The UK game studio Splash Damage, developers of the Gears: Tactics game, has cancelled Transformers: Reactivate, their 1-4 player online action game. As a consequence of this decision, an unknown number of jobs are now at risk at the studio.
In a statement that was posted on their social media channels, the studio addressed the decision, describing it as “very difficult”. No reason for the game’s cancellation was given in the statement.
“This decision did not come lightly,” continued the statement, “and it is a difficult time for the studio and our people. We want to take a moment to thank the team who worked on Transformers for their dedication and passion.”
“This means that we will be scaling down to refocus our efforts on other projects. Unfortunately, despite every effort, a number of roles across the studio are now potentially at risk of redundancy.”
Project Astrid is one such project that we know Splash Damage is working on, currently in development in partnership with creators Sacriel and Shroud. Teased as an “AAA open-world survival game”, we haven’t heard anything else about Project Astrid since its announcement back in March 2023.
The statement goes on to thank Hasbro, owners of the Transformers IP, saying they have been “an incredible and supportive partner throughout,” as well as their fans: “your excitement and support helped keep us going.”
“while not being able to see the game through to release was “painful, having to say goodbye to friends and colleagues hurts even more.”
It is also a shame to see the Transformers IP struggle like this, with the lacklustre release of Transformers: Galactic Trials just last year. (If you’re curious, check out our review HERE)
Transformers: Reactivate may be the first game cancellation of 2025, but I think it is safe (and sad) to say that it is very likely not the last. The video game industry has been struggling for a few years now, I dread to think how long this may continue.
Were you looking forward to Transformers: Reactivate? Let us know in the comments.
