Developer Splash Damage announced that "Transformers: Reactivate" is officially canceled as the studio reportedly plans to scale down by laying off workers.
The game in question was originally teased at The Game Awards 2022 with a minute-long trailer that featured Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" song.
A little more than two years after that, the developer announced that the online multiplayer game was not wanted by toy maker Hasbro.
Canceled Transformers Game
The studio released a statement saying that they had difficulty sharing news with the community.
It noted that they made the decision to end the development work for "Transformers: Reactive," which means that they will scale down to refocus efforts on its other projects.
The studio did not specify the exact number of layoffs that it would be making nor the reason for the cancellation of "Transformers: Reactivate." The game was scheduled to have a closed beta shortly after it was announced.
However, both 2023 and 2024 passed by without Splash Damage giving out any new updates regarding the status of the live-service project.
Hasbro senior VP of digital strategy and licensing Eugene Evans said last year that "Transformers: Reactivate" would be a milestone for the franchise, according to Kotaku.
The game was set to be the first new big-budget game that features the "Transformers" robots since "Transformers: Devastation" made by PlatinumGames. There was also "Transformers: Galactic Trials" last year, a racing roguelite that failed to attract a fanbase.
Working on New Projects
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks was bullish on the company's investment in video games last year. He referenced unannounced "Dungeons & Dragons" and "G.I. Joe" projects. This followed the success of Larian Studios' "Baldur's Gate III," which was released in 2023.
The announcement trailer for "Transformers: Reactive" depicted an apocalyptic attack on a major city on Earth. There were robotic invaders shown off, known as the Legion, and a group of humans who were trying to revive Bumblebee, Polygon said.
The official website for the game also described it as supporting up to four players and would be available on consoles and PC. However, further details on "Transformers: Reactivate" have been relatively scarce in the years after it was announced.
Splash Damage said that the decision to cancel the game was not something that they made easily as it was a difficult time for both the studio and its employees.
It added that they wanted to take a moment to express gratitude to the team who worked tirelessly on "Transformers: Reactivate," according to IGN.
