Recently the continuity of Transformers Prime and it’s relation to the recent War for Cybertron game and Exodus book was brought into question. 2005 Boards memeber Oracle_Aesir sent an email to Hasbro UK asking if Transformers Prime and WFC were in the same continuity, and they replied with a simple:
Our Marketing Team confirm that they are separate.
This threw fans for a loop, because Hasbro reps told 2005 staff at San Diego Comic-Con that War for Cybertron was in fact a prequel of sorts to the Transformers Prime TV show. As seen here.
Well, today we recieved a message from Hasbro representatives again, this time from their official marketing firm based in the US. They clearly stated the following:
A question was recently posed to Hasbro’s UK office asking if the Transformers Prime television series and the Transformers War for Cybertron video game were in a connected continuity. Unfortunately the wrong answer was delivered and that answer has made its way to the fan community. The TRANSFORMERS brand team would like to confirm that Transformers War for Cybertron video game, Transformers Exodus novel, and the Transformers Prime television show are in the same aligned continuity. Hasbro is creating a single continuity to tell the bulk of our TRANSFORMERS stories going forward.So there you have it. Transformers War for Cybertron, Transformers Exodus, and Transformers Prime are officially within one continuity.
Have fun figuring that all out on the 2005 boards in our Transformers Prime discussion forum!
Joe Moore
This thread has clearly run its course.
Brutimus Prime
Penis.
KnightHawkke
Toasteee!
Predacon
Actually others end up finishing you.
FLAWLESS VICTORY – FATALITY!!
Master Fwiffo
Your retcons are worse than Hasbro's. I admit I'm passionate about these things, but I do not start fights.
I finish them.
Predacon
Probably the Don Murphy boards. Fwiffy was the main instigator of arguments like this since he responds violently and venomously to anyone that is not in the opinion that Hasbro's poop doesn't smell.
cgibsonREX
My take in all this is yeah, WFC, Exodus and Prime are in the same continuity as Hasbro said. It's only natural for there to be flaws, so it is in most properties, like Power Rangers, DC Universe etc…
1) Exodus and WFC are the same story. WFC is just the digest (short) version of the book. I wouldn't be surprised if the 2nd game was based on the remainder of the book's fiction.
2) As for the apperiance of the bots between WFC and Prime. While the Prime cartoon was aimed at both new and old fans of Transformers. The WFC game was aimed at us old school fans. So the style of the game would appeal to those that remember Transformers from their childhood. The story can have the same timeline and have a different art style, like the change of an artist in the IDW comics or change of directors in a film franchise ie. Batman 89' vs Batman Forever.
*EDIT: Something else I would like to add. The change in apperiance can be due to Transformers evolution in technology during the war. Body modifications and upgrades etc…
3) Cybertronians have been at war for millions of years before coming to Earth so ANYTHING could have happen between then and now to where Megatron and the others don't remember Dark Energon like they should.
4) As for Prime and Megatron fighting side by side….I got nothing! But it's nothing that can be fixed.
KnightHawkke
suddenly I have this overwhelming feeling of Dejavu.. like all this has happened before… but I just can't put my finger on it..
Master Fwiffo
Oh, I'd love to. Because I'd love to read it myself. I like that sort of thing.
Closest we have is Transformers Exodus.
Whoops.
Master Fwiffo
You're the one who threw a tantrum about 'HAS-been' 'losing all credibility' and 'being so full of crap my dead grandma can smell it' and calling it 'bozine excretment' because you don't like the fact that Prime and WFC share a production bible. Or did you forget? You set the three-year old tone of this discussion, and then you call *me* a toddler for arguing the point?
On top of not coming up with a single counter argument to the fact that this is the exact same situation as the G1 Cartoon and Comics? Nope, petty insults for you!
You're a terrible arguer.
bellpeppers
Not to mention the arguing for the sake of arguing and the venomous tone.
And petty.
I mean, c'mon man… really? Really Seriously- WTF was that? Is that the internet equivelant to "my daddy can beat up your daddy"?
How dare you guyz question and criticize my precious Hasbro!??! Waaahhh!
I think I've seen toddlers tantruming in Wal Mart with more dignity.
Tell ya what- produce this Bible so that I can read it myself.
KnightHawkke
I know I am going to regret this, but I am one of those kids from 1984 and there really wasn't much to argue over, comics or cartoons, I am sure folks had discussions yes, but..
I for one was just jazzed to watch the show and pew pew megatron with my Prime in those days.
there was no internet, no message boards, there was joy and innocence.
we didn't have time for all that drama it took away time from actually watching the shows!
Master Fwiffo
No, I'm telling you that if you can get along with G1s inconsistancies, you can get along with Primes. It's the exact same situation.
Did kids have these arguments in 1984? I mean, really.
Other than using, ya know, the same production bible and backstory.
No, but the Armada Comic and the Armada Cartoon share a backstory. And the G1 Comic and the G1 Cartoon share a backstory. ANd Prime and Exodus share a backstory and Exodus is based on WFC so….
Come on. How hard is this really?
Sure you don't like it. I don't care. But it doesn't make WFC any more Geewun or any less Prime because you think WFC looks too Geewunny.
Master Fwiffo
Umm, they really didn't. He looks the same, but his character is entirely different.
Are you crazy? No really. You honestly think the Dinobots in comics are the same as the ones in the cartoon? It's not 'same but stupider', it's 'complete frikken opposites'.
No, they started with same designs and then did wackily different things with them because they just didn't care.
Are you really going to try and argue that comic Ratbat is the same as Soundwaves pet bat? COME ON.
No – different settings, different characters, same… uh…. designs maybe?
Look, I get that you want to think WFC is Geewun all over again. Whatever. Hasbro disagrees. Hasbro says it's Prime. Why? It's the same reason the TF Toon and Comics are different. Same general production bible. TO use your argument against you – DIFFERENT CONTINUITY AND INTERPRETATION – SAME SETTINGS AND CHARACTERS.
Any single Prime character either fits fine, didn't show up in WFC, – or has a difference far less grevious than G1 Shockwave or Grimlock.
You're nuts. Cartoon Grimlock never wanted to lead. He never challenged Optimus Prime. He never took command of the Autobots. He never even showed the slightest indication – hell, if anything, all he wanted was to be left alone and do his own thing. He was a dumb brick that smashed things. The Autobots challenge with them was not letting them do too much colateral damage. You really want to compare that to the guy who constantly challlenged Prime for leadership and eventually took over the Autobots for a time?
You. Are. Crazy.
So, other than the fact that he doesn't speak, what's the difference between Bayformers Bee and G1 Bee? That he's grown a bit as a warrior? So, Movie Bee is GeeWun Bee…. after getting his voicebox torn out and growing up a bit.
Meanwhile, what hoops do you have to go through to make Dumbass Grimlock into Badass Grimlock? You aren't getting there.
How you can try and argue G1 Grimlock is the same but WfcPrime Bee is different hurts my brain.
Predacon
Ah, Fwiffy. You re always the same mindless 'Hasbro can do no wrong and their word is gold' fanboy everywhere you go. At least you are consistent
bellpeppers
Ya know… I thought that the original was boring and highly over-rated.
This one looks so freaking cool!
KnightHawkke
So, anyone hyped up for Tron??
bellpeppers
Get over yourself. Really.
Are you actually defending HASBRO's nonsense by attacking G1?
Are you really? Is that the best you can do? Defend one sacred cow by attacking another?
We're not talking about G1.
Well, maybe we are- what with WFC meaning to be yet another G1 continuity and all…
… that is, before HASB decided to retcon it into their newer, shiny object… and one that has nothing- NOTHING- to do with the other.
Oh, I forgot- dark energon. YAY! They both mention dark energon. Now, all of a sudden the 2 are attached.
Not.
By that rational, Transformers ARMADA takes place right after G1 because they both mention energon.
Don't be that way. Don't go out to defend HASB's poor decision by raining angry fanboy brimstone all over free thinking fans because they aren't a bunch of dark energon zombies.
Hasbro said it- and it was stupid- and we don't buy it. Quit defending it and get over it.
Oracle_Aesir
Wheeljack seemed to be more front line with their creation that Ratchet did
very differently, which was the point, in the cartoon he was just a background character really, but in the comics he was a main character to the extent where he often ended up fighting Megatron
SMOG
He had different story arcs… yes. But they started from the same character. Like I said, the toybox is the same, but the cartoon and comic played with them differently.
The Dinobots are still clearly the same guys… just much, much stupider in the cartoon. Eventually Grimlock even started to talk like a stroke victim in the comics too.
Same. Dude. See Ratchet's original bio here.
He is both a cantankerous grouch, AND a party guy. Didn't you ever notice that outside of a crisis and getting on Kirk's case about something, Dr.McCoy was always the first guy to raise a glass, crack a joke, and seek a beautiful lady for his arm? Ratchet is McCoy in both of his moods, and always has been.
Shockwave is one of the more glaring examples, and I suspect it has something to do with the writers getting Soundwave and Shockwave conflated at some point (Shockwave becoming the loyal sycophant, and Soundwave becoming the emotionless calculator). But once again… the writers did do some different things with the characters… but they all started with the same characters.
I mean, just look at Ratbat. Or Trypticon. Different continuity and interpretation… same setting and characters. Usually the Cartoon versions were the ones who got shafted though.
Grimlock's a great example of a character that ISN'T incompatible. Aside from his diction and intelligence level, Grimlock is identical in both incarnations in terms of his role, his motivations, his personality, etc… and even that changed later on, when they started writing him in the comics as more of a doofus. Later still, writers at Dreamwave would merge the two, giving Grimlock a speech impediment like the cartoon, but the relative smarts and badassery of the comic depiction.
Actually I disagree… there are numerous differences between the Primes in terms of their personalities and the situations in the settings… even beyond their total visual disparity. Though Prime is arguably the most consistent character across all versions of Transformers, next to Megatron, possibly. Sometimes he's the wise Lincoln-esque father figure (G1), other times he's a bit more on the hot-blooded side (Energon) or on the inexperienced side (Animated, though hes more based on Primal, I'd say), but they tend to keep him pretty much similar, to act as a lynchpin for the franchise. If it weren't for the fact that EVERYBODY ELSE is clearly in a different setting and canonical continuity, I would say that they could almost be the same guy… but Cybertron is not G1 any more than RID is.
Partially. Functionally, WFC Bumblebee IS G1 Bee in almost every conceivable way. Prime Bee is pretty unmistakably Bayformers Bee. You can write a contrived backstory to explain how one becomes the other, but it will suck and nobody will really take it seriously.
You know, repeating a declamatory statement like a mantra as punctuation for a bunch of tenuous points may seem like a way of fortifying your position, but it doesn't really make it so.
zmog