Atari Melbourne House Developer shares info about dead TF2 game

Monday, June 13th, 2005 10:36AM CDT

Category: Site News
Posted by: Seibertron Views: 23,504

One of the Atari Melbourne House developers has posted some very interesting stuff on TAAU (www.theyareamongus.com) about their proposed Transformers 2 game which has now been axed!

Infogrames renamed themselves Atari after buying the name from Hasbro Interactive. Infogrames had previously bought Melbourne House before that.

Here's the history (this is between you and me, OK? ): when our Transformers PS2 game hit the stores, we as a team were quite happy with it. We actually started working on TF2, which was going to be based in part on TF Cybertron. After a few months of work, however, we were given a new project to work on. That was the last of TF2. Word has it that while the first game sold pretty well (600k+), it wasn't as much as the bigwigs had hoped.

The change in projects was disappointing, because many of the team was getting right into the whole TF thang by this stage and were excited about TF2. Of course, we still had the TF license and with the movie coming soon, there was a chance that we might return working on TF2. But now, with Hasbro regaining the rights, there will not be another TF game from Atari Melbourne House.

Hasbro doesn't have any inhouse game development talent, so IMHO they will probably let someone else make a game, probably based on the movie. Electronic Arts might be a good candidate, as they aren't shy of movie licenses (Harry Potter, LOTR, Catwoman, Batman Begins, etc.)

TF2 was going to have a lot more player characters, more levels, co-op mode - all the standard improvements one makes when you develop a sequel.

I had started writing a story for the game, which I guess is now just another piece of fan-fiction I didn't finish it, and it wasn't much of a story (more a bunch of ideas), but some of you might find it interesting. Excuse the errors, I'm writing this from memory:
* After defeating Megatron at the end of the first game, the Autobots escort him back to Cybertron via space transport. Simultaneously, the transport and Earth are attacked by Decepticon forces. The Autobots decide to go to Earth, allowing the Decepticons to rescue Megatron.
* Prime is punished by the Cybertron High Council for allowing Megatron to escape. He is relieved of duty and confined. But having had a series of visions, Prime escapes. Not wanting to get any other Autobot in trouble, he turns to... Megatron.
* Prime tells Megatron that he needs to get into Vector Sigma to understand the visions. Megsy agrees, planning to doublecross Prime when they enter Vector Sigma. Prime and the Decepticons storm Iacon and gain access.
* Inside, both leaders learn the truth about the visions, what they mean and why they are now both connected to the fate of the universe...

Hope all that's of interest to someone.
- DD

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Credit(s): Blazertron