This week is kicking off with some surprise gaming news for Transformers fans. Niantic (best known for Pokémon Go), Hasbro and Tomy are teaming up to bring fans a Transformers game using a similar "VR" premise. Check out the press release and images below!
Niantic and Hasbro Partner on Real-World AR Mobile Game “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal”
Very Very Spaceship is leading game development and TOMY is Niantic’s partner in Japan
Niantic, Hasbro and TOMY Company are teaming up to publish "TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal,” an AR game that brings Optimus Prime and Bumblebee to life in the real world through the Niantic Lightship platform.
“Transformers is the perfect franchise for AR. Battling and interacting with giant robots in the real world is an amazing experience,” said John Hanke, CEO of Niantic. “We want to live up to the high expectations of Transformers fans around the world and bring them a game unlike anything they’ve played before.”
In “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal,” players will join the Guardian Network, a group of humans who have banded together with the Autobots in a war against the Decepticons. As a Guardian, players will uncover hidden regions across Earth to find resources and battle Decepticons in turn-based battles, either solo or with friends.
With a planned global launch later this year, “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal,” will enter soft launch in select markets soon. TOMY is Niantic’s partner for the release in Japan, and Seattle-based Very Very Spaceship is leading development of the game.
Lightship is Niantic’s planet-scale AR platform that sets the standard for AR, realtime 3D mapping and multiplayer social experiences. With Niantic Lightship ARDK, developers can build their own AR worlds and experiences using tools that leverage location, environmental context and shared multiplayer views.
For more information on “TRANSFORMERS: Heavy Metal” and to pre-register for the game, please visit transformersheavymetal.com.
About Niantic:
Niantic is a leading AR company, inspiring people to explore the world, together. Our slate of products--Ingress, Pokémon GO, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite--reaches a global community of hundreds of millions of Niantic explorers. Niantic’s Lightship planet-scale AR platform powers all Niantic games and enables developers and creators to build engaging AR experiences that inspire movement, exploration and connection at a global scale. For more information go to www.NianticLabs.com and @nianticlabs.About TRANSFORMERS:
TRANSFORMERS is a global entertainment franchise with millions of fans around the world. Since 1984, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has come to life in movies, TV shows, theme parks, comic books, innovative toys, and digital media, bringing incredible…MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE…experiences to fans and kids.About Hasbro:
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to making the world a better place for all children, fans and families. Hasbro delivers immersive brand experiences for global audiences through consumer products, including toys and games; entertainment through eOne, its independent studio; and gaming, led by the team at Wizards of the Coast, an award-winning developer of tabletop and digital games best known for fantasy franchises MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The company’s unparalleled portfolio of approximately 1,500 brands includes MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA PIG and PJ MASKS, as well as premier partner brands. For the past decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media and one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute. Important business and brand updates are routinely shared on our Investor Relations website, Newsroom and social channels (@Hasbro on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.) © 2021 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.About TOMY:
TOMY Company, Ltd. (TOMY) was founded in 1924. TOMY is a comprehensive toy and content company that produces a wide variety of products and characters for people of all ages and nationalities. Generations of families have enjoyed our all-time favorites such as Plarail, Tomica, and Licca, and such toy lines as Beyblade and Transformers have become genuine global phenomena. Toymaker TOMY will continue to make products which reflect the changing times as we fulfill our Corporate Mission which is to “create new value from play” for people all over the world.About Very Very Spaceship:
Very Very Spaceship is a motley crew of spacefaring creatives building out-of-this-world digital & physical experiences. Visit www.vvspaceship.website for more info.
