Lego Nexo Knights (stylized in
all caps) was a fantasy-based castle Lego theme released in January 2016. Announced at
New York Comic Con 2015, it incorporated thematic elements drawn from both earlier space and castle themes while adding a 21st-century digital spin. It replaced
Legends of Chima, a theme released in 2013. It was eventually discontinued by the end of 2018.
Background Lego Nexo Knights aimed to follow
Lego Ninjago and
Lego Legends of Chima as Lego's next
intellectual property that was expected to become a multimedia success. This was driven by the fact that the Lego Ninjago theme had boosted profits by 27% and revenue by 23% in the first half of 2015.
Development Nexo Knights differed from the previous themes by introducing digital integration that connected the physical toys, the television series and video game content. This was applied by placing 150 knights shields around the kingdom of Knighton that could be found in the construction sets, online content, printed publications and the television show. These shields could then be scanned and collected by using the Merlock 2.0 app. Senior Design Manager Joakim Kørner Nielsen commented that this digital integration was the most challenging aspect of creating Nexo Knights. The development team also considered the balance between the physical toy and the digital experience. Nielsen commented, "Another thing we learned was, when testing with kids, they just see things in a different way. Things just flow together for them so easily between physical and digital and sometimes the boundaries just aren't there for them".
Launch Nexo Knights was launched in the U.S. in late 2015. On 8 February 2016, The Lego Group announced a partnership with Cartoon Network. The Lego Nexo Knights product range was released along with the Merlok 2.0 game app. As part of the deal, Cartoon Network promoted the product range across its TV and digital platforms. In addition, Cartoon Network launched a 30-second webdrive to showcase the toy line to kids. Fourteen building sets were available for sale in January 2016. Additional building sets were launched in August 2016. The first two sets were revealed at New York Comic Con. The Lego Group reported that the Merlok 2.0 app had been downloaded 500,000 times in the first week of its launch. Ivan Zeng, senior manager of
digital marketing, Lego APAC, stated that the launch campaign had incorporated various marketing strategies including Nexo Knights Academy, a mission-based Lego website, events,
virtual reality experiences in store and content marketing, such as webisodes and social media activities to engage parents. It was discontinued by the end of 2018.
Season 1 sets In 2016, the eleven toy construction sets was released on 2 January 2016 and based on the first season. The eleven sets being released were Knighton Battle Blaster (set number: 70310), Chaos Catapult (set number: 70311), and Monsters Army-Building Set (set number: 853516). Robin's Mini Fortrex (set number: 30372), Knighton Hyper Cannon (set number: 30373) and The Lava Slinger (set number: 30374).
Season 2 sets In 2016, the seven sets was released on 1 August 2016 and based on the second season. The seven sets released were The Glob Lobber (set number: 70318), Macy's Thunder Mace (set number: 70319), In addition, four Ultimate sets were released including Ultimate Axl (set number: 70336), released were King's Guard Artillery (set number: 70347), Lance's Twin Jouster (set number: 70348), were released including Combo NEXO Powers Wave 1 (set number: 70372) and Combo NEXO Powers Wave 2 (set number: 70373). Axl's Rumble Maker (set number: 70354), Aaron's Stone Destroyer (set number: 70358), Lance vs. Lightning (set number: 70359) were released including Battle Suit Clay (set number: 70362), being released were Lance's Hover Jouster (set number: 72001), Twinfector (set number: 72002),
Reception In 2016, Lego Nexo Knights won the Editor's Choice award. In July 2016, Jestro's Volcano Lair (set number: 70323) was listed as one of Lego's top seven items for Christmas. In August 2016, General Magmar Siege Machine of Doom (set number: 70321) was listed on a list of top ten toys for Christmas 2016 by
Amazon. In September 2016, The Lego Group reported that the
Lego City,
Lego Star Wars,
Lego Ninjago and
Lego Nexo Knights themes had delivered a turnover of DKK 15,692 million in the first half of 2016, a sales increase of 10 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year. Former LEGO CEO
Bali Padda called Nexo Knights a success, though it was not as successful as the company intended the IP to be. According to Padda, "We could have executed the digital piece a lot better than we did, so it's learning from that [in the future]."
Awards and nominations In 2016, General Magmar's Siege Machine of Doom (set number: 70321) was awarded "DreamToys" in the Action Station category by the
Toy Retailers Association. ==Other media==