War for Cybertron Promises “Brand New, Pivotal Chapter” in Transformers Saga

Let’s be frank here – the mythology behind the Transformers universe is pretty convoluted. The multiple toy lines, comics and animated series have presented numerous conflicting narratives for the franchise and reboots are about as common as underwear changes.

So in the upcoming Transformers: War for Cybertron, High Moon Studios seems to have decided to toss the morass of differing versions of everyone’s favorite robots in disguise into the scrapheap (which is where the Michael Bay movies undoubtedly belong). Instead, they’re bringing it back to where it all started – namely the huge civil war that divided Cybertron’s populace into the Autobots and Decepticons we know today.

“Transformers: War for Cybertron is an origins story, taking players on a gripping, adrenaline-fueled journey that precedes the TRANSFORMERS characters’ arrival on Earth,” according to Activision’s Head of Licensed Product Marketing, Rob Kostich. “The game transports players to a living, metallic planet where they will battle as giant converting robots in single player, online co-op or head-to-head multiplayer matches that are fully immersive from start to finish.”

In fact, according to the press release, they seem to be pushing the idea of this multiplayer component pretty heavily. I’m all for it so long as the game is quality – something past Transformers games haven’t exactly been known for. However, distancing themselves from previously established canon and, in essence, rebooting the franchise yet again is a step in the right direction in my eyes. If we allow them to throw off the shackles of what we expect from these characters, they might just surprise us.

Indeed, the teaser trailer below already shows off some of the new, pre-Earth character designs, albeit in cinematic CGI form. Take a look and then chime in on your take in the comments below.

Tags: Activision High Moon Studios PC PS3 reboot Transformers Transformers: War For Cybertron War For Cybertron Xbox 360