Video games
From Transformers Wiki
Like many brands of its size, Transformers has had its fair share of licensed video games released over the years, spanning multiple publishers and platforms.
A Brief History of Transformers Video Games
Despite the popularity of Transformers over the many decades, it's a bit surprising how few video games based on the franchise there were early on. During the heyday of Generation 1, only four games were released: two for the Commodore 64 home computer system, and two for Nintendo's Famicom console, neither of which came to its western counterpart the NES. After that, no new Transformers games would be released for another decade, skipping the 16-bit era entirely, until the rise of the Beast Wars franchise in the late 1990s. A few Beast Wars games were released for early 3D systems before the turn of the century, only for the brand to slow down again during the early-to-mid 2000s, save for a few one-off PlayStation 2 releases.
With the first live-action movie on the horizon, game publisher Activision struck up a licensing deal with Hasbro in early 2006, granting them exclusive rights to publish Transformers games on all portable and home consoles. Thus, when the film was released the following year, it was accompanied by tie-in game adaptations for every system under the sun. The success of the film and subsequent resurgence of the brand caused the floodgates to finally open, and new software began to be released en masse, with Activision putting out new Transformers games almost every year. This included adaptations of the first three entries in the live-action film series, tie-ins for new shows like Animated and Prime, and the G1-influenced War for Cybertron and its sequels, which would act as the starting point for Hasbro's new "Aligned" continuity. Japanese fans were less lucky during this period, with specific ports of Transformers The Game and Rise of the Dark Spark being the only Activision games to make it to their shores. However, around the same time, Sega also acquired the license to develop Transformers arcade games, and would go on to release two arcade shooters based on the films and two Japanese Animated games utilizing Transformers Cards. Activision's final Transformers game was 2015's Transformers: Devastation, and all the games they had published were delisted from digital storefronts in late 2017 after the expiration of their licensing deal.
No new Transformers titles would be released for a dedicated game system until the launch of Transformers: Battlegrounds in 2020, published by Outright Games and Bandai Namco Entertainment. However, while both publishers have continued to push out new Transformers games primarily aimed at the all-ages market like Transformers: EarthSpark - Expedition, they do not seem to hold the exclusive rights to the license this time, allowing other interested publishers to produce their own games such as Splash Damage's Transformers: Reactivate. The late 2010s and early 2020s also saw the launch of the franchise's first official virtual reality games, with arcade installations like Transformers: VR Battle Arena and home releases like Transformers Beyond Reality.
That said, most of the brand's game output these days isn't even on consoles at all. Thanks to mobile gaming's rise in popularity and comparative ease of development, there have been countless free-to-play games, augmented reality apps, and activity centers released for phones, tablets and other mobile devices since the early 2010s. Since many of these apps are primarily designed to be promotional tools for a given film, cartoon or toyline, their active life cycle tends to end once their respective franchise has run its course. As a result, most Transformers mobile games can no longer be downloaded, and anyone who did is unable to actually play them due to the shutdown of their gameplay servers. Similarly, several online and mobile games have held limited collaboration events with Transformers, adding Autobots, Decepticons and other elements to their games, but these are equally fleeting in nature, with all traces of the franchise typically wiped after the event concludes.
List of Transformers games
Console/PC games
Handheld games
Arcade games
Mobile games
Other games
| Title | Release year | System | Franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transformers: Generation 2 | 1993 | Stand-alone LCD Handheld | Generation 2 |
| Transformers Electronic Handheld Game | 2007 | Stand-alone LCD Handheld | Live-action film series |
| Transformers Battle Universe | 2007 | Net Jet | Cross-franchise |
| Transformers: Rescue Bots Beam Box | 2013 | Self-Contained Plug-And-Play System | Rescue Bots |
| Robots in Disguise: Autobots Unite | 2016 | Apple TV | Robots in Disguise |
Online games
- For further information, see: Online games
Crossover appearances
The 2003 GCN/PS2 crossover fighting game DreamMix TV World Fighters features Optimus Prime and Megatron as playable characters and Devastator as a stage.
The 2005 PC social game Roblox has had two different Transformers-themed promotional events: one based on Prime and one on Kre-O.
The 2013 sandbox game Blocksworld featured two Transformers themed character packs, which were temporarily available during 2014.
The 2014 Nintendo 3DS platform game Bike Rider DX3: Time Rider released Robots in Disguise-themed downloadable content in June 2015, adding 10 levels that featured Bumblebee as a playable character.
The 2015 Wii U shooting game Splatoon briefly featured a promotional tie-in with Robots in Disguise. The event was exclusive to North America and took place in August of 2015.
The 2013 MMORPG Elsword featured a Robots in Disguise crossover event for non-English markets in November–December 2015.
The 2017 electronic rhythm game DropMix received a special promotional card that would play a variation of the classic theme song.
The 2018 mobile sandbox game Creative Destruction had a tie-in event for Bumblebee during March–April 2019.
The 2015 mobile game Battle of Balls featured a limited-time Transformers event in 2020.
The 2015 MMO World of Warships had two limited-time Transformers-themed events in September 2020 and September 2021.
The 2020 card-based arcade game Toy Clash! Roboca Battle features a handful of Cyberverse character cards.
The 2019 mobile game Top War: Battle Game featured a Transformers crossover event that took place in August 2021.
The 2021 mobile rhythm game Beatstar includes "The Touch" as a selectable song, accompanied by Transformers themed visuals.
The 2016 mobile MOBA Mobile Legends: Bang Bang featured a Transformers crossover event during September–November 2021.
The 2014 MOBA Smite featured a Transformers crossover in November 2021.
The 2017 battle royale game Fortnite featured Transformers-themed content as part of its fourth chapter in June and October 2023.
The 2015 vehicular soccer game Rocket League added a Transformers content bundle, including Bumblebee as a playable car, in June 2023.
The 2020 mobile game Medarot S: Unlimited Nova added Transformers-themed content during a crossover event in August 2023.
Canceled games
A game based on Generation 2 was being developed for the Super Nintendo console by Argonaut Software, featuring polygonal characters created using the Super FX chip Argonaut had designed for Nintendo's Star Fox. The game was planned for release in 1994 and was to be published by Takara, but was ultimately scrapped during development. It was rumored for several years that the project evolved into Argonaut's 1994 game Vortex, as both games shared a developer, console and planned release period, with Vortex even being based around a polygonal transforming robot. However, Michael Wong-Powell, programmer of Vortex, told British magazine Retro Gamer in 2015 that Vortex and Transformers: Generation 2 were developed as separate games by Argonaut, with the Transformers game ultimately being canceled.[1]
A Beast Wars game was allegedly in development for the PlayStation 2, to be published by BAM! Entertainment like the previous two Beast Wars games, but no details were ever made public, and the only evidence it ever existed are placeholder pages on websites like IGN and GameFAQs.
After the completion of the 2004 PS2 game, a sequel based on Cybertron entered production, but was scrapped after a few months of development when Atari moved Melbourne House onto a different project. A PlayStation Portable port of the PS2 game later made it to the early prototype stages, titled Transformers: 2nd Strike, but was ultimately cancelled due to Atari's loss of the Transformers license.[2]
A second Cybertron game, this time an educational title called Quest for Cybertron, was in development for Hasbro's ION game console. The game was canceled in 2006 following the system's poor sales.
A G1-themed augmented reality mobile game, Transformers: Heavy Metal, was developed by Niantic and was soft-launched in 2021, with a handful of regions able to access a playable beta version. However, these betas were shut down and the game was canceled in 2022, alongside three other upcoming Niantic projects, due to the company's financial troubles.[3]
Fiction
Generation 1 continuity family
Marvel The Transformers comics
Ethan Zachary enjoyed playing Multi-World on his employer's computer after hours. When Decepticons and Autobots showed up to fight over the hydrothermocline, Zachary proposed settling their differences by playing a game of Multi-World. Megatron won by cheating, but Optimus Prime agreed to be destroyed, per the initial agreement. Afterdeath!
Later, Zachary allowed Optimus Prime's personality (which was backed-up on a floppy disk) to exist as a character in the game world of Hyper-Fax. Pretender to the Throne!
The Transformers cartoon
Spike Witwicky and Bumblebee met Carly in Robots Video Arcade while Bumblebee was playing Robot Resource. The Immobilizer
Beast Wars cartoon
While Rattrap was slacking off and playing a fighting game starring Optimus Primal and Megatron, Silverbolt turned the game off so he could use the scanners to find the missing Blackarachnia. Later, Rattrap had switched to a first-person shooter where all the enemies were Waspinator, only to hastily turn it off when Optimus arrived. Proving Grounds
2005 IDW continuity
Sgt. Savage enjoyed playing Sonic the Hedgehog in his 20s. When Eagles Scream
Unicron Trilogy continuity family
Armada cartoon
Billy, Fred and Alexis all played a multiplayer video game that involved the Fighter Machines. The game proved to be a little too addictive for Alexis, who became oblivious to the world around her. Past Past II
Cybertron cartoon
Bud Hansen compared the Autobots' synchro-control system to the Canyon Racer XL machine at Rockville's local arcade. Starscream
Live-action film series
Transformers film
An Xbox 360 game console was turned into a robot by the AllSpark. Transformers
Bumblebee film
Bumblebee briefly observed a game of Pong being played on the Watson family's Atari 2600. Bumblebee
Animated continuity family
Animated cartoon
Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Sari Sumdac enjoyed playing video games, sometimes to the chagrin of the more nature-minded Prowl. When he and Sari were trapped in a mine shaft, Bumblebee attempted to use his skills from playing Medieval Maze Monsters to lead them out, only to find themselves right back where they started. Nature Calls When Wasp was disguised as Bumblebee, Bulkhead proposed pitting the two against each other at a game of Ninja Gladiator, believing it impossible for the true Bumblebee to lose after how much time he had spent playing it. Wasp, not liking his odds, refused the challenge and revealed himself. Where Is Thy Sting?
Animated video game
Sari tempted an exhausted Bumblebee into playing games with her using a pre-release copy of Mage Master Maze Knight she had obtained. Ratchet grumbled that if the AllSpark had meant them to play video games, it would have programmed them into one. Bumblebee retaliated by asking how they could be sure they weren't in one already? Meta. Transformers Animated: The Game
Aligned continuity family
Prime cartoon
Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, Raf Esquivel, and Bumblebee enjoyed playing a generic racing game. Miko also sent Jack a social media message inviting him to play Super Guitar Band with her. Crisscross
Titan Magazines Prime comics
Raf picked up a copy of Invasionauts II from the Plug and Play game store, playing it extensively with Bulkhead. However, it turned out to be part of a Decepticon scheme, and Raf was nearly hypnotized into opening a GroundBridge for the Decepticons to enter Autobot Outpost Omega One. Fortunately, Miko and Jack caught on and unplugged the console, breaking Raf's trance and averting the crisis. Tinker, Tailor, Gamer, Spy! Jack and Raf once stayed up extremely late to play video games, only stopping due a power outage, which cost Jack his unsaved progress. Power Outage
Fall of Cybertron video game
Starscream took a break from sabotaging Shockwave's security to play Super Grimlock Quest 64. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Rescue Bots cartoon
Police will never help you!
Cody Burns and Blades attempted to play the Griffin Rock Element Quest virtual reality game at the Hall of Inspiration, but a freak storm caused the game to glitch, trapping them inside and turning the in-game hazards deadly. Thanks to the efforts of their teammates, the two beat the game and escaped before the power could shut off with them still plugged in. A Virtual Disaster Element Quest was later moved to Griffin Rock Fun Zone, where Cody, Frankie Greene, Chief Burns and Heatwave went to try the game's 2.0 upgrade, only for it to fall under the control of the Morocco virus. Cody and Chief ultimately defeated the virus and won the game, but the virus escaped into the real world via a 3D printer. Back to Virtual Reality
Rescue Bots Academy cartoon
Wedge and Whirl got hooked on the puzzle game installed on their new smartphones, with the two exchanging tips on how to beat each level. Screen Time Hot Shot later tried installing his new game, Invasion of the Giant Hedgehogs, into the Hero Hall simulation system in place of a training simulation Chase had developed, causing the two to combine, but struggled to deal with the titular creatures due to not reading the instruction manual. The team ultimately managed to immobilize the hedgehogs while Hoist disabled the simulation. Hack Attack
Q-Transformers cartoon
Optimus Prime frequently played (and lost repeatedly at) Mystery of Convoy Returns, prompting several discussions with Bumblebee and Lockdown about the nature of crappy, unfair games, particularly the original Mystery of Convoy. Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns
Kre-O Transformers cartoon
Grimlock and Optimus got frustrated playing a particularly difficult game at the arcade. When Fracture managed to easily beat the level on his first try, Grimlock went on a rampage, knocking over arcade cabinets until being distracted by a foosball table. Arcade
SD SG comic
Strongarm was a fan of Transformers: The Super Obvious Truth of Optimus Prime, though Windblade believed it strongly resembled a certain game from another dimension. SD SG #2
Cyberverse cartoon
While searching a Decepticon scout ship's computer for intel, all Windblade could find was a familiar-looking training program. Cube Arcee was later enjoying her time playing that same training program when Bumblebee came by to ask if she knew anything about a moon cheetah. The Visitor
BotBots cartoon
After the Lost Bots stole Dave's phone to delete photographic evidence of the BotBots' existence, Dimlit found himself getting addicted to a cookie-matching puzzle game Dave had installed. Kikmee attempted to dissuade him, but instead he managed to get her hooked on an 8-bit football game that was also on the phone. The two of them fought for control of the phone, as did the other Lost Bots who had gotten hooked on apps of their own, and it was only after the phone ran out of power and shut off that they all finally came to their senses. Phoning It In 24K-Bit used his alternate mode to allow the Lost Bots to play as many games in the arcade as they wanted for free. Kikmee proved to be an expert, quickly conquering every cabinet she got her hands on. The Lost Bots and the Claw Crusade
EarthSpark cartoon
Robby Malto skipped out on a traditional Wakwak hunt with his father to compete in an online gaming tournament. Despite a brief interruption from Twitch, Robby's team emerged victorious, but by the time he finished, there was no one else around the house to celebrate with him. Traditions
References
- ↑ "The Making of: Vortex". Retro Gamer (147): p. 39. October 2015.
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/a-look-at-transformers-2nd-strike-the-psp-armada-game-port-that-never-was/
- ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-dev-cancels-transformers-game-and-three-others-lays-off-as-many-as-90-report/1100-6504991/
