Splash Damage Scraps Transformers: Reactivate After Lengthy Development
After a prolonged and challenging development cycle, Splash Damage has officially canceled its Transformers: Reactivate project. The news follows a cryptic trailer reveal at The Game Awards 2022, which generated anticipation for a 1-4 player online game featuring Autobots and Decepticons uniting against a new alien threat. While leaks suggested a Generation 1 roster including Ironhide, Hot Rod, Starscream, and Soundwave (with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee also hinted at), and even the potential inclusion of Beast Wars characters, the game will never see release.
The studio's announcement on Twitter expressed the difficult decision to halt development, acknowledging potential staff layoffs due to redundancies as they refocus efforts. Splash Damage thanked both the development team and Hasbro for their contributions. Fan reactions are mixed, with some expressing disappointment while others anticipated the cancellation given the lack of updates since the initial trailer.
The studio's shift towards "Project Astrid," a AAA open-world survival game built with Unreal Engine 5, in collaboration with streamers Shroud and Sacriel (announced March 2023), now receives increased resources following the cancellation of Transformers: Reactivate. Unfortunately, this transition will unfortunately result in job losses for some staff members. Meanwhile, the wait for a high-quality Transformers game continues.
Key takeaways:
- Transformers: Reactivate is canceled.
- Staff reductions at Splash Damage are expected.
- Splash Damage is prioritizing its open-world survival game, "Project Astrid."
Produced By Hasbro and Takara Tomy
