Pokémon Go developer Niantic has announced their next AR mobile game and it’s going to feature everyone’s favourite robots who turn in to trucks. And cars. And planes, guns, spiders, pterodactyls, cameras, walkmans, cement mixers, spacecraft, insects, and tanks.
Transformers: Heavy Metal will find players joining the Guardian Network, a team of humans who work with the Autobots to fight the Decepticons in turn based AR battles. The game is being created by Very Very Spaceship from Seattle and will use Lightship, Niantic’s planet-scale AR platform which has real time social features and 3D mapping.
Concept artwork for Bumblebee
“Transformers is a global, beloved entertainment franchise that’s fun, a bit irreverent, and has a message that lines up with Niantic’s values, that of ‘Save the Earth, Save Humanity’,” said executive producer Phil Hong in an interview with Venturebeat.
“We saw an opportunity to bring the best of what we do with geolocation gaming and AR to a game that’s different than what we’ve done before. Transformers: Heavy Metal adds diversity to our slate, as it’s a high-action mobile game, but it will also be familiar to players given that exploring the world and battling back the Decepticon invasion is one of the key pillars of the game.”
Transformers: Heavy Metal will enter soft launch and the beta will be available to test in select markets soon. To find out when the app will roll out and be available in your country, you can register your email address to receive updates.
The last time we saw a Transformers game was in October 2020 when Transformers: Battlegrounds was release for consoles and PC. “Transformers Battlegrounds is a great entry point into turn-based strategy game for younger Transformers fans, and even older fans looking for a more relaxed XCOM-style experience,” said Nick in our 8/10 review.
Source: Venturebeat / Press release
