Niantic and Hasbro are teaming up for n AR Mobile game with a Transformers theme. Think Pokemon Go, Transformers style. Niantic is actually the company behind Pokemon Go. The game will be entering soft launch in select markets soon with a full launch later in the year. For more details and some pics of the game so far, read on.
Niantic and Hasbro Partner on Real-World AR Mobile Game “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal”
Very Very Spaceship is leading game development and TOMY is Niantic’s partner in Japan
Niantic, Hasbro and TOMY Company are teaming up to publish “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal,” an AR game that brings Optimus Prime and Bumblebee to life in the real world through the Niantic Lightship platform.
“Transformers is the perfect franchise for AR. Battling and interacting with giant robots in the real world is an amazing experience,” said John Hanke, CEO of Niantic. “We want to live up to the high expectations of Transformers fans around the world and bring them a game unlike anything they’ve played before.”
In “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal,” players will join the Guardian Network, a group of humans who have banded together with the Autobots in a war against the Decepticons. As a Guardian, players will uncover hidden regions across Earth to find resources and battle Decepticons in turn-based battles, either solo or with friends.
With a planned global launch later this year, “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal,” will enter soft launch in select markets soon. TOMY is Niantic’s partner for the release in Japan, and Seattle-based Very Very Spaceship is leading development of the game.
Lightship is Niantic’s planet-scale AR platform that sets the standard for AR, realtime 3D mapping and multiplayer social experiences. With Niantic Lightship ARDK, developers can build their own AR worlds and experiences using tools that leverage location, environmental context and shared multiplayer views.
For more information on “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal” and to pre-register for the game, please visit transformersheavymetal.com.
About Niantic:
Niantic is a leading AR company, inspiring people to explore the world, together. Our slate of products–Ingress, Pokémon GO, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite–reaches a global community of hundreds of millions of Niantic explorers. Niantic’s Lightship planet-scale AR platform powers all Niantic games and enables developers and creators to build engaging AR experiences that inspire movement, exploration and connection at a global scale. For more information go to www.NianticLabs.com and @nianticlabs.
About TRANSFORMERS:
TRANSFORMERS is a global entertainment franchise with millions of fans around the world. Since 1984, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has come to life in movies, TV shows, theme parks, comic books, innovative toys, and digital media, bringing incredible…MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE…experiences to fans and kids.
About Hasbro:
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to making the world a better place for all children, fans and families. Hasbro delivers immersive brand experiences for global audiences through consumer products, including toys and games; entertainment through eOne, its independent studio; and gaming, led by the team at Wizards of the Coast, an award-winning developer of tabletop and digital games best known for fantasy franchises MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The company’s unparalleled portfolio of approximately 1,500 brands includes MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA PIG and PJ MASKS, as well as premier partner brands. For the past decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media and one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute. Important business and brand updates are routinely shared on our Investor Relations website, Newsroom and social channels (@Hasbro on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.) © 2021 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
About TOMY:
TOMY Company, Ltd. (TOMY) was founded in 1924. TOMY is a comprehensive toy and content company that produces a wide variety of products and characters for people of all ages and nationalities. Generations of families have enjoyed our all-time favorites such as Plarail, Tomica, and Licca, and such toy lines as Beyblade and Transformers have become genuine global phenomena. Toymaker TOMY will continue to make products which reflect the changing times as we fulfill our Corporate Mission which is to “create new value from play” for people all over the world.
About Very Very Spaceship:
Very Very Spaceship is a motley crew of spacefaring creatives building out-of-this-world digital & physical experiences. Visit www.vvspaceship.website for more info.
lordmegatron64
I don't want New. I want good.
Optimax Prime
Why can't we just get a new TF Video0game already?!?!?!?
Fc203
It was supposed to come out in march but literally at the last second it was delayed indefinitely.
Galvacron 3
Well a person called RoboGamer1HD brought the multiplayer servers for most of the games back online and just recently ROTF on PC and PS3.
LeonSteamhawk
Well that was fast. Wish we could get a decent Transformers game. It doesn't even have to be a big-budget game, as long as it's at least half decent. Shredder's Revenge makes me wish we could get something like that for Transformers.
lordmegatron64
I mean, niantic can't do pokemon correctly so I see this as an absolute win.
zane1345
I think microsoft seriously needs to look into the licensing of tf games again. The only way I can see TF being prominent in gaming is by providing accessibility to the old games(WFC,FOC devastation,TF3,TF2, TF the movie game).Like just imagine if all those games were backwars compatible and on the gamepass, they would stay relevant and they wouldnt even need to make a new game for a few years and TF Universe was one of the biggest missed opportunities.
troglodyteman217
ah gotcha, thanks
AutobotTurbine
That’s supposed to be a Dave and Busters exclusive.
ELDASPOXD666
Damn, the game didn\'t even get out of beta and it\'s already being cancelled.
At least it was just another generic mobile game and not a full sized console/PC release.
troglodyteman217
isnt there that one vr game in the works? could be decent but i highly doubt affordable
Galvacron 3
Personally I like both but if every new TF game is gonna get smothered before it gets a chance to attract an audience (Transformers Universe) then the old ways are still the most viable. I think Blam just assumed you were being insulting instead of offering a viable alternative since as mentioned we haven't gotten a decent TF game since Devastation and APPARENTLY the best we can hope for is a crossover with an existing game like World Of Warships.
On a personal note, how are you enjoying the Essence20 system? I'm still wrapping my head around hardpoints and how they work but I'm enjoying it. I have Power Rangers as well which could REALLY benefit from a second printing with the update stuff from G.I. Joe and Transformers.
Blam320
Buddy, you're the one who came into this thread and said:
Which I assumed was supposed to be an insult.
Beemer
I don't know why you're under the impression that they're mutually exclusive. I hope you get the game you want! Just thought you might enjoy seeing the roots of the type of games you enjoy. I was going to invite you to join my play group.
Blam320
Clearly the concept of modern Sandbox and RPG games is lost on you…
Look, my friend, we all like games. But could you please not bash our desire for a decent new videogame?
Beemer
No…?
We're in the golden age of online tabletop games. Wouldn't you rather play a game where the only limit is your imagination, rather than what's programmed in?
OH NO I'M MY DAD
WishfulThinking
I wonder how much Flint Dille was supposed to be involved with this. He was a major contributor to the Niantic AR game that Pokémon Go's architecture is based on (the name escapes me but I played a lot of it before I switched to Pokémon briefly…and then just stopped altogether since I was trying to play while driving, which is never good.)
Blam320
Was this supposed to be a joke? Because very few people are going to laugh.
Zyro47
Something they've already tried, and failed at with: Transformers Universe