Well, funny enough, I did manage to make a MOC that is small, designed in a set-like fashion, can transform, and is just as stable as any regular set:
If you ask me, this would work just fine as a LEGO set.
Well, on the flip side, the fact that Bionicle was such an isolated niche is also what kinda contributed to its downfall. Giving it a wider appeal to targeting both new people and people interested in robots/Gundam/Transformers in general would have probably been a better long-term strategy in my mind. I think appealing to as wide an audience as possible is the key to any successful franchise, but what do I know, I am no marketing expert.