It was recently announced that the new Transformers Universe, a “free to play” massive multiplayer online role-playing game, is getting released over the summer, which is going to be around the same time that the Transformers 4 film is set to be released. It was initially set to be released in 2012, but has been delayed multiple times for unknown reasons. The game was officially announced to the public during the 2011 BotCon, but we’re only just seeing proper trailers for the game now.
Transformers Universe is certainly a long ways from where the franchise got its start in 1983. The franchise has performed quite well since its beginning. Almost everything the franchise has gone into has become widely popular including action figures, television, comics, movies, and gaming.
The Transformers franchise has been a mainstay in the video game industry since its first game was released in 1985 for the Commodore 64. The franchise hasn?t just stuck to console or computer gaming either, though there have been 27 Transformers games thus far. Transformers also has a themed slot machine at BetFair now that?s known for its welcome bonuses. My personal favourite is them matching the first three buy-ins up to a total of £2,000.
Universe is going to be quite different from the previous Transformers games, and not only because it’s browser-based. The game allows players to build their own Transformer from scratch by letting them choose their character’s class, weapons, vehicle, and colours. Universe also promises to let the player choose their side, whether it is Autobot or Decepticon. Of course all of the classic favourites will be in the game, like Megatron, Bumblebee, and Optimus, but will be non-playable.
The gameplay will be different than the typical MMO since this is being branded an MMOTA (Massive Multiplayer Online Tactical Action game). The game will consist of commanders that will be recruiting others to join their faction. It appears that everyone will be given the status of Commander, and it is clear that they will need to get different types of characters involved. What is unclear is if they are meant to recruit other players, just NPC bots, or some combination of the two.
The classes are what set apart the different types of Transformers. Some will be better at close combat while others will better at things like sniping. The commander will need to be aware of these different qualities for their squad and those that they are fighting.
The concept is based on a total world-wide war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. In fact the official website states that, ?Efforts count not only for individual honors [sic] but also to the overall standing of your faction – it?s not just about the battle, it?s about the war.? This likely means that there will be some sort of tally as to which side is winning, and they may have periodical winners and losers in the vein of Planetside 2 or Hybrid.
The game recently released a new trailer which is featured at the top of the article courtesy of IGN. The graphics appear to be top notch. The characters do have a different appearance than in the movies, though because the game is based more so off the 1st generation Transformers from the comics and original TV series. Another thing that?s easily noticed in the trailer is that the weapons appear to be very diversified. It shows everything from a sword to an engine-sized plasma cannon. What the trailer conveniently forgets to mention, though is the fact that the game is going to use the “free to play” business model.
Transformers Universe is certainly gearing up to be the next big MMOG, a “free” game that can apparently be accessed anywhere with top notch graphics may well draw in a crowd. It?s easy to see how the game has struggled to get off the ground. The world needs to be massive, even if it gets half the number of players that they’re expecting. From what I?ve seen, the game is completely online. No downloads means that they would need an enormous amount of tech to handle that infrastructure without the usual latency and down-times that plague even client-run MMO games.
Once this game is released it is sure to make a splash, but whether it?s going to be a success or failure with its unusual distribution platform and polarizing economic model is anyone?s guess.