So, you’ve obtained this strong concept for a Lego set primarily based on Nintendo’s standard action-adventure franchise The Legend of Zelda. You fine-tune the undertaking and submit it to Lego Concepts, a piece of the corporate’s web site the place followers share their very own proposals for brand spanking new units, however…wait, maintain on. Your concept simply obtained rejected, with The Lego Group citing a “license battle” as the rationale. What’s occurring right here? Nicely, it seems this has been occurring to a number of completely different fan-made tasks centered on Nintendo’s fantasy IP.
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In line with a report from the Lego-obsessed information web site Brick Fanatics, The Lego Group will not be solely rejecting The Legend of Zelda fan concepts however outright banning them. Not less than eight completely different tasks, from a Breath of the Wild-inspired Hyrule Fortress to 1 that includes Ocarina of Time’s closing battle, have seemingly been blocked by the prolific toy maker. Regardless of these creations receiving some 10,000 votes from followers on Lego Concepts, which usually pushes submissions to the evaluation stage for potential consideration as official merchandise, the corporate’s board has allegedly rejected each single one in all them.
And now, as evidenced by screenshots from Brick Fanatics, you possibly can’t even submit tasks primarily based on The Legend of Zelda to the Concepts part anymore. While you attempt, the positioning asks in case your concept relies on an mental property. Choosing “Sure” and typing in “The Legend of Zelda” produces an error message saying the corporate has “already evaluated this IP and decided that we are able to’t permit submissions primarily based on it” due to some “license battle.” How bizarre.
The rationale for this “license battle” is murky, however Brick Fanatics pegs it to 2 prospects. The primary is that The Lego Group could already be working with Nintendo to provide units primarily based on The Legend of Zelda, like the 2 have carried out for Tremendous Mario. (Brick Fanatics famous that when submitting concepts for Mario Bros., the message cites a “present third celebration overlap” in its rejection.) The second is {that a} potential rival producer would possibly’ve swooped in to make units centered round Nintendo’s long-running collection, which might clarify that “license battle” error you get when attempting to submit concepts. (Once more, Brick Fanatics famous the identical “license battle” for Pokémon.)
Kotaku has reached out to The Lego Group and Nintendo for remark.
Whether or not there will likely be new Lego units in time for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom stays to be seen, as that recreation will launch on Might 12, 2023.
