Why the Heck Is Lego Not Publishing This Open-World Bionicle Game?

Bionicle: Masks of Power looks like the serious, open-world Lego game die-hard builders have wanted for years — and it’s being made completely by fans. The creative team at Team Kanohi recently put out a trailer teasing the game’s environments, showing off sprawling open environments that should be recognizable to those familiar with the original Bionicle stories from the early 2000s. The game is a nonprofit fan project that does not come officially endorsed by the IP owner and will be released for free, but it is being made “under rules and policies provided by The LEGO Group.” In development for more than five years, you can see the lava pits, dry deserts, lush jungles, and Lego wildlife in the Bionicle: Masks of Power trailer below.

Players will get to explore the island of Mata Nui in a world built with Unreal Engine 4. Nostalgia is a key ingredient here, with players filling the shoes of six Toa heroes across six regions as they fight back against the dark spirit Makuta and Rahi beasts. Specific gameplay details are still under wraps, but Team Kanohi says that it will release a Bionicle: Masks of Power demo to Steam soon.

Bionicle got its start in the early 2000s as an action figure building toy aimed at a teenage audience. The series of collectibles lasted around a decade, bringing on movies, video games, and lots of densely packed lore before being largely shelved by Lego. As evidenced by Bionicle: Masks of Power, Lego fans continue to show their love for the largely dormant Lego spinoff series. Meanwhile, Lego has continued forward with its own official video game titles, such as the hotly anticipated — and long-delayed — Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.