Unfortunate Timing: First Glimpse of Transformers: Reactivate Gameplay Surfaces Post-Cancellation

This week brought disappointing news for Transformers enthusiasts, as Splash Damage officially pulled the plug on Transformers: Reactivate. After years of effort and little to no updates, the promising online shooter has been shelved. Curiously, as the project meets its untimely end, the first glimpses of its gameplay have surfaced online, showcasing what the game could have offered.

During its development, Reactivate transitioned to Unreal Engine 5, and this leaked footage seems to have been recorded following that upgrade.

The source of this footage is DpzLuna on Twitter, an account famously known for sharing any tidbits about the game, scarce as they were. Spanning over six minutes, the clip presents basic combat mechanics viewed through the lens of one of the Transformers.

As expected from a shooter, the gameplay featured intense shooting sequences accented by the Transformers’ iconic metamorphoses. The transformation into a vehicle wasn’t just for nostalgia; it played a pivotal role in traversing the expansive game map. Impressively, players could engage in combat while in vehicle form, and both transformations and shooting were accompanied by impressive animations. The gunplay seemed satisfyingly substantial, with bold sound design and significant recoil adding to the realism. However, the adversaries in the demo were generic AI foes, not the Decepticons players might have hoped for.

The footage hints at an open-world environment, letting players explore at will and choose their own battles, including classic objectives like clearing areas of enemies.

Even though this footage comes from an unfinished build, with plenty of assets still missing, some potential is evident. However, given the numerous setbacks in the live service game niche in 2024—marked by the failures of titles like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and the rise-and-fall tale of Sony’s Concord—it seems the decision-makers might have doubted Reactivate’s odds in today’s demanding gaming landscape.

It’s undeniably a letdown to see the efforts of a skilled studio like Splash Damage go unrealized. They always seem to be on the verge of creating a hit, making it more disheartening to witness yet another missed opportunity for them.