Debuting all the way back in 1984, the Transformers franchise has managed to transcend multiple generations, with its vast line of transforming toys, big-budget movies, and family-friendly animated shows keeping it relevant for almost four decades. Over the last 20 years or so, the Transformers franchise has also found its way into the gaming space, and though it's been a while since a big-budget Transformers game released, the newly announced Transformers: Reactivate could finally fill that niche.
Announced during the Game Awards, Transformers: Reactivate will apparently be an online action game, developed by Splash Damage. That being said, Transformers: Reactivate's debut trailer didn't reveal all that much, instead showing a lot of blurry images of energy blasts and explosions. Many fans only clocked on to the fact it was a Transformers game when the trailer showed a POV shot of what's presumably Bumblebee, being awoken by some human characters. While the announcement alone is enough to get Transformers fans incredibly excited, it's best to keep those expectations in check, at least until fans have seen a little more from the game.
The Transformers: Reactivate Trailer Could Be A Lot of Smoke and Mirrors
Video game trailers aren't often the most honest form of marketing. While gameplay trailers tend to be fairly trusted, with mechanics being fully on show and the game being truly representative of the final product, cinematic trailers aren't as appreciated. Though cinematic trailers are the common way to announce a game and build hype for it, they've fallen out of fashion in recent years, mostly due to their inability to really capture what the game will end up looking and playing like upon its eventual release.
It's been a long time since a big-budget Transformers game came out. While mobile Transformers games and low-budget beat 'em ups have continued to release consistently over the last few years, Transformers fans are desperate for a return to the days of big-budget, high-quality titles like Transformers: War for Cybertron and its sequel Fall of Cybertron. So, naturally, the announcement of a seemingly big Transformers game, and at the Game Awards no less, has already caused a big stir in the Transformers fan-base. But it's important that fans take a step back, and temper their expectations.
The announcement trailer for Transformers: Reactivate was a cinematic one, using solely CG to convey the general premise of the game. Right now, fans know absolutely nothing about this game's actual gameplay, aside from the fact it'll be an online action game. Though the trailer had some impressive, authentic-looking visuals, it doesn't necessarily give a clear indication of what the game will actually look like, and fans should avoid getting too hyped too early.
That being said, Splash Damage is a fairly reliable developer. For the last 20 years, Splash Damage worked alongside some of the industry's most talented developers to co-produce some beloved titles, such as Batman: Arkham Origins. Since 2015, Splash Damage has worked closely with Xbox's The Coalition to help develop the latest Gears of War titles, proving that it has quite a bit of experience in the online third-person shooter market. So, if Transformers: Reactivate follows a similar gameplay structure to Gears, then fans can feel a little more justified about getting hyped for the game so early on. Hopefully Splash Damage will be able to hearken back to the golden age of big-budget Transformers games while pushing the franchise into new, exciting territory.
Transformers: Reactivate is currently in development.