I read that article too. Last year was a tough year for toy sales in general. I saw it in my shop. Slow to start, picked up at the end, but not enough. LEGO seems to be licensing the heck out of everything they can get their hands on. Too many sets, sooo expensive for retailers and consumers. I think LEGO needed this kick in the pants to get some perspective.
Playmobil experimenting with licensing has been interesting. I like what they've done so far, but I hope they don't go too crazy with it. Maybe they can learn from LEGO's mistakes.