Splash Harm, the UK-based studio responsible for the troubled Transformers: Reactivate project, has shared disheartening news this week. The cooperative motion sport, introduced in December 2022, has been cancelled and will not launch as initially planned.
The developer announced a halt to improving the project’s title, and acknowledged that certain job positions might be reassigned or eliminated due to the resulting downsizing.
The long-awaited announcement was made on Wednesday, following a prolonged period of complete radio silence that had left many wondering what was going on. While fans of the Transformers franchise had been holding out hope that a new installment, “Transformers: Reactivate,” would make an appearance at The Game Awards or another major event, unfortunately, it never materialized. However, many people had considered it to be of little value.
“This decision was not taken lightly, and it’s a challenging period for the studio and its employees,” the statement reads. “We would like to express our gratitude to the team behind Transformers for their tireless efforts and unrelenting passion.”
Although Splash Harm expressed interest in collaborating with Hasbro again in the future, it would likely only happen under specific circumstances, such as in a situation where both parties mutually agree to work together. While working on various projects, the developer will focus their efforts on distinct roles, excluding any potential connections to Hasbro.
The primary reason why this data falls short of expectations lies in its untapped potential.
Although we didn’t get extensive exposure to Reactivate, initial pitches suggested a four-player, online action game set in a post-invasion world where players would take on the roles of renowned Autobots.
Splash Damage has acquired Bulkhead, the independent studio behind the multiplayer first-person shooter Battalion 1944, to collaborate on a new project. A beta test originally scheduled for 2023 failed to materialize, leaving investors and stakeholders uncertain. The developer subsequently made a commitment to provide additional information in 2024, but this promise also remained unfulfilled, leaving many wondering what happened to the project’s progress.
While redundancies can be devastating, it’s encouraging to see some studios proactively seeking out talent displaced by this crisis, recognizing the value they bring to their teams despite the unfortunate circumstances. May everyone successfully transition to a fulfilling career opportunity.
