After almost ten years in development, the fan project Bionicle: Masks of Power has been terminated following a request from Lego.
As a tribute to the closure of this endeavor, Team Kanohi, a collective of enthusiasts who united to create the “Bionicle game of [their] dreams,” has issued a “post-mortem” video showcasing the final version of Masks of Power. It was evolving into an engaging third-person action-adventure game that showcased Lego’s legendary masked ninjas, and it truly appears remarkable. Check out the gameplay video embedded below.
In a communication to fans, Team Kanohi expressed uncertainty regarding the specific reasons behind Lego’s decision to terminate the game now. The team emphasized its effort to adhere to Lego’s guidelines regarding fair use of Bionicle assets. For instance, Team Kanohi had no intention of charging users for the game, and clearly marked all their sites and game pages as fan-made content related to Masks of Power.
While Lego has not given any explanation, the developers speculate that it could be due to Masks of Power gaining significant attention that may be overshadowing official Lego offerings. “Although we can only theorize about why they have requested us to take down the game now, we believe it’s possible our project was easily mistaken for an official product,” Team Kanohi noted. The message continues: “A casual observer might initially think our game was an official offering.”
The termination of Masks of Power does not imply that Team Kanohi is closing its doors, however. In fact, in their message to fans, the team revealed plans to rebrand as Unmasked Games and to start work on an original project. Currently dubbed Project Rustbound, this new title will leverage the insights and expertise the team gained from their work on Masks of Power. It may take some time before we hear more about Project Rustbound, but judging by the Masks of Power gameplay, this team could create a fantastic game.
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