So, you’ve obtained this strong concept for a Lego set based mostly on Nintendo’s common action-adventure franchise The Legend of Zelda. You fine-tune the challenge and submit it to Lego Concepts, a bit of the corporate’s web site the place followers share their very own proposals for brand new units, however…wait, maintain on. Your concept simply obtained rejected, with The Lego Group citing a “license battle” as the explanation. What’s happening right here? Effectively, it seems this has been taking place to a number of totally different fan-made tasks centered on Nintendo’s fantasy IP.
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In accordance with a report from the Lego-obsessed information website Brick Fanatics, The Lego Group shouldn’t be solely rejecting The Legend of Zelda fan concepts however outright banning them. Not less than eight totally different tasks, from a Breath of the Wild-inspired Hyrule Citadel to 1 that includes Ocarina of Time’s remaining 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 generally pushes submissions to the overview stage for attainable consideration as official merchandise, the corporate’s board has allegedly rejected each single one among them.
And now, as evidenced by screenshots from Brick Fanatics, you may’t even submit tasks based mostly on The Legend of Zelda to the Concepts part anymore. While you strive, the location 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 will’t enable submissions based mostly on it” due to some “license battle.” How bizarre.
The rationale for this “license battle” is murky, however Brick Fanatics pegs it to 2 potentialities. The primary is that The Lego Group could already be working with Nintendo to provide units based mostly on The Legend of Zelda, like the 2 have finished for Tremendous Mario. (Brick Fanatics famous that when submitting concepts for Mario Bros., the message cites a “present third social gathering overlap” in its rejection.) The second is {that a} attainable rival producer would possibly’ve swooped in to make units centered round Nintendo’s long-running collection, which may clarify that “license battle” error you get when making an attempt 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.