The LEGO franchise has been a mainstay of the industry for over two decades, with the vast majority of its success being built off its licensed titles. Beginning its licensed ventures with LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game, the LEGO franchise has since expanded to include everything from the Pirates of the Caribbean films to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series has even found room for original creations every so many years, with releases like LEGO City Undercover and LEGO Worlds showing how the toy bricks can support an entertaining and successful game without the help of recognizable properties.
With the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in 2022, the LEGO franchise reached a sort of crescendo. Developer TT Games returned to the property that gave the LEGO franchise its big break, adapting every mainline Star Wars film and greatly expanding on the LEGO gameplay formula. Now, the question on many gamers' minds is what's next for LEGO games after reaching such massive heights, and the answer may lie in a time before LEGO ever touched a licensed property. If LEGO wants to continue making something new out of something old, similar to LEGO 2K Drive (although that's in different hands), it could take a trip back to LEGO Island.
How LEGO Island Kickstarted the Current-Day Franchise
While some people may be more familiar with the licensed LEGO games developed by TT Games, LEGO games actually got their start much earlier in the late '90s. Developed by Mindscape, LEGO Island was an open-world adventure game released for Microsoft Windows in 1997. This title lets players take control of five LEGO minifigures, each with a unique skill set, and explore the namesake LEGO Island. Players can play through LEGO Island like many other open-world games, completing missions as they wish and exploring the scenery in between objectives.
LEGO Island is rather rudimentary by today's open-world and LEGO game standards, but it created the blueprint on which future LEGO games were built. From buildable vehicles to various customization options, LEGO Island epitomized the creativity of the original toy bricks with its unique gameplay and narrative. It may not have had the depth as some of the LEGO Batman or Lego Marvel games, but it had the heart that has helped make the LEGO franchise so timeless. It may be worth bringing back the fan-favorite with the franchise's modern gameplay.
How LEGO Island Can Make a Return
The LEGO franchise is no stranger to making games independent of licensed properties, with one of its biggest successes being LEGO City Undercover. This open-world adventure game could be considered a spiritual successor to LEGO Island, and if TT Games or another developer were to pursue a reboot of the game, it could look to LEGO City Undercover for more modern inspiration. The setting of LEGO City was filled with unique puzzles and vehicles for players to tear up the streets with, and the franchise could harness a bit of nostalgia by adapting the design philosophy of LEGO City to LEGO Island.
LEGO games have reached massive heights since the days of LEGO Island, but that doesn't mean the franchise should forget where it got its start. Many gamers who got their start with LEGO Island fondly remember the title, and lead LEGO developer TT games has evolved considerably to make the franchise into what it is today. If TT Games could use what it has learned from a game like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and apply it to a new LEGO Island title, it could be the perfect tribute to the 1997 title. Rumors have been circulating for some time on what the next LEGO venture would be, but it's hard to deny how fitting it would be to take players back to the island that started it all.