The Energon Pub

[william-james88]

John Warden has had one of the most historic runs at Hasbro under the Transformers brand. He started as a designer, bringing back a lot of G1 designs, and then moved into becoming the lead of the department, setting up epic toy trilogies like Combiner Wars and Titans Return. While he was meant to come back as the head of the Transformers team, Hasbro is undergoing structural layoffs where they removing 100 positions, and that includes John Warden.

He has written a message for all of us and you can read it below:

I’ve had the privilege of a lifetime to be part of the creative force at Hasbro. When I was a boy in the early 1980’s, I was encouraged by my Dad, an inner city public school art teacher, to learn about industrial design.It wasn’t until I saw Where the Toys Come From in 1984 on a VHS cassette from my local library that I realized that the worlds of drawing, painting, sculpture, and mass-production engineering collided into a fascinating miasma resulting in the swivel-armed hero that I held in my hand.That next year, I would go on to write a letter for my fifth grade class to Ralph Shaffer, the mastermind SVP who (alongside the mighty James Groman) created the wacky MadBall line in the nearby metro area of Cleveland Ohio. To my surprise he wrote me back and I got a tour… the illustrations on frisket hanging on the wall, originals from Groman himself and the think tank of subversive designers. My career at Hasbro has taught me what it means to dream hard enough that your dreams come to life. And just like the closing act in The Muppet Movie, for 25 years, you as Hasbro’s fans of Transformers, G.I.Joe, MASK, Visionaries, Jem, Pokémon, Star Wars… we came together. Through the crashing anarchy of the rainbow we came together, somehow. Like a family. To hundreds upon thousands of fans that I’ve met at conventions around the world, I say thank you. Your passion for the brands that we all grew up with and loved as children is beyond measure. It has been a privilege and an honor to talk to each and every one of you. We are all Family. Thank you fans and thank you Hasbro for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to bring my childhood dreams to life these past 25 years. Even to bring new dreams to life for a new generation of fans, like my kids who are now adults. As I gaze misty eyed on my career and what magic comes next, my heart is filled with gratitude.Fear not, Autobots. I am sure our paths will come together again. As sure as the sun beams in from above onto the singing Muppets below. Thank you

Here is John Warden discussing the layoffs on the news:

[Bumblevivisector]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

He will be missed. I don't think I ever heard him speak, but I'll always look back fondly on his run.

[chuckdawg1999]

Right now, I can only feel disgusted that Hasbro would fire people to appease stockholders, let's see an executive be cut and not a person who's been there 25 years. While I'm sure he'll land on his feet I know all too well how hard it can be for an older person to find work.

[william-james88]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

[Mkall]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

When Hasbro stops doing Transformers is when I stop collecting Transformers I think.

[Sabrblade]

First Hasbro auctions off the entire warehouse of practically every single Power Rangers costume and prop, and now this happens to Transformers.

[cloudballoon]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

When Hasbro stops doing Transformers is when I stop collecting Transformers I think.

There are plenty of fans that stopped (or drastically cut down on) collecting Hasbro Transformers while still collecting Transformers when 3P stepped up.

Transformers toys might survive when Hasbro doesn't. But it'll be a far more expensive hobby.

I only have a handful of 3P. I don't like their "MP" scaled figures - overly complicated even though they look amazing. And Legends scale 3P are too small for my taste and that's why I'm mainly happy with Hasbro. I wonder if Hasbro sanks some 3P might take up the CHUG scale? That'd be exciting for me.


Back to Hasbro's poopy move of cutting 100 jobs so the CEO can get a bigger pay cheque to take up 80% of said "streamlining savings". Feels bad for Warden, but I also feel the writing was kind of on the wall back in April when he was was moved back to TF from PR and this layoff will be "actuated" if things didn't turn around fast enough. Hope Warden was prepared for this possibility. Also, I felt he already had a fairly concret roadmap for TF post-Legacy watching his SDCC interviews, so I hope he had enough meetings to convey his ideas to the TF design team and they're in sync of what was to come for the next few years as they pick up the "design to value" baton so to speak (seriously, WTF is that jargon!?).

There were good & bad during Warden's tenure, and same with brief post-Warden period. It's just natural. I'd love for Warden to stay, he got a lot to contribute to the franchise, and a ton of people respect him, deservedly, but I'm OK to see TF evolve without him too, there are competent people in the team.

[Emerje]

I'm a little confused here. It's terrible that he lost his job and they're calling it a layoff as if there's a possibility of him coming back, but I clearly remember people rejoicing when he left to work on Power Rangers as he's always been against giving more obscure characters a chance and never really demonstrated an understanding of those characters in the first place. I'm thinking much of his layoff has to do with the poor performance of the Power Rangers franchise (whether it was his fault or he's the scapegoat), though Hasbro never really seemed to give it a proper chance to begin with (too much random collector stuff, not enough kids stuff, especially Zords and no new shows).

Emerje

[william-james88]

I'm a little confused here. It's terrible that he lost his job and they're calling it a layoff as if there's a possibility of him coming back, but I clearly remember people rejoicing when he left to work on Power Rangers as he's always been against giving more obscure characters a chance and never really demonstrated an understanding of those characters in the first place. I'm thinking much of his layoff has to do with the poor performance of the Power Rangers franchise (whether it was his fault or he's the scapegoat), though Hasbro never really seemed to give it a proper chance to begin with (too much random collector stuff, not enough kids stuff, especially Zords and no new shows).

Emerje

He had transitionned back to the transformers team lately but as middle managenent. As a new corporate model, Hasbro is removing all those types of management jobs, having employees directly report to upper management. All those middle managers, like John now, got laid off.

[Dino-Snarl]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

When Hasbro stops doing Transformers is when I stop collecting Transformers I think.

There is great potential with 3rd party releases. Hasbro or not.

[Dino-Snarl]

Were they hoping to pay salaries with a share of the TF1 movie?

[Bumblevivisector]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

When Hasbro stops doing Transformers is when I stop collecting Transformers I think.

There is great potential with 3rd party releases. Hasbro or not.

My first thought as well, but how quickly we forget about the 2nd party; even if Hasbro stopped doing TF toys altogether (which still seems a little far-fetched), wouldn't Takara just keep doing their own stuff?

Maybe all the toys would be like Transformers GO, but at least western fans could extend the name to "GO-F*&%-Yourselves-Hasbro-Execs".

[william-james88]

Were they hoping to pay salaries with a share of the TF1 movie?

Thats cold

[cloudballoon]

He had transitionned back to the transformers team lately but as middle managenent. As a new corporate model, Hasbro is removing all those types of management jobs, having employees directly report to upper management. All those middle managers, like John now, got laid off.

This is correct. TF is one of the few highlight franchise on Hasbro's hand. Warden's layoff is not personally targeted, or to the TF franchise. Just that he's part of the wide-ranging removal of mid-management. It is a lost to Hasbro, really.

[Sabrblade]

My first thought as well, but how quickly we forget about the 2nd party;

That's us. We, the consumers, are the 2nd party to the 1st party of producers, which are Hasbro, Takara, and all of their official licenses holders and distributors.

What makes the IP infringement companies the 3rd party is their position as additional producers outside of the main two-party transaction between the official producers and the consumers.

[Triggerdick Megatron]

I would have called for the fans to rise up...

But that would just make him look bad if he wanted to work somewhere else in the same industry.

[Triggerdick Megatron]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

Ohhhh... That's not good...

[blackeyedprime]

Hopefully there is more bad eggs going than the good eggs. Might be why hasbro is licensing out stuff like m. A. S. K if they aren't going to have fewer people to work on it, warden likely could have done some good stuff with that alone.

[cloudballoon]

Hopefully there is more bad eggs going than the good eggs. Might be why hasbro is licensing out stuff like m. A. S. K if they aren't going to have fewer people to work on it, warden likely could have done some good stuff with that alone.

I'm not a big G.I. Joe fan but am a M.A.S.K. fan. When I looked at the early TF x Joe crossovers, I was glad Hasbro didn't do TF x M.A.S.K. first. But the TFxJoe figures kept improving and I think it's time to do TFxM.A.S.K. again. Not sure what effect the layoffs would have done to these projects.

[Dino-Snarl]

Were they hoping to pay salaries with a share of the TF1 movie?

Thats cold

Channeling the CEO. Need to shower and put our heart back in our chest. Excuse us.

[Dino-Snarl]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

When Hasbro stops doing Transformers is when I stop collecting Transformers I think.

There is great potential with 3rd party releases. Hasbro or not.

My first thought as well, but how quickly we forget about the 2nd party; even if Hasbro stopped doing TF toys altogether (which still seems a little far-fetched), wouldn't Takara just keep doing their own stuff?

Maybe all the toys would be like Transformers GO, but at least western fans could extend the name to "GO-F*&%-Yourselves-Hasbro-Execs".

Excellent point with Takara. Just like what happened with G1. My art will go on!

[alphatron10]

If streamlining means laying off someone who had that big a hand in improving the brand over the past decade or so, it begs the question of where Hasbro thinks it's going.

The CEO answered that, they are going towards becoming a digital game company and license holder, there’s no more big money in toys

When Hasbro stops doing Transformers is when I stop collecting Transformers I think.

There is great potential with 3rd party releases. Hasbro or not.

lol no

[Sabrblade]

We have a follow-up story to John Warden being let go from Hasbro.

He's now with The Loyal Subjects:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIrZ4NDx-Cn/

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited to be part of the powerhouse team at TLS Toy under the wise leadership of Dina Al Rifai, Ben Montano, and Jonathan Cathey.

As many of you already know, I come from an “Action Brands” background, but my experiences over the years have also included Pokemon, Shrek, and some Anime Properties. I am excited to dive into the TLS suite of brands!

As I mentioned to Jonathan, Ben, and Dina - I feel that TLS is uniquely positioned to move on trends. Our industry is moving faster than ever, and sometimes big companies have a hard time keeping up with smaller and more flexible teams.

Recognizing trends, memes, and pop-culture moments quickly is the key to unlocking new consumers as well as diving deeper into the psyche of our collectors/kid-adult fans. We live in changing times, and being able to buy a toy, keychain, or plush to connect with other fans (young or old) brings all of us comfort. Toys have a magical way of bringing all of us together.

In my new role, I will be bringing new play and excitement to Nostalgic brands like MASK, while paving the way for new brands of the future!

I am excited to make magic with all of you! #theloyalsubjects #tlstoy #mask #mobilearmoredstrikekommand #mypetmonster #jem #popples #popplesvintage #keeptoystarifffree