Kiran Ramdhawa, social media manager at Space Ape Games, joins John DeLuna and Diecast to talk Transformers: Earth Wars. He explains why the team chose a G1-inspired style over the live-action movies. He also covers how Hasbro and the studio pick and time new bots, and what fans told them at TFNation. Galvatron and Ultra Magnus were due that week, timed to the movie’s home video release.
Why Earth Wars Went G1
Kiran says Earth Wars is G1-inspired rather than a G1 game, and fans at TFNation in Birmingham loved that. Lead product owner Chris White is a longtime fan who attended conventions as a teenager. Ideas like Beast Wars were tossed around, but the team’s mood boards kept returning to G1. Hasbro approached Space Ape after seeing its strategy games Rival Kingdoms and Samurai Siege. Kiran calls the relationship very positive, with Hasbro mostly requesting small art tweaks.
Choosing and Timing New Bots
Space Ape proposes characters and Hasbro generally agrees. Galvatron and Ultra Magnus were timed to the movie’s home video release. The pace is about four bots a month, two Autobots and two Decepticons. An event problem pushed Strafe and Scourge back. Each bot takes a month or more: concept, Hasbro approval, rigging, abilities and QA. Kiran says characters from other lines will come, but some, like Beast Wars, involve red tape. Combiners and a Metroplex-style base are frequent fan requests.
Life of the Game and Fan Feedback
Kiran points to Samurai Siege, still supported after three-plus years, as a sign Earth Wars isn’t a short-term game. He recalls the Sideswipe release that shipped with Sunstreaker’s head, and how fast fans flagged it; a fix was planned. He was surprised by how many favorite characters fans have, like Octopunch, revealed at TFNation. Fans at the show were friendly even when critical, and many loved the bot showroom. Simon Furman writes the campaign story. Over 50 bots were in the game, with alliances and weekly events.
Contributors: John DeLuna, Diecast, Kiran Ramdhawa (guest)
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