The Energon Pub

[El Duque]

Hasbro has posted the contents of the UBS Best of Americas 2012 Conference that was held a couple of days ago, and there were a few interesting tidbits regarding our favorite transforming alien robots.

• Transformers 4 is scheduled for a 2014 release
• Transformers 4 will feature a new cast, including new robots, they feel the lower than expected toy sales for Transformers DOTM were due to recurring cast of robots in the previous trilogy. They hope new Transformers characters will reignite toys sales.
• Plans to expand the marketing for Transformers Prime and Transformers: Rescue Bots

[Sentinel Maximus]

I wish we got a whole new director for TF4.

Sorry, had to say it.

[Erailea]

There was some article I saw yesterday spreading rumors TF4 wouldn't have Optimus in it.

Find it a little hard to believe they'd get rid of the Autobot leader, considering the concept didn't enthuse fans in the 80's.

[#Sideways#]

They did have a butt-load of Optimus toys...

What if they sort of re-did the '86 movie? Or perhaps a spinoff that takes place on somewhere like Nebulos?

[El Duque]

All those articles that popped up stating TF4 won't include Optimus Prime are based on the statement from this conference. Goldner said TF4 would feature a new robotic cast, but he didn't say Optimus is out. If anything he would be the one character they would keep and surround with a new cast. It's all speculation at this point.

[guarayakha]

...they feel the lower than expected toy sales for Transformers DOTM were due to the recurring cast of robots in the previous trilogy. They hope new Transformers characters will reignite toys sales...

It has more to do with making over 9000 different versions of Optimuses and Bumblebees while neglecting requested figures like LeaderClass DOTM Megs, Dino and cancelling that Voyager Jetwing Prime that actually looks cool. And stupid designs like Que, Wheelie and Brains.

[sparticus1701]

And also having two sequals with terrible scripts, not to mention the whole trilogy is not aimed at kids.

[RiddlerJ]

...they feel the lower than expected toy sales for Transformers DOTM were due to the recurring cast of robots in the previous trilogy. They hope new Transformers characters will reignite toys sales...

It has more to do with making over 9000 different versions of Optimuses and Bumblebees while neglecting requested figures like LeaderClass DOTM Megs, Dino and cancelling that Voyager Jetwing Prime that actually looks cool. And stupid designs like Que, Wheelie and Brains.

Seriously. I know I saw three different versions of Bumblebee, but toys like Skywarp, Que, or Soundwave you had to import, if they bothered to make a toy at all.

What's the point of making the movie if you're not going to make toys of the characters available.

[reluctantyouth]

REALLY??!!!???

Really Hasbro are you finally admitting that you screwed the pooch with all too familiar characters and 40 bajillion Bumblebees? Really??!!!?? Had you listened to the fans at all things would have been quite different...Hell who do you think is REALLY??!!!?? reintroducing the brand to younger markets? Is it people that have never heard of the toys or are searching for some lost nastalgia that a mid life crisis won't fix? No...it's the fans who now have children. Where do you get off Hasbro? When will you learn? REALLY??!!!?? I see total disaster coming for TF4 with Bay at the helm...you want to reinvent the franchise then you get a better director. My vote would have been Joss Whedon...that would have been a TF movie I stood in line at midnight for.

[Bouncy X]

REALLY??!!!???

Really Hasbro are you finally admitting that you screwed the pooch with all too familiar characters and 40 bajillion Bumblebees? Really??!!!?? Had you listened to the fans at all things would have been quite different...Hell who do you think is REALLY??!!!?? reintroducing the brand to younger markets? Is it people that have never heard of the toys or are searching for some lost nastalgia that a mid life crisis won't fix? No...it's the fans who now have children. Where do you get off Hasbro? When will you learn? REALLY??!!!?? I see total disaster coming for TF4 with Bay at the helm...you want to reinvent the franchise then you get a better director. My vote would have been Joss Whedon...that would have been a TF movie I stood in line at midnight for.

Joss Whedon? oh my i can see it now.....Carly woulda been the main character and she'd have some awesome ass kicking skills. Jazz woulda been the pop culture spewing one liner of the bunch. Then about halfway through the movie Bumblebee woulda died only to have the movie end with Prime dying too.

[reluctantyouth]

Yes it would be more emotional for sure with Joss Whedon...I'm not talking about Avengers here. I'm thinking more like Firefly. Real character development without all the explosions to fill in plot holes!

[samuraiman]

i hated the movie toylines mostly because they killed off the perfectly good animated toyline for movie toys and animated was going strong with so much toy potential. if we get a repeat with prime or FOC i’m gonna

[cor2879]

They thought the lack of sales was due to the recurring characters? Really? Maybe, just maybe, sales were lower because DotM was an awful movie. I'm just sayin...

[xyl360]

I smell BEAST WARS!!!!!

With the talk of TF:Prime season 3 possibly featuring beast bots and the news of different characters with different aesthetics (Hasbro said they'd have a different look/feel to the bots previously), I'm betting we're getting Optimus Primal and the crew of the Axalon, though I don't believe it will follow the BW plot of having them travel back in time to the ancient past.

I hope I am right. The timing fits given that the kids who grew up with Beast Wars back in the late 90's are now folks with money, but we'll see.

[Ultra Markus]

they just need to stop making movies period
it was fine in the beginning but like always
Hollywood screws up everything they touch with too many
sequels and bad scripts just to make some money

[kirbenvost]

Honestly, they NEED to take the focus away from Bumblebee, in the film AND toyline. They put out 4 or 5 slightly different versions of the same character and wonder why they don't sell? Not to mention the distribution problems that have been plaguing them since before DOTM. How about make the toys available and then maybe people will buy them?

On the topic of directors, I like Whedon but I don't think he fits Transformers. Too emotional, too many characters get killed off, etc. But Avengers was really good, so maybe. I'd rather see Spielberg as director, not only producer, and find some better writers. Spielberg is really good at portraying that sense of wonder I really feel should be part of a film about giant robots. And they CAN make it more kid-friendly without being juvenile. It's like Hollywood forgot how to not talk down to kids.

[TheForgottenTaxi]

Wait, Dark of the Moon had robot characters in it? I thought it just had a bunch of interchangeable exploding CGI models.

After I saw DOTM, I thought, "This abomination is going to make a bazillion dollars because suckers like me believed them when they said they realized what they screwed up with ROTF. But I bet the toy and DVD sales suck. Maybe that will send the right message."

NOPE! Denial is a beautiful thing, apparently. Now all we can hope is that after two straight unwatchable pieces of garbage people, and especially the fans, wise up and don't go to see it. I know I won't.

[Mindmaster]

Honestly, I think the DOTM toy sales didnt go too well because of the MechTech gear; they're large for the figures they're packaged with, most you have to hold the switch for them to activate (exceptions are the Voyager toys, you could actually twist the switch and they'll stay), and they looked really dumb in vehicle mode. Prime did a little better, but I chuck most of the MechTech gear out the window (not literally).

New cast of robots sounds interesting. Can't wait to hear more of that.

In my opinion, they need to make a movie based off of their appearances in the original Generation One cartoon; doesn't have to specifically follow that continuity, but at least make them look like they did back in the '80's.

[Noideaforaname]

That "too many recurring characters" bit is rather wonky. The movie had loads of new characters (and a totally re-designed Megatron and Soundwave), yet the toyline decided to go with a lot of older characters for some reason. I'll never understand why Barricade and Jolt were more important than Wheeljack and Mirage, or the jet-engine BB and Ratchet repaint over some of the other Dreads. It was bad enough the movie crew waited 'til the last minute to axe the Twins.

[Flakmaster]

The reason behind low toy sales was because of the fact that half the toys sucked.
Gray plastic galore, lack of paint apps, overly simplified transformations, and a decrease in figure size.

TF1 got an enthusiastic theater viewing. ROTF got a meh theater viewing. DOTM got a 'WTH is this scheisse' home viewing, and TF4 will get no viewing at all from me.

It is becoming more and more clear that no one who could make a difference cares about the quality of these films so long as they make money.

i hated the movie toylines mostly because they killed off the perfectly good animated toyline for movie toys and animated was going strong with so much toy potential. if we get a repeat with prime or FOC i’m gonna

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Animated had character, potential, an unfinished yet engaging story, and some awesome toys that didn't look like they would turn into crap anytime soon. I can hold the Voyager Class Animated Shockwave in my hands and think,
"Wow, this is a durable figure and such a great character in the show, pew pew lazer gunz"
but with DOTM shockwave I look at his toy and think,
"What is this? Why is the cannon on the wrong arm? Is this even really Shockwave? And why should I have to glue some struts into his arms just to keep them from falling off each time I rotate them at the shoulder?"

[padfoo]

Are you kidding, why dont they start by making a good movie. Kids dont buy the toys because the movies lack substance, they feel disconnected. I will not watch another Bayformer movie.

[samuraiman]

If you look up animated hotshot on wikipedia there’s a picture of a prototype hotshot mold that never made it past that stage

[samuraiman]

i hated the movie toylines mostly because they killed off the perfectly good animated toyline for movie toys and animated was going strong with so much toy potential. if we get a repeat with prime or FOC i’m gonna

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Animated had character, potential, an unfinished yet engaging story, and some awesome toys that didn't look like they would turn into crap anytime soon. I can hold the Voyager Class Animated Shockwave in my hands and think,
"Wow, this is a durable figure and such a great character in the show, pew pew lazer gunz"
but with DOTM shockwave I look at his toy and think,
"What is this? Why is the cannon on the wrong arm? Is this even really Shockwave? And why should I have to glue some struts into his arms just to keep them from falling off each time I rotate them at the shoulder?"[/quote]

here’s a list of animated characters we could’ve gotten if not for the movies
-strika
-cyclonus
-brawn
-hotshot
-red alert
-spittor
-slipstream& the other starscream clones (with the exception of sunstorm and skywarp)
-mixmaster
-scrapper
-dirtboss

and these are just characters i remember from the show. we probly could’ve gottem more characters not from the show just to sell more toys which would’ve worked for me

[PrymeStriker]

Oh, keep Optimus. Just don't give us Bumblebee.

[cor2879]

I guarantee if they redesigned the movie bots to look more like the characters we are all familiar with from our youth, that toy line would sell like crazy.