I agree with
The Brick Rat in this case. Lego is trying to strategically market the new sets to either gain or keep market share.
I still don't like the decision though. Back 10 and 20 years ago, Lego didn't have to do this to make a profit. They only had to do what they had always done; make great sets. If Lego would simply rerelease its classic sets and themes on a large scale, I can't imagine any kid not being breath taken.
To me, the very fact that this strategy is needed shows how bad Lego has really sunk over the last few years. I don't think they started losing money because the tastes of children changed, I think its because they made lousy sets and threw a lot of money in the trash with licensed themes (NBA? We REALLY needed that...). A lot of people here try to blame video games for Lego's downfall when that simply isn't the case. When I was a kid, I played a lot of video games, but still loved my Lego and bought sets all the time. If video games were to blame, then that also means that Megabloks would feel the wrath but that doesn't seem to be the case. The bottom line is the fact that Lego stopped producing great sets that kids drooled over, and so kids either shifted to other construction toys or just didn't buy any at all.
It really isn't hard to understand. All one has to do is look back at sets like the Black Seas Barracuda, Skull's Eye Schooner, and the ONLY available Lego Pirate Ship right now in the Jack Stone line. The previous mentions were IRRISISTABLE to kids. The current one is a joke. All one has to do is look at the King's Castle, the Black Knight's Castle, and the KKII assortment. Kids saw the former castles and imagined all of the fun days they could spend playing with them. Kids see the current castles and realize how stupid and fake they look and just aren't as interested.
Lastly, Lego shifted away from their own standards, which has hurt them fiscally. Their licensed themes don't come in the traditional yellow skin tones, and put off a lot of long time buyers. They changed some of the colors which had been standard for decades seemingly just for fun. The ole' smiley face heads which were so prevailent cannot be found in today's sets. Piece count in sets continues to fall drastically although the prices stay the same, and lastly, Lego makes huge cheat bricks so that alternate models aren't possible.
If anyone is to blame for the lack of popularity Lego is seeing today, it is Lego themselves. They are the ones making the decisions that are killing themselves. It all began in 1993 and has slowly escalated to the point where the company simply doesn't produce anything worth buying anymore, and when it seems as though they have finally come up with a seller, they decide not to sell it in favor of releasing sets that aren't "traditional".
If Lego wants to survive, they either need to just wipe the slate clean, cater to their fans and release bricks in the old colors and rerelease sure fire classic sets on a large scale, or hire some people that post here to design for them
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"A chair like this is like a girlfriend! Why would you trade in an old one that's comfortable for a new one that could be a pain in the butt?" -Archie Bunker-