As the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga nears, anticipation builds and fans of the franchise prepare for what promises to be one of the most expansive LEGO games ever made. The game will reinvent the LEGO franchise with a brand-new engine, mechanics, and one of the biggest hub worlds that LEGO video games have ever had. It will also likely be a definitive Star Wars experience.
The question that many fans of the LEGO franchise have now is what Traveller's Tales will create next. Up until LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga got delayed, the LEGO franchise had been on a release schedule with multiple titles each year. Those games ranged from IPs like Indiana Jones to Lord of the Rings, but in recent years they have mostly stuck with superhero franchises. Many fans have called for the next title to be a LEGO MCU game, but maybe Traveller's Tales should take a break from superheroes.
Traveller's Tales Has Made a Lot of LEGO Superhero Games
Since 2012, Traveller's Tales has released a new superhero game based on Marvel or DC almost every year. It did not release a superhero title in 2015 or 2019, but between 2017 and 2018 it released four - one based on The Incredibles. The LEGO franchise has been consistently releasing superhero titles with barely any breaks save for a few games based on LEGO movies and franchises like Harry Potter.
Traveller's Tales superhero properties began in 2008 with LEGO Batman: The Videogame. LEGO Batman was the second LEGO game released that year, gaving players control of Batman, Robin, and their rogues' gallery in two different campaigns. It was the studio's first title to have an original story divided into 30 different levels; 15 for superheroes and 15 for the villains. It was also the first title to feature more than one hub world in the Batcave and Arkham Asylum.
From 2008 to 2012, Traveller's Tales produced titles based on various other IPs including Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones. Then Traveller's Tales returned to the superhero genre with 2012's LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. Much like the first title in the LEGO Batman series, the sequel gave its franchise many new mechanics. It was the first LEGO game to feature an open-world hub with Gotham City, and the first to have full voice acting. The game introduced the Justice League and let players run through another unique storyline with their favorite heroes.
A year later, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes hit store shelves, bringing players to the expansive open-world hub of New York City. The game once again featured an original story, and it allowed players to take on many popular and obscure Marvel characters ranging from Iron Man to Squirrel Girl. It quickly became one of the best-selling LEGO games of all time, and was one of the first to get post-launch DLC.
Traveller's Tales released LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham in 2014. Beyond Gotham was the third mainline LEGO game to release that year, replacing the hub world of Gotham with multiple tiny planets and locales like the Batcave, the Moon, various Lantern planets, and the Hall of Justice. The game was not as well received as previous entries, but it was still a fun time for DC fans as they got to play around with characters from all over the DC universe.
In 2016, LEGO Marvel's Avengers released and brought players back to New York City. Instead of containing an original story, LEGO Marvel's Avengers adapted various MCU films. Yet, the game also included additional comic book characters like Fin Fang Foom. The game itself was very similar to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes beyound its storyline and the absence of characters like the X-Men. It did receive extra story levels based on other MCU projects like Agents of SHIELD through post-launch DLC.
In 2017, Traveller's Tales technically released two different superhero titles. It dropped an add-on for LEGO Dimensions that followed the events of the LEGO Batman Movie, and then LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. The Lego Batman Movie Game built on the foundation of Lego Dimensions and introduced a new adventure world. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 brought Marvel fans away from New York City and into Kang the Conqueror's battle world, a conglomeration of cities and planets from across the Marvel universe. The game once again saw Traveller's Tales create its own story featuring the Marvel characters, a story which featured variants from across the multiverse.
The most recent LEGO superhero games came in 2018 with the release of LEGO The Incredibles and LEGO DC Super-Villians. The Incredibles was the first non-Marvel or DC LEGO superhero game, serving as an adaptation of the two Incredibles movies. The game also allowed players to control various Pixar characters like Woody and Dory. LEGO DC Super-Villians served as a spin-off to the LEGO Batman series and was the first, and so far only, LEGO game to heavily feature custom characters. It brought players back to Gotham for a villain-centric story, and even let them explore Metropolis for the first time.
Traveller's Tales Needs a Break from Superheroes
The LEGO franchise has not done much exploring outside those core superhero series for a while. It has tried games based on LEGO movie properties and Lord of the Rings, but for the most part it has stayed with superheroes. The LEGO formula works well across almost every franchise, so it should not be relegated to just superheroes.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga serves as a break from superhero titles and a way to revitalize the LEGO franchise. If Traveller's Tales creates another LEGO superhero title next, it would become the 10th superhero title in the last decade. The LEGO franchise should take a step back from that genre and explore a brand-new franchise with the Skywalker Saga engine, or at least revisit some old favorites like Harry Potter and Indiana Jones.
Superhero titles are fun, and Traveller's Tales does them well, but too much of a good thing is not always good. Fans of the LEGO franchise will be getting their hands on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga soon, and then all eyes will be on what is next. Hopefully it is something new.