# Transformers 4, Hasbro's future (2013)



## Captain Howdy (Sep 13, 2012)

Sources: 
http://tformers.com/transformers-4-hasbro-reveal-plans/18346/news.html
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/02/14/michael-bay-transformers-pain-and-gain/

The facts (as have been announced, or otherwise experienced):
- Transformers will be continued in theaters tentatively dated 27 June 2014, and will not be the last.
- Directed by Michael Bay
- Written by Ehren Kruger (Screamo 3, The Ring, The Brothers Grimm, 2nd & 3rd Transformer movies)
- No Shia LeBeef
- Dark of the Moon saw low movie-toy sales compared to the first two. 
- Hasbro's toy-marketing department is absolutely clueless, or their distribution department hates them.
- High Moon Studios will likely make movie-tie-in game, may be as equally bad as the DoTMoon game, and nowhere near as good as WFC or FoC
- Toy sizes are shrinking
- Toy prices are skyrocketing (up 50% in most stores)
- The Hub hurt Hasbro in the first year, but is steadily becoming a solid, profitable channel thanks to MLP:FIM and other popular cartoons.
- Licensed Transformers products aren't doing as well as they hoped.
- Hasbro is rebuilding their USA & Games businesses.
- Hasbro is expanding their Global TV marketing (Cartoon Network, Disney Channels, Nickelodian channels, Universal, Netflix, iTunes, and several non-English countries cartoon channels). 
- Hasbro expanding Rescue Bots, Pound Puppies, Chuck, Kaijudo, MLP:FIM, TF: Prime, and Littlest Pet Shop toy lines. Prices expected to be slightly inflated.
- Stretch Armstrong is coming back
- Micronauts are coming back
- Tonka, Monopoly, Clue, Risk, Ouija, and Candy Land are expanding (Due to "reinvention" of Games business)
- Hasbro-sponsored/related movies every other month starting 29 March 2013 (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
- Iron Man 3 (3 May), Star Trek 2 (17 May), The Wolverine (26 July), Thor: The Dark World (8 Nov)
- No new toy-lines expected other than what's listed above, and the continuation of what they have, or will have for when each movie comes out (i.e. Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine). They are hyper-focused on 'driving' the brands that 'work', and attempting to 'restore' the US & Canada segment of operating profit & growth.

The Rumours:
- Michael Bay's "last" TF film, but he lies a lot.
- An action movie actor may star in the film (originally rumoured to be Statham, but they may still choose a solid action-movie star other than him, though the options are a tad pitiful.)
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation may change Hasbro's marketing strategies varying upon success.
- The Hub may gain _a lot_ of traction in 2013, because they may be acquiring more Transformers Prime, Spider-man, Avengers, Clone Wars, Beyblade, Kaijudo, MLP:FIM, and Littlest Pet Shop shows/seasons. 
- Hasbro's marketing department continues to fail to recognize sales slump in regards to all of their toy lines. 

The Opinion:
- Hasbro does not know how to market their toys to maximum potential, they've lost the mark a couple years ago. 
- The return of Furby's will be a bigger flop than they expect, because of it, as well as ridiculous pricing.
- Hasbro continues to drive up the price of their toys while giving less deals/sales in the majority of the market, and leaves the better deals at harder-to-find stores (i.e. Toys'R'Us).
- Most of the MLP:FIM toyline continues to be a disappointing, they don't look like they do in the show at all, and are merely carbon copies of what they have been making for the last decade with the somewhat correct colours, rather than new figures. 
- The continuous lack of stock on their very own website dramatically effects 'rare' toy prices (which spikes the price significantly), 
- Board games are becoming harder to compete with when whom they are marketing to is going digital. 
- Transformer tie-in lines like Kre-O, Bot-Shots, Marvel & Star Wars crossovers, and Robo-power need to have their prices dropped by at least 15-25%, or just go away altogether. I'm not paying more for Kre-O's than I would Lego's (which have both figures and scenes). The crossover figures are HORRIBLE, they are WAY overpriced for how terrible they look, how little sense they make, and how simple they are - They also don't expand this line at all - The same figures have been sitting on shelves for not just *months*, but *years*. 

I lost my train of thought, so here you go :v

Anyone else as excited-yet-disappointed as me with these choices?


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## AshleyAshes (Sep 13, 2012)

You talk as if the Transformers film line is leading to some sort of massive financial ruin.  The three films combined have generated 2.6 billion dollars, even without toy sales, the movies alone are basically money printing machines with Hasbro getting a percentage of that cash.


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## Captain Howdy (Sep 13, 2012)

AshleyAshes said:


> You talk as if the Transformers film line is leading to some sort of massive financial ruin.  The three films combined have generated 2.6 billion dollars, even without toy sales, the movies alone are basically money printing machines with Hasbro getting a percentage of that cash.



Pretty sure I talked about the *toy* line negatively, at least more so than the *film* line. The only negative note about the movie I had was the potential main actor choices - Which would be of the Vin Diesel caliber.

Could you point out where I stated something negative about the movie other than that?


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## Aquin (Sep 14, 2012)

Stretch Armstrong? LMFAO i had one of those as a kid. Wow brings back memories.


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## Ames (Sep 14, 2012)

Oh dear lord Furbys???

Those demented little things terrified the shit out of me when I was a kid.


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## CannonFodder (Sep 15, 2012)

I wish they would sell better toys as well.  Oh well, I just buy what isn't garbage.  What I'd like to see is 3D printed figurines.
Hasbro has been around since 1923, so here's hoping they do well in the future as well.


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## Captain Howdy (Sep 15, 2012)

Aquin said:


> Stretch Armstrong? LMFAO i had one of those as a kid. Wow brings back memories.



I know! I can't wait to see what they do with it.



JamesB said:


> Oh dear lord Furbys???
> 
> Those demented little things terrified the shit out of me when I was a kid.



And they're even more intelligent than before, with VERY interactive eyes - You'll be petrified. 



CannonFodder said:


> I wish they would sell better toys as well.  Oh well, I just buy what isn't garbage.  What I'd like to see is 3D printed figurines.
> Hasbro has been around since 1923, so here's hoping they do well in the future as well.



Hear hear (here here?). I literally bought like...one or two figures from the Dark of the Moon line. It wasn't because they were repeat figures, it was because they didn't even *release* the *two* figures I really wanted (Soundwave, Deluxe & Human Alliance) in America, and the rest of the line was a bunch of overpriced figures that are 15% smaller but 25-50% more in price. Their Generations line of Transformers is now 14.99, rather than 9.99, Star Wars figures are now 8.99+ rather than 6.99, Kre-O's main line starts at 24.99 - That's atrocious. MLP:FIM figures are 9.99ish and barely look like their namesakes. And board games...They keep trying to spruce up classics by digitizing them...and then having you play them in a totally different way.


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## ElectricBlue1989 (Sep 17, 2012)

I should have known better than to get my hopes up thinking that there will be no more Bay-formers, with or without Michael Bay.


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## Captain Howdy (Sep 20, 2012)

ElectricBlue1989 said:


> I should have known better than to get my hopes up thinking that there will be no more Bay-formers, with or without Michael Bay.



Yup...Michael Bay usually lies when he's talking about his movies - Or at least he regularly did for the TF movies. I'm unsurprised he's there for TF4, but I do actually hope the next two after that get someone new. I love me brainless summer blockbusters, but can we get a solid TF movie out that's compelling, maybe even deep?


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