If you’d like to know more about the Transformers Prime video game, you can visit the official website at www.TransformersPrimeTheGame.com.

ACTIVISION AND HASBRO TEAM UP TO CREATE
TRANSFORMERS PRIME™ VIDEO GAME BASED ON THE HIT TELEVISION SERIES

New Action Brawler Game Planned to Launch this Year Exclusively on Nintendo Platforms

Santa Monica, CA – March 15, 2012- Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATVI), is bringing the ultimate TRANSFORMERS video game experience to kids of all ages with the TRANSFORMERS PRIME video game. Based on the hit animated television show produced by Hasbro Studios and currently airing on The Hub television network in the U.S., the game lets fans play as their favorite AUTOBOT characters and embark on an action-packed adventure to save the earth from the evil MEGATRON and his new secret weapon. Players step into the roles of OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, ARCEE, AUTOBOT RATCHET, BULKHEAD and more as they explore unique vistas all around the world with brawler-style combat and diverse driving sequences. Along the way, gamers cultivate friendships with Jack, Miko and Raf – the human characters from the show – as Team Prime sets out to protect mankind and eliminate the DECEPTICONS once and for all.

“Hasbro Studios has done a phenomenal job with the TRANSFORMERS PRIME television show,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President at Activision Publishing. “We are collaborating closely with the series creators to capture all the adventure, humor and friendships from the show to create an authentic action experience for TRANSFORMERS fans of all ages to enjoy.”

“Hasbro is thrilled to be working with Activision again on an exciting new TRANSFORMERS video game,” said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President of Digital Media and Marketing at Hasbro. “The TRANSFORMERS PRIME animated series has resonated strongly with kids and fans and we’re looking forward to delivering this new way to experience the adventure.”

TRANSFORMERS PRIME will hit stores later this year and is being developed exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system by Now Production (NowPro), and for the Nintendo DS™ hand-held system by Altron Corporation. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

For more information and exclusive updates, fans can visit www.TransformersPrimeTheGame.com.

If you’re in Birmingham, let us know and we’ll meet up!

Assuming we’re able to, because there are no guarantees, we’ll get some photos up over the weekend so you can see what sort of stuff we’ve been doing.

If you do want to come along and meet some friendly, slightly drunk, Transformers fans in Birmingham then check out the forum thread for details – or you can comment here anytime over the weekend and, assuming I’ve not lost my phone, I’ll get the message and can let you know where we are… that is of course assuming I know where I am, which is no gimmee.

2012 was the fifth year Hasbro chose to showcase its products in this way and it seems to be developing a winning formula. There was a lot to see and the company clearly has a busy year ahead. Transformers fans will be pleased to learn that a theme park construction will be opening in Universal Studios, as we reported last September. However, British fans may be even more interested in some toy-related news.

Bot Shots will be launched via an internet game on March 1 2012 and offline products will become available. At first glance, prices seem reasonable. In the United States, $5 will be the amount charged. A fan will be able to collect up to 44 small robot figures. Playing with them should be great fun because when the Bot Shots come into contact with one another all sorts of possibilities will open out.

Hasbro has put quite a lot of development into how the Bot Shots will be played. The outcome of battles will be determined via a process that may seem complex at first. However, this process will soon become second nature we’ve been assured.

Zynga is a big and powerful corporation, much like Hasbro itself. Lots of people love playing their games online (although not me). Believe it or not, the market value of Zynga currently exceeds that of many long established firms such as Marks & Spencer, which speaks volumes for the reach of their games. This is hugely impressive, especially since the corporation wasn’t floated on any stock exchange until its 2011 debut in the Big Apple. If Hasbro can make ‘real’ toys which properly reflect the online (cash)cows which users play with on FarmVille, both businesses are set to make large gains.

FarmVille is not the only game which could provide a boost to the partnership. Hasbro could soon be making ‘real world’ toys which correspond to the Zynga game Mafia Wars. There does seem a lot of scope for getting enthusiastic online players to purchase real versions of things which have given them so much pleasure on the screen.

Hasbro has been making great toys for a very long time and it should be given a shot in the arm by this latest collaboration. This must be positive news for Transformers too because, just maybe, the collaboration could work the other way!

This far ahead of a release it would be unusual to be clear about many details of a film. However, two big questions have been asked by both journalists and fans. People would like to know whether or not Transformers 4 will amount to more of the same. They would also appreciate it if they knew something about the cast of the upcoming movie. Of course, Michael Bay is under no obligation to satisfy our curiosity.

Responding to questions, Michael Bay has suggested that Transformers 4 will constitute something of a break from the past. However, it will probably be a question of evolution rather than revolution, given the enormous box office takings of ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’. It is thought by those in the know that there may be significant cast changes. Shia LaBeouf will probably not be involved, for example, and Rosie Huntington Whiteley has already confirmed that she will also not be present.

Fans of the existing films will be heartened by the news, but there is a long time before the film will hit the screens. It will be fascinating to see if Michael Bay makes major changes to what he must perceive as a winning formula, and most fans perceive as a lost opportunity.

To buy a piece of the action in Japan, you would have to shell out 12,000 yen. This is approximately equivalent to £95 at the moment. The Sunstorm piece will come in an aesthetically pleasing black package for those fortunate enough to have a purchasing opportunity.

The Encore Sixshot release is planned to occur in July 2012. The price will be exactly the same as the Sunstorm figure. Nonetheless, the packaging will be quite different. Apparently, it will possess a leather finish and a special aperture. These features will help make it into a real collector’s item. At nearly £100, it might be thought that these kinds of luxury elements are what should be expected as part of the overall package.

Not every Transformers fan has the kind of budget with which to afford such extravagant purchases. Nevertheless, many of us in Britain would enjoy the opportunities presented by having a local release. Hopefully, Takara will one day perceive that there is a British demand for this type of special offer. Until then, we can feast our eyes on what our Asian friends can look forward to.

We have known that Shia LaBeouf was unlikely to reprise his role for some time. However, Josh Duhamel has underlined the fact that the cast changes are likely to be on the wholesale side of the street. Whether or not this will make for a radical departure from ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ is unclear, but we will be seeing quite a few new faces.

Josh Duhamel has confirmed that Shia LaBeouf won’t be featuring and has revealed to the press that he has not been called up in relation to the new movie. In addition, he has said that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is not a probable star for Transformers 4. It seems that she is destined to have had just one outing in the franchise. Josh Duhamel has said that Tyrese Gibson is also likely to miss out on the opportunity of being part of the 2014 release.

Media and fans alike are wondering who will be in Transformers 4. To satisfy his critics, Michael Bay will have to do much more than work with a new set of actors. However, his willingness to do so shows that he might be thinking of Transformers 4 in greater depth than some of his critics would expect.