Lego games have become a craze over the past few years. With the development of video games as part of it's own sets such as Lego Racers to Bionicle, it became much more popular as the early 2000s progressed. Instead of simply playing with the physical sets of Lego which would eventually collapse (at least on my part), the brand finally made it's way to a digital form and took over the world which allowed for further collapses of Lego characters. However it was only until the series become licensed based on existing franchises, did the Lego series become more popular, particularly with Harry Potter and ever since, many audiences have enjoyed the series and have wondered what will be next for the series. Which Lego set could be the basis of the next game? It's something that many fans haven't been shy about speculating. Traveler's Tales which is the developer which has become focused on the Lego games, has made a majority of the Lego games in the past decade at least. Before this, there were some Lego games here and there but it was With many sets ranging from Jurassic Park to The Simpsons and Disney Princesses, it doesn't look like Traveler's Tales will stop developing the Lego video games anytime soon. Although, when looking at the Lego games and sets out there, it does make me think of different possibilities that many people haven't really spoken about and many I believe are a real possibility for the near future. Near future as being in 2015 up until about 2017 at the most... rather than the 2040s with the Playstation 6 and Xbox 0.25 or whatever consoles there will be. Many of these potential games are almost like sequels or at least within the same universes as the games already released.
So for this blog, I would like to talk about my thoughts and the games which I think we are likely to be playing in the near future. Enjoy! 
DC character or team
This year, there has already been the release of another Lego game based on the DC universe. Batman 3: Beyond Gotham which contrary to popular belief is the third installment of the Lego Batman series and features much more than Batman himself. Especially since Batman 2: DC Super Heroes introduced many more characters to the fold so the most recent games makes it feel like the whole cast of DC characters are around. From Nightwing to Lex Luthor. From Starfire to um... Adam West. So feature another game altogether? Haven't we had enough? Well many of the characters are based on free play in which the characters play less of a role and have fewer abilities. That's not to say that they're not fun playable characters but the majority of the main story and abilities are based on Batman and those around him.
Therefore, wouldn't it be cool to see another character take the helm for a new Lego DC game? I think characters like Superman and Wonder Woman would be obvious choices because they're just so popular even when they don't have many video games themselves and it would be nice to see their side, the villains they fight off and the vast majority of powers and versions the main characters may have. As well as a different style of the game since it's no longer focused too much on Batman. Although to be honest, they could really take the series anywhere. Perhaps even a lesser known character or even a team. I mean, the Teen Titans is a team which I think would do great with the series. Then again, much of my knowledge of the group rests on the cartoon series... but I'm sure there would be humour too in a Lego video game! Although this might not be the first Lego DC team that might feature it's own Lego game.
What I've noticed about the Lego games is that they are usually released around the time of the actual movies or films which are set around the same universe even if they don't a connection to the video game. This can be shown by the very first Lego Star Wars game which was released in 2005, the same year as Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith and the Lego Lord of the Rings and Hobbit games were released during the development of the The Hobbit trilogy. So when considering the numerous release dates announced for the upcoming DC movies, could the video games coincide with the movies? I mean Suicide Squad has been announced for a 2016 release date so maybe if a Lego Teen Titans game is released, it might be after Lego Suicide Squad if it follows a pattern with the movies, even if the story and characters featured are much different.
Marvel Super Heroes already has a full blast of characters not just within the universe of The Avengers but including X-Men, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. Almost like what a Marvel movie would look like if they were all together. So perhaps there could not only be a game based on a single character or team but maybe the whole bunch with DC Super Heroes... and likely sequels would follow. I mean, they've got to make room for everyone in the main story. Then again, I'm still not quite sure whether a game based on a team would be considered Lego (group name) because the only sets there seem to be include the range of Lego Batman and Lego Superheroes which considers all of the characters. Although that said, they did call it Lego Marvel Superheroes rather than Lego Superheroes and they did have the rights to feature all the characters together rather than issues with the movie companies so maybe they don't have to call it by an existing set. They could just make a new Lego set lineup. Maybe there's the possibility of a mixture of the DC and Marvel universes! With all the superhero (and supervillain movies) being announced and released, anything's possible.
Marvel single character or team
Since I was talking so much about Marvel, it's only fair that I should talk about it in more detail and should have similar treatment to the DC series. The DC series has been stuck with the attention on Batman not just within Lego games or even video games for that matter but also movies and just generally, recognition. On the other hand, Marvel has featured a whole range of characters but it appears that it's focused much more on the characters associated with The Avengers. In a way, I can see why because The Avengers was only released a year before and it makes it seem suited for those who are enjoying the movies for now. Then again, as a result, does miss out a few characters. Some which play important roles in the comic books towards particular characters and teams. So why not feature the characters with their own Lego games? DC has Lego Batman so maybe they could feature a character on Marvel's side to rival The Caped Crusader?
I'm gonna go with a favourite of mine and say Spider-Man as a character who could easily have his own Lego video game. Why? He has a whole bunch of comic books series, villains, versions, possibilities so in my mind, it would be kinda silly to pass this one up at least within the next 2 years. Spider-Man 2099, the What If series, the characters and villains who have yet to make an appearance from Scarlet Spider to Hydro-Man and the list goes on... The universe within not only Spider-Man but the rest of the Marvel Universe seems just too big for a single video game and when considering this, it makes me think that 2016 and 2017 could have a whole barrage of Lego video games based on comic book characters because with at least 2 games being released every year from the developer and both DC and Marvel films being set for 2016 and 2017, it wouldn't surprise me if this year becomes amazing for superhero fans. In particular, the Sinister Six and new addition of the the X-Men movie series is set for release all in this one year and with some of the characters and groups still remaining unexplored in some respects, it appears like it's almost inevitable that we will see these video games in the near future.
Then again, I'm still unsure how the sets might work since they discontinued the Lego sets in 2002 but I suppose since it's part of Lego Super Heroes, it would still become a video game.
Lego Star Wars Episode VII or somewhere else
The Lego games which started the fame and fortune and future of Traveler's Tales could very well return once again for the video game consoles. Why do I believe this? Well at the time, the last few movies were being developed by LucasFilm and the future of the movies remaining pretty unclear before Disney got to it. As a result of Disney's pumping of dozens of movies in a single year, it's likely to impact this specific franchise with many new Star Wars movies set for release just within a year after Star Wars VII, especially the addition of standalone movies and films which have yet to be announced. So when considering the usual time frame of releasing games around that the time of the movies, it's probably something which is already underway and it wouldn't even after to wait until all the franchise has reached Star Wars IX because they could expand from simply the very first movie in the new lineup of movies.
Much has changed since the very first Lego Star Wars games since it doesn't always revolve around the movies with every single event and even when it does, the game may focus on other aspects. For instance, Lego: Lord of the Rings felt much larger because it was more open world and therefore, more replayable... to me at least. There have also been changes in the way the characters respond to one another since they are able to talk in the most recent games rather than simply grunting and moving their eyebrows a little funny. So it could be nice to see how the characters speak more Human and more Alien. However with the combination of these new changes and the expansion of new movies and TV series, maybe the possible new Lego: Star Wars video game could be completely different from Star Wars VII since it may not even involve the movie altogether. With series like Star Wars: Rebels, maybe that could become something in the future especially if it's part of a Lego set and as the franchise moves on, more and more Lego sets will be developed for the new upcoming series. Although even if they weren't able to take on this series or any Star Wars series in the future, there's a whole range of places they could go with the Star Wars timeline spanning billions of years with countless of diverse eras. I mean, they could create Lego sets for the Pre-Republic era and times around the beginnings of the Sith which could make the most of the Expanded Universe. Perhaps, they could even make their own series within Star Wars? Whether it's based on a entirely new era or just another side of the story of the Empire or during the Rise of the Empire, I think it would something more fresh to the series especially for those who don't want to play through the whole movies they've just watched.
If the Lego games continue to release games around the time frame of the movies, then it's very possible we could see something new until next year at the earliest! 0_0 Then again, even if they didn't release a game next year, I think that all the movies, TV series, video games and maybe even comic books will probably make the developers at least consider making a new game. I mean stopping at the Lego Yoda chronicles doesn't seem like the best point to end the series... and hopefully there will be more Lego games in the future. Maybe based on the movies themselves or going down the route of Lego Batman and Lego Marvel Super Heroes in which they introduce a new story, have more mobility of what they want to do with the characters and setting and maybe even open world allowing us to journey between the planets.
Bionicle
Bionicle really takes me back to my childhood just when I was reaching a decade old. The layout of the characters and series is much more menacing compared with the Lego sets within the Super Hero series but at the same time, it's a perfect kind of series to be swept away with and the kind of series people used to talk about on the playgrounds... which were occasionally pretty menacing too. So what's the series that I and many other went crazy about? It's based on a mechanical sapient beings on many different islands and masks who have many different abilities. As you can tell, this is the kind of series that brought me in to the superhero genre. I never really read the superhero comics when I was about 9-10 so the toy set of Bionicle was what got me intrigued much more, especially since it appeared much more unique. I used to get the sets for my birthday and Christmas sometimes and they were pretty mysterious to me and the whole aspect of elements and the diversity is what got me engaged. Building the sets however was also mysterious because I never quite understood what I was meant to do with them or how to develop them! So overtime, I bought 2 games. The first was a PC game which appeared really buggy, it was difficult to move the character and probably put me off PC gaming for good. The second however was developed for the PS2 by the fabled Traveler's Tales and allowed us to play as many of the beings which could control the elements within many different environments. The game still had a few flaws but it was something I could enjoy playing... to an extent.
So why am I talking about my life story about this game? Well it's because by reading it, you can tell that the games weren't exactly top notch or amazing experiences. Even if I did enjoy Bionicle Heroes with it's sinister yet cool characters and an environment where grunting machines were destroying each other for purposes beyond my comprehension, the movements of the game felt a little off and the checkpoints were the kind that sent you back to the beginning of the level... yeah that kind. Therefore, I think a game based on Bionicle would be amazing because not only could they suit the theme and make the use of the franchise but they also have freedom with which characters they want to make and the storylines they could develop.
To be honest though, I wouldn't be talking about this game if it wasn't for the announcement that the theme of Bionicle would be returning in the future... as early as 2015! Perhaps a game based on Bionicle is thus, very likely as a result and just like with Lego Star Wars, much has changed since the very first Lego games by Traveler's Tales and I'm really hopeful that a new game could allow us to explore more of the island yet maintain the dark atmosphere of the series. Even if the game did head more towards the gameplay mechanics of the Lego Marvel Super Heroes and smaller characters, it could draw in more to the series, even those who aren't familiar with the franchise already.
However I think that if they kept the series like it looks now from the reboot picture, then it would be great and support the current theme especially with all the powers. It would be something that would branch out further from the usual Lego games we've seen before and show that TT Games are willing to outside their comfort zone of the usual Lego games and might even make their own series one day. The only difference is that the older series appeared slightly darker but it's great to see some more colour and I think we are likely to be seeing much more of the killing machines on the way.
Bearing in mind that TT Games only created a single game of this set so it's possible that they could return to try and develop the series further.
Lego based original themes
Much of the popularity of Lego games has stemmed from the numerous games which are based from existing franchise such as DC to Star Wars but Lego has a substantial amount of it's own themes and Lego sets and many have been able to make it's way in to the realm of video gaming. For example, there are many sets which have made it towards video game such as Lego City with the use of Lego City Undercover and also series like Lego: Legends of Chima have been adaptated in to video games whereas others including Lego Castle have remained more towards a purpose of toys rather than part of any video games. However as more and more games based on existing movie and comic book franchises have been developed, I believe that Traveler's Tales is becoming increasingly confident about the Lego based themes. Like I said, many of the early games based on Bionicle weren't that great and neither were many of the other games so since they've established a new style for their series, I think it's only a matter of time until they still start developing a plethora of video games which originate from Lego itself.
In particular, Lego Ninjago would be interesting to see because there is already a TV series running and a movie set for less than 2 years away. As well as Lego Racers or even Lego Space and Lego Architecture. Perhaps, a set like Ultra Agents could be developed since it looks like a series which could be suited toward a video game. Bionicle is also a part of this but I excluded to it's own category since I believe it's something that's more likely. Plus, I think you all needed to hear my life's story. 
Although regardless of which series makes it to video gaming first, the fact that themes like The Hobbit resulted in a video game only 2 years after and Lego Superheroes only just began in 2012, I think it's possible that will see all of these series one day. Many could be set for release within the coming decade or even simply next year!
Overall, I believe that there's a whole bunch of possibilities for Lego games especially with licensed franchises of Jurassic Park and Doctor Who and even The Simpsons and Minecraft. Then again, there are already Lego series which are still going strong including Lego Superheroes and I doubt that it will be the last we see of superheroes within Lego games just within the next 2 years, particularly with all the movies to be released in 2015, 2016 and beyond... However, I believe that TT Games are probably more willing to go forward with series such as Bionicle and many other different Lego series. At the same time, it depends if Traveler's Tales expands and are able to develop more games or if another developer decides to create Lego games too. I mean, it's not like there's a huge story which links all the games together since they are mostly based on different movie and comic book franchises. Who knows? Maybe we will see Doctor Who or The Simpsons next year. If there are about 4 games next year or perhaps even more, then the likelihood of the games we would like to see continues. If the games announced this year aren't the ones we were hoping for, oh well. At least we have next year.
Do you agree with these possibilities as being likely in the next 2 years? Do you think that Traveler's Tales will eventually make a new franchise one day outside of Lego if others start developing Lego games? Where would you want to see the Lego series go next?
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.