15 years since this message happened.

[Lenny7092]

Hi, guys. It’s been 15 years since this horrible things happened: https://www.bzpower.info/story.php?ID=4419 

It was devastating. 
For those who have been around that time, I bet you guys felt sad about it, too. For those who didn’t, you learn something. 

I hope that we can somehow find a way to convince Lego to bring back Bionicle G1 someday, so our glory days will return. Some of you may want to make careless and disheartening comments, but they mean nothing to me because I have been a fan of Bionicle since day 1, and I WILL NOT let it go. In fact, as you should notice, a lot of people don’t. Mark my words.

[Nato G]

I don't think I've ever seen this particular statement before, but I got a real laugh out of reading it. 

This part in particular aged like milk: 

Quote

"We think there is a significant opportunity to grow the buildable figure category, but it will take a more flexible platform that appeals to a wider range of ages through a variety of different entry points than BIONICLE has proven to deliver. The easy decision would be to stick with a known entity in BIONICLE; but as history has proven, The LEGO Group achieves its greatest success by embracing the uncertainty that innovation brings."

There's some fantastic irony in the fact that they killed Bionicle so they could grow the buildable figure category, but ended up changing things so drastically that it killed the entire buildable figures system instead. Just goes to show that not all innovations are improvements.

I bet they regret "embracing the uncertainty" now. 

[JAG18]

I still remember this day, but for some reason I don't remember a single word from this statement.  What I do remember (and think about occasionally) is the Greg man's post on the feedback topic posted for this.

"Wow, you guys are handling this pretty well.  I told LEGO you'd be up in arms over this."

I remember at the time feeling like the end of Bionicle was at least on the way if not over due, and also feeling like I shouldn't say that since I had been a fan for so long and (mostly) enjoyed the 2009 story.  Oddly enough, with over a decade of hindsight, I both feel like I should have known Bionicle was on its deathbed back then, but also I actually do miss it more now.  Maybe that's just the nostalgia talking IDK. 

[Raph]

I would prefer for Bionicle not to return. As sad as it sounds, but it's history now. And honestly, it's good to have such a good franchise end on a good term, rather than having it continue and God knows what could happen. We could have been easily saying the opposite right now, that Lego should have ended them back in 2010s and like that. I just glad it was part of my childhood, so i could enjoy it s a kid and a teenager. Have it that way.

[Lorentz]

I was in high school when this was announced, so I was a little sad to see it go, but I understood that it would have been insane for it to keep going forever.

Also, it's just a matter of time, but you WILL accept that G1 is never coming back.

Edited December 11, 2024 by Lorentz

[Master Inika]

I guess a part of me can respect LEGO for wanting to take risks and not just keep going with a sure thing, but I'd be lying if I said G1 getting canceled wasn't emotional for me. I don't know what it was specifically but BIONICLE was just a perfect storm for Zillennial obsession. In early 2009, I remember thinking what BIONICLE would be like ten years in the future. It felt like there was still so much to explore. Up until the end, I was buying every set and following the story, always anticipating what next year would bring. Then, it was like a switch flipped. I had zero enthusiasm for Hero Factory. I never recall even once looking forward to next year. I'd stare at the end-of-year BIONICLE comic teasers for the next year itching to know what was in store. Maybe it was just me growing up, but it seems like LEGO accidentally alienated BIONICLE's most loyal fans and failed to draw in as much new energy with HF (or all those weird other lines, Ben 10/Super Heroes/Star Wars).

IMO, General Grievous and maybe K-2SO were the last LEGO sets to feel like BIONICLE sets.

[zerack: the rogue]

I do recall it, and being disappointed about how none of the stories, that at that point were strictly online anyway, would ever be finished. For me personally though, I was a senior in high school, getting ready to graduate in the spring, so it was almost symbolic of my childhood closing as I prepped to graduate. 

[Master Inika]

10 hours ago, zerack: the rogue said:

I do recall it, and being disappointed about how none of the stories, that at that point were strictly online anyway, would ever be finished. For me personally though, I was a senior in high school, getting ready to graduate in the spring, so it was almost symbolic of my childhood closing as I prepped to graduate. 

I was going from middle to high school when it happened, so I felt the same way. There are possibly other factors too, but I really do think having BIONICLE was one reason middle school felt more real to me than high school.

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

Honestly I can say that it genuinely didn't impact me strongly at the time?

I'd kinda wrapped up my journey with Bionicle at the end of 2008 and moved on to other interests earlier that year - while I still followed the news here on BZP, and peripherally kept up with the story, the lack of any familiar faces (unlike Bionicle's previous years, where the main heroes had always been characters we'd known since 2001/2) kept me from investing deeply - so while it was a surprise, the fact that I'd already 80% moved on meant that it really didn't hit me emotionally. It was more of a detached "well, huh, didn't see that coming" that I quickly took in stride.

'Course, if the announcement had come two years earlier, I definitely wouldn't have been so detached about it...!

[bioniclegood]

honestly, I just got into bionicle a couple years ago, but I'm doing alright I have 5 toa (1 pohatu, 1 gali, 1 onua, and 2 kopakas) the nui-rama Lego set, 2 bohrok (1 levhak* and one tahnok), 2 toa nuva (both gali nuva), 1 rahkshi (Guurahk), 3 vahki (bordakh, keerakh, and zadakh), i also have 1 visorak (boggrahk), 1 piraka (vezok), 1 toa mahri (hahli), and 1 Bionicle gen 2 set (set number 70795 mask maker vs skull grinder

[bioniclegood]

*levhak was my first Bionicle and my favorite