Think about it. G2’s sets according to Lego have sold “well”. I know for a fact that the Toa kept selling out at some places. Now we all know the story was pretty much garbage.
Now a few things I need to go over before I continue.
Attentions spans have changed drastically since G1. From what I have noticed kids will obsess over a good story or show, but if something ends prematurely before it took off they won’t remember it in a year.
The Lego Cinematic Universe has proven to be phenomenal becoming a major hit only after two movies. We know that Bionicle is already semi canon in that continuity, and that Lego is adding a lot more of their IP’s to the continuity as shown with Ninjago and the second Lego Movie revolving around Benny and such.
Now Bionicle was confirmed to have a three year lifespan when it came out in 2015. We know that the sets did well, and that the story didn’t really effect sales. So the story failure didn’t really have anything to do with the cancelation. Now what was supposed to come out in 2017? The Lego Movie 2. Now we know the decision to cancel Bionicle was made around the skull villains if I remember right. Now in 2015, the Lego Movie 2 was set back to 2018 and it wasn’t changed until 2016 when we were told it would be set back further into 2019. Now if Bionicle cancelation was planned in late 2015 early 2016 that means that the Lego Movie 2 was still planed for 2018. Which would have left a couple years for the general public to forget G2 and prepare Bionicle’s entrance into the Lego Cinimatic Universe. Now Bionicle was canned in 2016 for a business decision according to Lego. If it sold well what was the business decision? Well notice how in 2016 the Lego Movie 2 was moved to 2019. That coincides with G2’s end. I personally don’t think this a coincidence. If we turn to wikipedia we will find that the creative team behind the Lego Movie 2 have been switching out. This lead further credibility for Bionicle being added as in 2016 the director changed. So what if the business decision was that they needed Bionicle for the Lego Cinematic Universe and didn’t want other stories and media working on it as well…
I think failure is still the most likely reason given the fact that I can still find a crap ton of sets at my TRU that usually moves things pretty fast…
In fact, there were more Bionicle sets that were shelf warming than Chima.
I understand that many want to hope that Bionicle will return yet again, but I really think that the line just didn’t sell well, considering the crazy clearances and shelf warming. There’s more evidence stacked up for sale failure than against it.
This sounds more like just hoping it will return than actually believing it will return based on evidence and history.
Seems I wasn’t clear: the evidence was disproven, not the theory. In TLBM, there’s a scene with a cinema sign showing upcoming movies. The first screenshot we got only showed “The BIONICLE M”, and people assumed “it’s the BIONICLE Movie!”, and thought it might be Lego’s way of teasing an upcoming BIONICLE movie. Then we got another screenshot, revealing the title to be “The BIONICLE Mask”.
Ok, I’ve searched the web for this and have found no image. So, even if it is the Bionicle Mask, Bionicle still got a movie poster. I mean that should um set off at least a couple red flags about G2 being scrapped.
Not everything we see with the word “Bionicle” on it means that it’ll come back. Tesla put this in the best way possible;
Dead is dead. It’s gone and that’s how it is. We need to stop hoping it’ll come back, stop scouring for evidence that it’ll return, and just appreciate that it existed in the first place.
It ended, came back, and did terribly sales-wise, which is proven based on the experience of many community members finding quite a few shelfwarmers. There is no practical reason Lego would want to revive a toyline for the third time after the last time it had bad retail reception.
The need for a “G3” in the community is coming off more as desperation than logic. Maybe, for once, it would be good to just let go.
Maybe it didn’t do well in some places which is to be expected, but according to Lego it did well.
I believe that if Lego is planning a movie or some other tie into to the LCU than Bionicle would be given a rise in popularity just due to the fact that it was on the big screen.
Anything regarding “IF” or “WHAT IF” is useless now. Bionicle is dead and it has very slim chances of ever returning as viable theme in the levels it once was.
We were to be given three years. The fact that it was canceled early, is just plain weird. I’m not saying with that is coming back, but we shouldn’t be completely ruling out the possibility.
Look at Galidor, a show that only went a single year. It wasn’t received well and was cut short because they didn’t want to put money into something people didn’t like. Nothing weird about that.
This is a ToysRUs on the American East Coast that stocks and sells out of LEGO sets constantly. There’s not a lack of demand for plastic building toys here. Even Hero Factory sold through faster than this, I remember seeing only a handful of Invasion From Below sets at the end of the theme a while back while I can still see an entire section of an isle completely full of Bionicle toys.
While this is true, we also shouldn’t forever be latched onto the idea that Bionicle will return. Let’s face it, this community can have a darn hard time letting go of this franchise, and I think that always thinking Lego has some “greater reason” for ending it is an example of that.
There’s a fine line between having wishful thinking and being desperate for something. Bionicle is not a “special treatment” LEGO theme. It lasted a while, but so have others. If it ends, it’s for the same reason as any LEGO theme; there was a drop in demand or popularity. A company doesn’t keep something just because the fanbase likes it, they keep it because it’s profitable and makes money. That’s not to say LEGO doesn’t care about the fanbase, but as a company money and profit are first and foremost. If Bionicle stops making money, they have no reason at all to continue it.
I don´t think the story was bad. It was just rushed at the end, but the books and graphic novels were pretty great. It was just different from G1, but if its lifespan was fulfilled the story could´ve been awesome. It just needed room to grow.
G2 didn´t sell well, at least here in Spain. I didn´t even get to see the 2016 sets on sale. The only thing left were some Skull villains and some Lewa´s, Gali´s and Pohatu´s. Tragic.
Though… if G1 was to be featured in the Lego Movie 2, along with some re-released sets… it would be awesome to see Tahu Mata in a city set with Benny or something, or seeing Metalbeard wrestling a Bohrok would be phenomenal too.
Galidor was just plain bad. And I don’t believe it was confirmed to even go past that year. Bionicle on the other hand had a confirmed three years.
Stores have been known to overstock on stuff. My mall does it all the time for the mini figure series. [Except for the Lego Batman one which they understocked. The BX is great like that (The BX is the mall for us overseas and is stocked by the government essentially)] I mean eventually everyone who wants one has one and then they have to discount.
Lego said it did well which is why I have suspicions that something is up.
My life is great. I’m learning Java script.
We obviously have different standards and expectations for a story. I’m glad you could enjoy it.
What an odd comment that has barely anything to do with mine. Please elaborate on what you wanted to say here exactly?
Than that is why it failed since its targeted demographic should have been kids from all backgrounds and places, and yet it didnt achieve that, which is why it got cancelled.
You are telling me to move on, but I already have. I felt no emotional attachment to G2. It had cool sets, but it didn’t do anything for me like G1 did. Honestly I feel like you are having more trouble moving on than I am.
And I don’t believe it was confirmed to even go past that year. Bionicle on the other hand had a confirmed three years.