Splash Damage has officially cancelled its Transformers game, Reactivate, after a prolonged and difficult development process. This news follows a cryptic trailer reveal at The Game Awards 2022, generating anticipation for a 1-4 player online game featuring Autobots and Decepticons battling a new alien threat. While leaks suggested a Generation 1 roster including Ironhide, Hot Rod, Starscream, and Soundwave, and even hinted at Beast Wars characters, the project has been abandoned.
The studio's announcement on Twitter expressed the difficult decision to cancel Reactivate, acknowledging potential staff 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 predicted the cancellation due to the lack of updates since the initial trailer.
The studio's shift in focus is towards "Project Astrid," a AAA open-world survival game built with Unreal Engine 5, announced in March 2023 in collaboration with streamers Shroud and Sacriel. The cancellation of Reactivate means resources will be redirected to Project Astrid, though unfortunately, this will result in job losses for some Reactivate staff. The news leaves Transformers fans still awaiting a high-quality, new game experience.
In short: Transformers: Reactivate is cancelled. Splash Damage is moving on to Project Astrid. Layoffs are expected.
