kids, Hero Factory would be more likely to be replaced with another new constraction theme based on what kids actually are interested in at the time.Lego isn't keeping Bionicle close to their chests out of fear that their other lines will fail so much as out of awareness that there's a chance Bionicle will someday do better than it did before, as far off as that might be. It's not a failsafe so much as an idea they've filed away with many others, with the knowledge that they can reconsider each of them when the time is right.

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Neverminding that that site can't be mentioned (and you should edit out the filter result too, just say "another site") -- re this:
many there have turned away from Lego entirely because of Bionicle's end
I don't buy that. What about the end would justify such a reaction? LEGO was forced into it financially, and they were very close to when it would have ended naturally anyways. There were three big blunders in it -- the Stars sets could have been a bit better in some ways, not having TLR be about the giant robot battle (IMO; you could argue a fifth movie instead, but same idea), and the Golden Armor Deus Ex Machina. None of these are significantly worse than other blunders they've made along the way. It ending itself, and at about that time, made all the sense in the world as the story was always building up to that grand finale.And LEGO is LEGO. We are fans of LEGO, right? Not just of that one line. However, if some are fans only of that one line, then whenever it ends, they will naturally fall out from the LEGO fanbase anyways, period, and it thus couldn't be used as evidence against the wisdom of the end. (Because they're not the only fans to consider.)Keep in mind the vast majority of kids "grow out" of LEGO anyways -- and sometimes some are insecure about it. More likely those who are telling you this felt they needed to make some excuse for what was really natural growing out of it (not having the tastes to become an AFOL). Or they may have been part of a small group who strangely seems to have almost become addicted to Bionicle irrationally and wouldn't have accepted an end, which IMO is clearly not "being true to Bionicle" because it was always a story designed to come to an end.Now it's also a story designed to have a return well, so we'll see about that, but we need to stop buying into this myth that's coming from a tiny vocal minority pretending that there is this widespread anger over LEGO having supposedly done something wrong by ending Bionicle. It's just not accurate. :)
I see your point, but in case you don't remember, in 2008 I remember reading about how Lego had their plans figured out until 2011. So, assuming they're still planing that far ahead, they would probably have a more definite answer than saying it wasn't returning in 2013 specifically. They would have said something more along the lines of, "It definitely won't return during the next 3 years." Therefore, my theory is that either A.They are considering its return seriously in 2014. or B.They have already decided it will return in 2014 and they hope to surprise the fans and win back the loyalty of some.
Both of those are possible, but they're really B & C respectively -- and this article is not logically evidence for them. Theory #A is that, as LEGO employees have consistently stated, there are no plans for it to return anytime soon.Just want us to be cautiously optimistic and not fool ourselves into seeing a return that probably isn't planned for that soon. :)
Once again, I see your points. As for people turning away from Lego, it's not like BZPower on that site. BZPower is far more official, and makes sure most everybody has good information. In that site, everything's up to rumors and speculations. All people know for sure there is that Bionicle ended, and they don't like it. Not everyone there is like that. Some do have good sources, but at least half, as I have said, have only heard rumors and speculations. And as for not mentioning that site, as I said, I'm more used to the ability to say pretty much anything on there. I apperciate your feedback, though. Edited by Toa of Awesomeness

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Hmm, this was rather unexpected. And people said it wouldn't come back :PWell, 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).
I see your point, but in case you don't remember, in 2008 I remember reading about how Lego had their plans figured out until 2011. So, assuming they're still planing that far ahead, they would probably have a more definite answer than saying it wasn't returning in 2013 specifically. They would have said something more along the lines of, "It definitely won't return during the next 3 years." Therefore, my theory is that either A.They are considering its return seriously in 2014. or B.They have already decided it will return in 2014 and they hope to surprise the fans and win back the loyalty of some. If you don't understand what I mean by "win back the loyalty of some", I'm a little more active on #######, and many there have turned away from Lego entirely because of Bionicle's end.
Well, in my opinion, turning away from Lego because of Bionicle's end isn't exactly a good idea. Lego has a bunch of other themes.I've become more of a TFOL nowadays, and I plan on buying some more sets down the line (HF, Star Wars, Superheroes or otherwise) if all goes well.But I think you're right about Lego's planning. Who knows? I don't want to get everyone's hopes too high, but the future is full of possibilities. :)

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Hmm, this was rather unexpected. And people said it wouldn't come back :PWell, 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).
I see your point, but in case you don't remember, in 2008 I remember reading about how Lego had their plans figured out until 2011. So, assuming they're still planing that far ahead, they would probably have a more definite answer than saying it wasn't returning in 2013 specifically. They would have said something more along the lines of, "It definitely won't return during the next 3 years." Therefore, my theory is that either A.They are considering its return seriously in 2014. or B.They have already decided it will return in 2014 and they hope to surprise the fans and win back the loyalty of some. If you don't understand what I mean by "win back the loyalty of some", I'm a little more active on #######, and many there have turned away from Lego entirely because of Bionicle's end.
Well, in my opinion, turning away from Lego because of Bionicle's end isn't exactly a good idea. Lego has a bunch of other themes.I've become more of a TFOL nowadays, and I plan on buying some more sets down the line (HF, Star Wars, Superheroes or otherwise) if all goes well.But I think you're right about Lego's planning. Who knows? I don't want to get everyone's hopes too high, but the future is full of possibilities. :)
Finally! Someone who somewhat agrees with me!

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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. :P
Hey, bringing back Galidor is a great idea. Everyone just needs time to except it.

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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. :P
Hey, bringing back Galidor is a great idea. Everyone just needs time to except it.
I just wish they'd release the old TV series on DVD. Heck, I don't think it was ever even released on VHS. The sets were sub-par, but the show was fairly decent as far as saturday-morning fare goes.

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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. :P
Hey, bringing back Galidor is a great idea. Everyone just needs time to except it.
I imagine AFOLs would have been a lot more responsive to the theme if it had just had minifigures.
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I don't know, too me i hope BIONICLE return one day. But i am OK with Hero Factory and i hope BIONICLE will not look like Hero Factory, that will not look right.But yes let the rumours commence. :vahi:
I wouldn't mind BIONICLE returning with a building style similar to the Hero Factory building style, which I think suits action figure sets a lot better than Technic-based building. But I agree that BIONICLE should still look very different from Hero Factory. Hero Factory parts tend to have a smooth, refined texture, whereas BIONICLE parts tend to emphasize complexity with lots of details like pistons and framework-like armor textures. I love both styles and think they suit their respective themes, even if it's easier for me to MOC with the Hero Factory parts most of the time.A lot of people really dislike the HF 2.0 building system and think that if BIONICLE used it or a similar building system it would be a very bad thing. However, that doesn't take into account that the new building system could have emerged in BIONICLE if the theme had sustained itself longer, and that in that case the parts might end up looking very different. The main thing that defines the Hero Factory building system is that everything is based around the ball joint, and since the skeletons of BIONICLE figures tend to be fairly well-hidden anyway I don't think this would have required huge changes from BIONICLE's traditional look-- at least, no more than the changes between the Toa Nuva and Toa Metru aesthetics or Toa Metru and Toa Inika aesthetics.
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Yikes.. All that was quite the, erm, interesting read.This whole "Bionicle Returning" seems to be way more 50/50 than I realized. I, for one, would look forward to new sets and story. Heck, I'd even be happy with re-hashing the original Mata. However I'd also be equally as happy with a new story line (retaining some similar characters, I'd hope).But in all honesty, does it matter how 50/50 we are? Sure, without us fans wanting it back, at least, those of is who do want it back, there might not be current/future plans for a Bioncile return, but it seems LEGO might already be a few steps ahead of us.No point in fretting about it now, 2014 is quite a ways away, folks.- Taka

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Well they have never made sets out of toa from other elements such as gravity, iron, magnetism, et c so there is a slight possibility.
Similarly, in Galidor we never got a set of Sam Bluetooth or Queen Riana, so there's a slight possibility of it coming back. In Exo-Force there was never a set of the robot base or the jungle lab where Meca One was built, so there's a slight possibility of it coming back. Heck, they never made sets of the majority of locations, vehicles, or characters from the Avatar: The Last Airbender theme, so there's a slight chance of that coming back too, right?Well, yes. But those "slight chances" are far outweighed by the overwhelming chance that these themes are not coming back. Almost every story theme Lego has ever produced, both licensed and non-licensed, has had content which was never adapted into sets. But in most cases, that was because either the theme proved unsuccessful, or there was never any intention of releasing that content in sets even when the theme was running. The fact that there were character types which never existed outside the written word is hardly an argument for Bionicle's return being somehow more likely.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Any return for Bionicle would, despite it's ongoing-story, probably be ore akin to, say, the recurring Jonny Thunder themes from the 90s. Some elements reused as convenient (the name quite possibly being one of them), but with no effort made to maintain continuity with an old line. They'll be trying to market a 'new' product, afterall.

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Hurray! :) Bionicle will be coming back! :) Hurray! :)
Um... no. There hasn't been anything to suggest that. In fact, if you'd read the topic you'd realize that this "rumor" is based on a flawed assumption.

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Hurray! :) Bionicle will be coming back! :) Hurray! :)
facedeskfacedeskfacedeskI really hope you're not serious, Lenny.Anyway, having read this thread and the totally expected amount of argumentative comments, I see that I have nothing much to add. No news isn't news. Hopeful is good, realistic is good too. I want a return, but I won't be raging over a lack of one in the next few years. ^_^ Edited by Chro

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Well, a completely different concept in a reboot/continuation of BIONICLE is better than no BIONICLE.I don't even care if the sets use the same building system as Hero Factory. That's just a natural progression. It's like complaining about LEGO Galaxy Squad because it doesn't have "that blue spaceship with the yellow windows and generic spacemen!" (a Classic Space set, for the uninformed). You can't go back to the way things were (With a sigh of relief to the fragile joints that came out in 2008... *shudder*) and still gain a new audience. For the next generation, it would be a step back and it would be boring for them. You must remember that a company will only bring back something if the target audience (THE KIDS) will be interested. The fanboys (US) are rarely considered.But I digress. Because of this, BIONICLE will be more like HF in it's possible reboot/continuation, but at least we get BIONICLE, eh?

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It does mean that Lego arent calling it dead completely
Well, yes, but we never had any reason to doubt that. If they were considering it completely dead they would have simply told us that, unless of course they wanted to mislead us, but if that were the case they could just as easily be misleading us now. Basically this is the same sort of generic PR response we've gotten to every question about BIONICLE returning, albeit with the original question phrased differently. Specifically, the phrasing "Can you confirm that BIONICLE is never coming back?" makes the question impossible to answer with a "yes" since it requires certainty of TLG's plans from now until the end of time, so it is an even less meaningful answer than some of the previous answers we've gotten, and the same answer that you'd probably get if you asked the same question about Fabuland or the LEGO monorail system.
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It does mean that Lego arent calling it dead completely
Well, yes, but we never had any reason to doubt that. If they were considering it completely dead they would have simply told us that, unless of course they wanted to mislead us, but if that were the case they could just as easily be misleading us now. Basically this is the same sort of generic PR response we've gotten to every question about BIONICLE returning, albeit with the original question phrased differently. Specifically, the phrasing "Can you confirm that BIONICLE is never coming back?" makes the question impossible to answer with a "yes" since it requires certainty of TLG's plans from now until the end of time, so it is an even less meaningful answer than some of the previous answers we've gotten, and the same answer that you'd probably get if you asked the same question about Fabuland or the LEGO monorail system.
Meh. Im not to fussed if it doesnt come back. The story however I want to keep going

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