This page contains affiliate links. We may earn commissions when readers interact with or purchase items through these links. For more information, see our affiliate disclosures here.
Activision's upcoming (and highly anticipated) Transformers: Fall of Cybertron video game continues to generate a lot of buzz. [a]listdaily.com recently spent some time with High Moon Studios President Peter Della Penna and Marketing Manager Greg Agius to talk about the game and the brand in general. Below is an excerpt.
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron hits shelves on August 28th.
[a]list: How did you get a chance to do a game based on an original take on Transformers in the first place?
Peter Della Penna: It was pretty obvious to us and Activision, that our studio capabilities and sensibilities were a great fit for the Transformers license. Also, it was perfect timing for us to develop a Transformers game that was not based on the film property and did not interfere with the movie franchise release schedule. The natural place for us to go was back to our childhood roots in G1 and start telling the story of Transformers before they came to earth.
[a]list: What are ways that you look to bring in fans of the classic cartoon series? Do you try and tap veteran voice actors?
Greg Agius: Authenticity is our biggest strength at High Moon Studios. You walk around the studio and you see G1 fans everywhere. I'd say that bleeds through to the game in every way. The look and the feel all are heavily inspired by G1. But everything is updated so that it feels right and up to date with the look of a modern game. Landing original G1 voices like Peter Cullen to voice Optimus Prime and Gregg Berger to do Grimlock is another key. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron reboots your childhood and makes it cool again!
[a]list: What games do you try to emulate as far as being successful with a classic brand? Do you try and learn something from the recent Batman and Spider-Man games?
Peter Della Penna: Game wise I would say both Batman and Spider-Man are great references. Especially the Batman Arkham series where everything you do in those games drives the player back to the core of what makes Batman so cool. For us, it's about transformation and the variety of awesome characters in the Transformers lore.
TVWeb.com recently sat down with voice acting legend Frank Welker to discuss his return to the role of Megatron in the ongoing animated series Transformers Prime. Here's what he had to say:
When you first started voicing Megatron and other Transformers characters in the 1980s, did you think this franchise would still be living on through big screen features and new television series almost 30 years later? How do you feel about the way its continued to grow into what it is now?
Frank Welker: (Optimus Prime voice actor) Peter Cullen and I have often talked about that very thing. We had no idea how big the fan base was or how the franchise was growing back then. We never received any fan mail and the only feedback we got was when and if the show was picked up for another season. We didn't have any invites to Bot Cons and the like until just a few years ago, so all of this attention was a surprise, a very pleasant surprise. With the features and the new iterations of all things TF, the new audience and the old supporters seem to remain enthusiastic and that is very meaningful and appreciated.
Do you have any thoughts on the upcoming Transformers 4 movie? You voiced Shockwave and a few other characters in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, so have you been approached to voice Shockwave or any other character for Transformers 4? Is there a particular character you'd love to voice that you haven't been given the chance to yet?
Frank Welker: I haven't been asked to participate in the new features, but usually we don't know until later because the voice work comes at the end of the production process. I'm not sure if any of the TF's I did in the other features will be returning. I would like to see Soundwave get more screen time he is always a fun character. For Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I did his voice in many foreign languages and that was really fun. Hard, but fun. I didn't have a lot of lines but I tried to make the most of them. Japanese was impossible!!!
You've gotten to watch a lot of your fans grow from kids to adults, while constantly getting a whole new wave of young fans every year. Do you feel a certain loyalty to the older fans? Or do you view all fans as equals?
Frank Welker: Again without getting maudlin, the fans are so important and you would be surprised to see how much the studios monitor them. When you have such vocal fans as the Transformer fans they become a voting block and ultimately play a significant role in the direction the powers go. For actors, they keep us in the game so both new fans and old all fans are important...But like old friends, old fans keep you in line because they have known you for the longest.
To check out the entire article, head over to TVWeb.com by clicking here.
You can learn more about Frank Welker's extensive voice acting background by clicking here.
Seibertron's own Delicon was on hand for the Botcon 2012 Voice Actors Panels with Dan Gilvezan and Buster Jones. Recognized for their roles in Transformers Generation 1 as Bumblebee (Dan) and Blaster (Bluster).
Delicon worked diligently to record the fast paced Q & A and has provided some highlights from the panel:
Delicon wrote:This was Buster Jones' first Botcon and Dan Gilvezan's second. It was also the first time these men have been around each other since the end of the original cartoon. Buster entered in a tuxedo while Dan was dressed casually, which Dan joked about. Buster Jones obtained his first Transformer the night before. Neither had any idea how big the franchise would become. Dan joked; had he known, he would saved EVERYTHING (including scripts, photos and thumbprints)
Dan Gilvezan stated his favorite episode from Transformers Generation 1 was Transport to Oblivion due to his extensive involvement in it. Dan talked about rewatching the episodes on DVD and how excellent the Shout Factory! Matrix set was. He mentioned how enduring the franchise was and how mainstream it had become. Mr. Gilvezan admitted to auditioning for the role of Bumblebee in the new movies, but admits his voice may have bee too friendly for the live action version.
Dan admired the Bumblebee hats in the crowd. He said the most unique gift he received was from a woman named Stephanie yesterday - a needlepoint Bumblebee
Buster Jones spoke about life as a musician. Playing drums and the saxophone. He said that Scatman Crothers (Jazz) wouldn't talk to him for a 3 year period "back in the day" due to being competitive about music and seeing Buster as an upstart. Buster eventually saw him play one night and they eventually became friends. Dan said that Scatman's ukulele playing was a highlight of the recording sessions. Both talked about how competitive voiceover work was, that you might get 1-2 roles of 100. Buster said even agents are constantly getting in and out of the business and that he has had many agents.
Buster Jones shared with the crowd that he was present to hear Wally Burr and Orson Welles clashing during the recordings for the 1986 movie. He said it got ugly between them and Dan mentioned; when new people dealt with Wally, it was like lambs being lead to the slaughter. Buster said that Wally had an amazing voice for a director. Dan said he would have liked a bigger role in the 86 movie and that he recorded all his lines in only 20 minutes.
Mr. Gilvezan admitted he wished Bee's alt mode was still a Volkswagen. He also thought a Mini-Cooper would be the next closest thing. Dan introduced his "beautiful wife Joselle" who brought up his book and joked that "this is what celebrity gets you". He also mentioned recent work such as some regional commercials and the Spiderman Shattered Dimensions video game. He talked about past work on Spiderman and his Amazing Friends, G.I. Joe, Dino Riders, Spiral Zone and Sectaurs. Dan referred to Frank Welker as "the premier voice actor of our time." He said he'd love to work with Frank Welker and Peter Cullen again. Either on Transformers Prime or if Hasbro produced a reunion special with the surviving voice actors. Which received a massive response from the crowd.
To learn more about the diverse career of Dan Gilvezan click here.
To learn more about the mulit-talented Buster Jones, click here.
A massive article titled Transforming Grimlock: How High Moon saved the Dinobots has been posted by theverge.com's Russ Pitts. In this extensive article you get to hear from game director Matt Tieger what it takes to create Dinobot's in the current game story arc. There a lot of great new pictures of Grimlock Slag, Snarl and Swoop.
Matt Tieger has decided that what he wants in his next game is a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex from outer space who fights with a sword and a shield and breaths fire. And is a robot.
What he wants, in other words, is Grimlock, the Dinobot. All that stands in his way is the company who owns the Transformers, Hasbro, and they've decided that Grimlock (and the rest of the Dinobots) are being retired.
According to Hasbro, the Dinobots will not be in any Transformers movies. They will not be in any Transformers games. They will not be in any Transformers anything. They are finished.
The people at Hasbro, in other words, tell Tieger that Grimlock will be done away with.
This is the story of how he tried to change their mind.
Matt Tieger wanted to be a paleontologist when he grew up. And a marine biologist. And an artist. But mainly: Paleontologist. He loved dinosaurs. Knew all of their names. He wanted to dig their bones out of the Earth and tell their stories.
By the time he went to college, he'd changed his mind. He wanted to be a marine biologist again. He studied marine biology. Then, just shy of a Ph.D from Rutgers, he changed his mind yet again and left to make videogames.
Now Tieger works as Game Director for High Moon Studios, the company behind 2010's Transformers: War for Cybertron. For Matt, it is the best job in the world. Particularly because he is now in charge.
His new game is the sequel to War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron, and what Tieger wants more than anything is to let players be the leader of the Dinobots.
"As a fan of Transformers," Tieger told Polygon, by phone. "Grimlock is, if not my favorite, in my top three favorite Transformers of all time.
Also included in this article is the origins of the Dinobots in Fall of Cybertron, and anyone who has read SPOTLIGHT: SHOCKWAVE, will know just where this is headed:
As Tieger explains it, it goes like this: "It's all about loyalty in the Decepticon.
"Megatron is obviously in charge of the Decepticons, [and has] three lieutenants: Shockwave, Soundwave and Starscream (which by the way is very confusing to people who are not big Transformers fans because they're all Ss), but it's all about loyalty.
"Soundwave is loyal to Megatron above all things.
"Starscream is loyal to Starscream above all things.
"Shockwave is loyal to Cybertron above all things.
"So Shockwave's plan is:
"'We're not going to leave Cybertron. I'm going to save it. I'm going to search the cosmos, find a world that is teeming with what I can covert into Energon (the Transformers energy source). And I'm going to suck that planet dry and ... use it to reboot my home.'"
This is a thorough article packed with Dino-information. A great read for Transformer and video game fans alike. Check out this full article by clicking HERE.
Along with the write up are dozens of concept art, reference pictures used by the design team and artwork used to pitch the idea of Dinobots in this game to Hasbro. Mirrored below are some of the new Dino screen shots and concept designs. Click on any image to be taken to the full article.
SydneyY of fellow Transformers fansite TFW2005 has posted a translated interview with legendary Takara designers Hideaki Yoke and Koujin Oono from Million Publishing's Transformers Generations 2011 Vol.1. We've posted a couple of excerpts below, the full translated interview can be found by clicking here.
-Please tell us how "Transformers" began. Yoke: As Diaclone Car Robot series was quite successful, we presented the products at New York Toy Fair through our American subsidiary. Our booth was small, but we received enough positive responses. However, in order to to market our product we needed a popular media tie in to introduce the background (of the characters), also we did not have the means to compete in the large American market nor the budget to spend on advertising which was much more expensive than in Japan. We weren't confident enough to take that much risk, and concluded that finding a partner would be a smarter move. We began our partnership with Hasbro by chance, and they wanted other products as well as Diaclones! (*laughs) Our strategy then was the same as now; make a comic 1st, and if it's successful, produce a cartoon, then a movie. However, when we were working on the story setting for a Transformers comic, we decided it would be best to be made into a TV cartoon right away. According to the time line, the storylines for the comic and cartoon were combined to create a story for the comic, and the cartoon was made next, though the process was almost simultaneous. Oono: To be honest, I was shocked when I was told Diaclones and Microman series were to be merged. We had been working on those two lines with distinct ideas of how each should be and differentiated the two. Even the scales were different in 1/1 (Microman) and 1/60 (Diaclones). Every member of the team was complaining. (*laughs) But once we saw the new series, it was quite interesting. I thought, "This is awesome!". Yoke: Mr. Bob Budiansky put together Transformers' early character setting and fundamental worldview. I had a chance to meet him for the first time in Botcon last year. We talked about our contributions to Transformers in the waiting room of 2010 Hall of Fame ceremony. He has been active as a writer mainly in Los Angeles, which is the center of the movie industry, but according to him, he majored in architecture. The magnificent story of Transformers he constructed - beginning from where they come from and why they are here, to each character's distinct personality and role - was written skillfully and consistently because of his architectural way of construction. Considering his age at that time, the amount of work he accomplished is marvelous. He said he was only given 1 week to work on Transformers, and he finished it off without stopping - he told me all this without stopping, too! Oono: What I was especially impressed was how the enemies were depicted. We designed enemies for Diaclones and Microman, but I admired that the enemies were described in a much cooler way. It was different from Japanese point of view - both sides were equal and even the bad guys were made into products that would be in demand. I really thought it was the most wonderful aspect of the series.
Tell us about how The "Headmasters" series was born. Oono: The combination of transformation with another gimmick was a new concept. In fact, Hasbro wanted us to provide them with something new at every meeting, but it was difficult to add more multiple modes than a triple changer, and there was a limit as to how many different combiner variations we could come up with on a regular basis. Yoke: The idea for Headmasters happened when we had a meeting regarding product development with Hasbro in Tokyo - we had spent many days preparing, and we presented an enormous number of projects. However, it happened that after we had already used up all these ideas, none of the projects we presented was good enough be considered a breakthrough. We eventually ran out of material that day, and some of our superiors told us to gather more ideas by the next day before leaving for dinner. Many of us toughed it out all night, and one of the result was Oono's Headmasters. Oono: I was inspired by "Koutetsu Jeeg" ("Steel Jeeg"). The head was always the most noticeable part, and I thought of using that fact. I feared the detachable head might not be a popular characteristic, and suggested a gimmick that a head could turn into an independent figure. Then.... Yoke: The reaction was, "This is amazing!" - he got an instant approval. That was the moment Koujin Oono became legendary. (laughs) I was impressed with his ability as well. Thanks to him, the whole team was spared. Oono: The indicator gimmick on the chest also worked well. I went as far as making a test mould using our own factory, and when I saw the prototype, I was convinced it was going to be good. Since then, we always name a project that we really want to push "~master", and that was the case for 10 years or so. (laughs) Targetmasters followed, and a "key" was the motif in its successor, Godmasters (Powermasters) - the problem of the concept was that you couldn't transform the toy without the Godmaster figure, but I made it unlockable with the release button. The "key" feature was more a part of the background story.
Transformers icon "Weird Al" Yankovic has released the latest installment of his Face to Face parody interviews. In it is another former Transformers icon, the starlet Megan Fox. Enjoy the satire as Weird Al reminds Megan of her time in Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Starts at 4:40.
Keep it at Seibertron.com - The Ultimate Transformers Resource!
As many of you probably already know, your fellow Seibertron.com member Chuckdawg1999 also hosts the G.I.Joe focused podcast, "What's on Joe Mind?". He dropped by to let us know about a couple of recent episodes that will likely be of interest to us Transformers fans as well. Episode 47 features legendary Transformers writer and editor Flint Dille! In episode 48 we hear from the voice of Transformers Prime's Bulkhead, Keven Michael Richardson. Further details and links below:
YES! This IS episode 47 despite Gary calling it 48 in the opening - d'oh! Oh well, it couldn't be edited out to sound seamless, so we'll run with it. Yeah, it was a matter of time before that happened. Welcome to Episode 47 folks! You won't want to miss this one for TWO name alone. No, not Justin and Mike, try Flint Dille AND Larry Hama! They both join us as guests ON THE SAME SHOW. Yeah folks, no kidding! First up is Flint who talks about a wide range of his previous work and its not all Joe and Robot talk either. Visionaries, Inhumanoids and even Buck Rogers take up some significant talk time. Hopefully, if you are like us, you found what he had to say truly fascinating and chalk full of information. IMMEDIATELY following Flint, we are joined by Operation Red Retrieval Director Mark Cheng who brought along 2 special guests to make an exclusive announcement on WOJM. Joining Mark was the actor who played Beach Head in Operation Red Retreval, Joe Barbagallo and GI Joe writing legend Larry Hama. What are they announcing? What could Mark and Larry possibly be up to? Well, listen and find out! In the news, the GIJCC launches a new secure website, Retaliation figures begin to appear on eBay via China and a new Joe/Robot trade is set for a September release. Now, you may also be asking yourself, "Self, where is the Kevin Michael Richardson interview?" Well, with this episode being so packed, we decided to push back the interview another week or so so that we may focus all of our attention on the guests who joined us this week. You WILL hear the KMR interview in its entirety very very soon. Until then, sit back and enjoy Episode 48....er, I mean 47 of WOJM!!
It's finally here! It's our Kevin Michael Richardson epic interview episode! But before we get to the man who did the Renegades voice of Roadblock, we had another Kevin join us, Kevin Watts. You may remember Kevin from previous episodes and he holds the show record for being bleeped 44 times in less than 70 seconds back in Episode 38! This time Kevin joins us to talk about his new custom HISS Tank project for this Spring's New Jersey Collectors' Convention. After talking with Kevin, we go into the mailbag to discuss a letter from a listener asking our take on the prices of some of the more popular Pursuit of Cobra figures that were released late into the line and why they are so expensive on the secondary markets. Just before the intermission, the team discusses in great detail the upcoming 3rd party product ban by Fun Publications at BotCon and how it may possibly affect us at JoeCon in June. After the break, stay with us for the next hour as the we air our interview with Kevin Michael Richardson. Following the interview, Chuck sits in for Mike and tries to do his best impression of Ted Baxter and tries to take us through the news, which include coverage of a new fan-made video game, updates about the fanfilm GI Joe: Initiate, first looks/reaction to Retaliation toy packaging, Sears availability and updated movie PR stills....whew, that was a ton to talk about. As a side note to the listener, we tried our best to censor as many of the foul laungage in this episode. Hopefully we caught everything. If we didn't, we apologize in advance. As you can tell from the KMR interview and the ending with Mr. Watts, we had our hands full with editing! Other than that, we know you will enjoy this one! Have fun!
It has been revealed that the Transformers Prime Japan Arms Micron campaign has a cartoon tie in with the Japanese version of the show. Designers have made known that the end of each Transformers Prime Japan, Super Robot Life Forms, will be an animated short featuring the Arms Micron characters!
In an interview, translated and posted by TFW2005.com member SydneyY, designers also commented on the origins of the AM campaign:
Takashi Nakase: The biggest reason is that we wanted to raise the target age group. In past series, the target ages were small children and their fathers, but the age group which is actually able to enjoy transforming toys is 7 ~ 9 years old. We went back to the beginning and considered appropriate products for that age group, and came up with the concept of "customising". That is why Arms Microns need to be assembled from parts, and stickers are included to be put on the main figure - to give the feeling of "completing" the toy as one's own.
Hironori Kobayashi: We conducted a play session with children where they played freely with Movie series Transformers, mixed with various items such as Minicons, and found that they mostly enjoyed combining Minicons to make larger weapons or to customise the Transformers. We thought it might have some potential.
As for how the Arms Micron integrate with the main show? Kobayashi explained:
We considered their background story from an early stage as we thought the existance of the Microns required an explanation. There were some ideas, and we decided to go with a story that (the Microns) were originally Energon present on Earth, and they adopted the forms of Transformers. In the story, the Transformers in the show ("Prime") are not even aware that their weapons are in fact Microns.
SydneyY of fellow Transformers fansite TFW2005 has posted the translated TakaraTomy Staff Interview with Shogo Hasui from Transformers Generations 2011 Vol.2. The interview focuses on his work designing MP-10 Convoy Version 2.0. We have posted a few excerpts below, click here to read the full translated interview.
Tell us why Convoy was selected again as the (Masterpiece) subject. Hasui: It has a lot to do with our future hopes for the series; the Masterpiece series can become a more enjoyable line to collect if all of the robot modes are in scale with each other.
Do you mean there will be many different kinds of Masterpiece figures? Hasui: I believe the past MP figures are supurb on their own, but I must say there wasn't much consideration to match the scales. I think the appeal of Transformers is the world view in which many characters co-exist. We want the Masterpieces to become the series that can recreate the Transformers World by lining up different kind of characters - large, small or combiners - Convoy was chosen as the herald of such a lineup.
The Masterpiece series began as an individual commemoration, but now you are starting over as a standardised series? Hasui: That is right. This (MP- 10) is not simply meant to be a shrunken remake of MP-1 to match the scale with MP Rodimus Convoy, but a new beginning. I hope this Convoy will lead the characters that will be released in the future.
On the other hand, were there any gimmicks and such you had to give up? Hasui: Personally, I wanted to include Drag (Huffer).
Masterpiece Minibot!? Hasui: The reason way I was so particular about Drag was that I was very impressed with the episode in which he pulled Convoy's trailer when Convoy was hurt. So, as the herald of smaller Masterpiece figures, I wanted to create a Drag that is compatible with the trailer. I believe the Transformers world is based on such compatibility. I knew I wouldn't get another chance (for MP Drag) if I couldn't make one then, and I put lots of effort into it.... Unfortunately, there was no spare budget for such an extra and I had to abandon him. This is another reason that the Roller can pull the trailer - it is substituting for Drag.
By the way, is there a plan for Ultra Magnus using this Convoy? Hasui: It depends on how well MP-10 is received, but he is a character I would like to consider. To tell you the truth, I took many possibilities into consideration when I developed Convoy. You might find some clues while playing with him.
We might want Megatron in the same scale, too. Hasui: I would like to eventually, although I do not want to take an easy way and release second versions consecutively. I can't comment on what is coming up next yet, but I want this series to have a variety that the fans can enjoy by anticipating who might come out next. Firstly we would like to concentrate on G1 and by releasing Transformers in various sizes, I hope the series will have a sense of scale. I want Masterpiece to be the series where you can visualise the G1 world by lining up all characters.
Seibertron member Chuckdawg1999 hosts a pod cast about another Hasbro toy property that many of us grew up with. This podcast "What's on Joe Mind" has two episodes that will be of interest to Transformers fans.
This first podcast features an interview from Roll Out Roll Call 3 which features Jim Sorenson talking Transformers and his work in making his Ark books. The Ark Addendum updates from his Disciples of Boltax blog can be found weekly here on Seibertron.com. That podcast can be heard here.
The next podcast episode will be of interest to the G1 cartoon fans which features a pre-recorded interview with Sunbow writer Buzz Dixon. Listen as he talks about continuity between shows, the writers reaction to the public's reaction to the death of Optimus Prime and his attempt to tie-in the My Little Pony universe with the Transformers universe. This podcast can be heard here.
Goto Page: <<1, 2, 3, 4>> 37 total news articles in this section, 10 per page.
* Price and quantities subject to change. Shipping costs, taxes and other fees not included in cost shown. Refer to listing for current price and availability.
![Transformers News: [a]listdaily feature on Transformers: Fall of Cybertron](https://static.seibertron.com/images/news/small/4a2b7753cfc0f85a331144279fe7c564.jpg "Transformers News: [a]listdaily feature on Transformers: Fall of Cybertron")
![[Valid RSS]](/images/rss/valid-rss.png "Validate Seibertron.com's RSS feed"){kind=small}
