>>7711057>Why do people here have such a hate for license themes? I looked at some past lego original themes and the stuff that came out of them looks messy.In the past, Lego sets were more unfocused and basic; Lego Star Wars changed this up because it forced the designers to make sets that looked like their movie counterpart, so the themes and builds were more consistently solid.
However, if you compare the builds for modern non-licensed stuff, like Ninjago, their designs are on par with SW stuff.
Now, the big reason why people have a problem with it imo (I personally don't care because I never keep sets together for more than a week) is because having such a large percentage of their total sets being licensed means that the opportunities for fun in-house themes never get to come up. Lego obviously goes where the money is, which is why they put out basic City shit year after year (and City is one of, if not THE, best-selling lines) along with all the licenseshit, but rarely mix it up beyond stuff like City Jungle or City Volcano (which is sold concurrently with City Police). Part of the reason why so many people are excited about Hidden Side is that it's a break from the standard "minifig in striped torso running away with green 1x2 $100 tile" sets.
There's also a perception (maybe real) that Lego avoids in-house themes that stray too closed to licensed themes; no Lego Space because SW, no Lego Pirates because PotC, no Lego Castle because Harry Potter, etc.