Last summer, LEGO announced that they were going to put LEGO VIDIYO on pause and reassess the theme (see: Update on the Future of LEGO VIDIYO) and then relaunch it in 2023. However, last week, LEGO released another announcement stating that they decided to retire the theme for good.
As you probably know already, LEGO VIDIYO was developed in collaboration with Universal Music Group and combined physical LEGO elements with augmented reality to make music videos. The first wave included small sets called BeatBoxes and collectible minifigures – both with printed 2×2 tiles (called BeatBits) that could be scanned by the LEGO VIDIYO app. The second wave featured larger building sets, more printed tiles, and wacky characters. While the nicely designed minifigures, unique elements, and printed tiles were appreciated, the app was buggy, the pricing excessive, and the theme provided little in terms of traditional building experience. Below is the latest official statement made by LEGO about their recent decision to retire the theme.
In July 2021 we decided to pause the LEGO VIDIYO roll-out to review performance and test new ideas. Through the extensive quantitative and qualitative research we have undertaken in the previous months, we have gained an enormous amount of learnings in terms of the music and content creation space and what it would take to succeed with the play experience, our go-to-market strategy in 2023, and not least how to build a sustainable business based on the VIDIYO experience.
Based on these insights we have decided to discontinue the physical VIDIYO products from January 31st, 2022 but will continue to support the app experience for another two years to serve those consumers who have bought the products.
We still see great potential in pursuing music as a passion point and we will take learnings from LEGO VIDIYO as we continue to explore future fluid play experiences.
It’s sad to see an interesting original theme go like this, but it’s understandable based on the weaknesses mentioned above. You can learn more about the LEGO VIDIYO theme via the links at the end of this post, and find the sets from the first and second wave at the LEGO VIDIYO section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like LEGO VIDIYO? Do you have any of the sets? Have you used the app? And what do you think about the discontinuation of the theme? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!
And you might also like to check out the following related posts: