When will it end?!

[Ty55]

*titled by Don

I thought the same thing when I saw them! It may not be Ponda Baba or Wuher, but you can absolutely throw some of those Space Police aliens in to fill out a good Cantina diorama. Of course, we can all keep hoping for a new Cantina set before the end of the license

I keep seeing this end of license thing, wouldn't Lego just renew it? I don't see them just letting it go from a business perspective.

[Solo]

The license was slated to end in '07 if I'm not mistaken, then it got renewed... so there's no reason to think that in a couple years when the time's up again it will be tossed aside. There's still money to be made and that's the bottom line.

[MrCRskater]

Well, the bottom line is that the Star Wars license hasn't been renewed (yet), so for now we have to assume that 2011 is the end. Also keep in mind that while LEGO is making bank (and George probably is too) all Star Wars licensing is ultimately up to Mr. Lucas. He has been known to pull the rug out from other profitable companies before, so who's to say he couldn't do it again?

[Solo]

It hasn't been renewed because it's not over yet.

Also, come to think of it, how do we know it hasn't been renewed yet? And when has George ever pulled the plug on one of his cash cows?

Edit: I split this line of thought off for it's own topic. Let the speculation commence!

[Teekay]

I think that they will renew it. With the Clone Wars and the supposed live action TV series, I can't see it ending in 2011.

~Sam (Teekay)

[lordvader208]

I just hope it doesn't end. SW legos came out when I was only a kid, so I was never able to get all the sets I had wanted. Not to mention all the sets that I really shouldn't have gotten cuz they sucked.

I really don't know what I would buy without SW. Video games? Nah. Bionicles? Nah. Maybe City sets, but not sure.

Anyways, there's still a couple years left for TLC to pull off something amazing.

[Jabba the Taff]

I think that they will renew it. With the Clone Wars and the supposed live action TV series, I can't see it ending in 2011.

~Sam (Teekay)

And there's also the possibility of the 3D versions of the films to come - probably timed to ensnare another generation - so with that and the fact that it seems to be a license to print money, it will surely be renewed.

And isn't Lego Star Wars one of GL's favourite licenses?

[Draykov]

Well, the bottom line is that the Star Wars license hasn't been renewed (yet), so for now we have to assume that 2011 is the end.

Well, strictly speaking, it has already been renewed. The initial license was from 1999-2008. It was then extended/renewed until 2011. So, the precedent that has been set is that they will renew it. I'd think that's the safer assumption, especially given that we have a Clone Wars show being broadcast now and a live-action Star Wars show still to come. That will mean fresh resources to mine in terms of set subjects and minifig versions of new characters. If you're a betting man, I'd say the odds are against you on this one.

[The Brain]

I've often wondered this question myself--not in terms of Lego SW licensing, but in terms of the SW universe. When will it end?

I'm sure we all have our ideas about when SW comes to an end--not the saga of old, but the release of new material. Will it be in another decade? Two decades? When Lucas passes on and the fate of the Lucas legacy rests in the hands of his children? Who's to say. But as ridiculous as it sounds, it can't go on forever (or can it...? ) I'm not sure. Does anyone else have thoughts about this?

[BigBenKenobi]

No, it can't go on forever, but I wouldn't doubt if the Lucasfilm license was extended after 2011...but no, once again it can't go on forever. However, the Star Wars legacy can and will continue for years and year to come. Hopefully the current enthusiasm will still remain when I'm 80 years old.

[CaptMaarek]

I think as long as their is a demand, and new things LEGO star wars will be around.

It would seem to be a business matter of does this line attract customers, is it profitable for all parties, etc. Which I believe it is.

[MrCRskater]

Doubtful that I'll sway any opinions here, but I'll say again that because LEGO thinks it's profitable does not mean that Lucas will still think it's profitable in two years. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT IT'S NOT AT ALL PROFITABLE, so save the obvious comments for yourself. Of course SW LEGO is profitable for all parties, but what it will come down to is whether or not Lucas decides that another venture may be more profitable than the LEGO license? Of course we all think this is outlandish, because we're the one's buying up the product. But once upon a time. . .

There was a wildly popular CCG based in the Star Wars Universe, and ran for about 6 years. It was a profitable "cash cow" venture for all involved (interest wasn't waning at the end of the license), but for all the begging on the part of Decipher, they could not convince Lucas to renew the license. Then he turned around and signed a license with another gaming company, Wizards of the Coast, to build another SW CCG, which sadly was less successful than the first.

An analogous situation here would be if George pulled the plug on LEGO and entered a new deal with Megabloks. Of course, I highly doubt that a deal would be made with Megabloks, but the possibility remains that in a couple years he may decide some other company could distribute a more marketable/lucrative product. In that instance, it's possible (not certain) that he'll can LEGO.

So I'm sticking to my guns; until we hear otherwise, we can assume that it's all over in 2011.

[Ty55]

I just didn't think it made sense to just let it expire. From a business standpoint it would be stupid to just let one of your most successful Licenses go away when it is still profitable. Especially if you had a 32% jump in profits in 2008. I only see them discontinuing the license when it ceases to be profitable.

Thanks for all the clarification, I didn't expect this to warrant it's own topic.

[Solo]

An analogous situation here would be if George pulled the plug on LEGO and entered a new deal with Megabloks.

That's a pretty bleak concept, but it is a possibility. However, I can safely tell you that a CCG doesn't come near what LEGO pulls in and the brand name alone is part of it's selling power - making it far less likely. I'm not discounting your idea completely, just pointing out that right now you're taking the chicken little position and as such you're not going to be taken very seriously. Also, my guns is sayin until we hear otherwise we can assume that it'll keep on truckin past 2011.

[MrCRskater]

An analogous situation here would be if George pulled the plug on LEGO and entered a new deal with Megabloks.

That's a pretty bleak concept, but it is a possibility.

Fair enough, I can agree to disagree Just to be clear, I was just making a point In presenting the "Megabloks" scenario. I don't believe for a second that the license would ever swing over to them because everyone knows that it's an inferior product.

[SuperDave]

@CRskater: I was going to bring it up if you didn't. (By the way, SWCCG is still around, albeit in a different form: Star Wars CCG Player's Committee.)
@DonSolo: I agree that the CCG is not in the same boat as LSW. However, it is a pretty solid example of "Lucas pulling the plug on one of his cash cows."

[Solo]

Not really, because he just changed vendors - I guarantee that if he knew the second distributor would have failed like that he would have kept the first alive. Card games are card games and that's never been completely canned. It's not like he gave up completely, just that specific sub-line product that ended because another was going to start. A closer analogy would be the end of the Technic figures and starting the Clone Wars style sets. One got canned, but another idea was already in the works.

[MrCRskater]

Not really, because he just changed vendors - I guarantee that if he knew the second distributor would have failed like that he would have kept the first alive.

And so my point was he could do the same in this case in that he could potentially farm out another company to distribute a Star Wars building toy (not necessarily a LEGO-style building toy), not knowing that it may be less successful. Heck, he could probably even work something out with a company like Hasbro to develop and market a new building toy altogether.

BTW, thanks for the link, SuperDave. I was already aware that that was out there, so a devoted fan base has persisted long past the product run. Virtual SW LEGO sets, anyone?

[legofett]

Unfortunatly Lucas as much as we are in denial, is getting very sick of starwars I mean its his freaking life. What scares me most though is that whenever a lisence leave Lego hanging, they end up in Megabloks short-lived pocket. (cough cough "spiderman" cough cough)

[theJudeAbides]

I think to understand this question, we first need to look at how the line got started in the first place. As much as you may like to think so, it wasn't like LEGO woke up one day and said, "You know what would be awesome? A Star Wars line!" No, the decision was based on the fact that Lucas was releasing the new films, and that Star Wars was again being brought to the forefront of popular media. As popular as it was, there is no way the OT could have sustained for more than a few years, especially without new media to attract younger buyers (the primary consumer of LEGO products).

However, with three new films being released (particularly ones featuring new vehicles and characters), LEGO would have plenty of inspiration for new sets while also delivering classic sets as well. Why do you think the original end date was 2007? By this time, all of the new films would be released and LEGO would have had plenty of time to develop sets from the movies. However, by 2007, it was probably assumed that people (young people in particular), would be "over" Star Wars and would have moved on to the next thing. Obviously, some would remain true, but there would be diminishing returns each successive year.

However, Lucas then announced the Clone Wars movie and TV series, along with a new live-action TV show. Just like that, Star Wars was back in the limelight and LEGO had reason to continue the line. It was probably tentatively assumed that these new media would create enough inspiration and attention for sets to last through 2011.

So will LEGO cancel the line after 2011? I think that depends on the fate of the new TV shows. If they continue to be popular and get picked up for more seasons, I think it would be very likely that LEGO would renew the license. However, if the new shows fizzle and fade quickly, and Lucas doesn't try any other new movies/shows (with Lucas, you never know), I would think that LEGO would probably wrap up the line and move on. It's foolish to think that young people (again, the primary consumer) will continue to be drawn in to Star Wars without new media to draw their attention. While it's a nice sentement to think that LEGO would continue the line for AFOLs, we all know that that's just not going to happen. And as much as we'd love for them to delve more into the EU (I, personally, would lose my freaking mind if LEGO ever released sets from the Thrawn trilogy), they just don't have the cache to reel in new buyers. No, my friends, love it or hate it, the fate of the Star Wars LEGO line is currently tied to the continued success of the Clone Wars series

Just my thoughts...