BEHIND THE SCENES

Transforming Transformers

How Earth Wars is changing the world of Autobots and Decepticons.

Transformers: Earth Wars

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Almost 35 years after Hasbro launched its first ’robots in disguise’, the Transformers universe continues to expand in myriad ways.

From that first run of action figures to the blockbuster movies, cartoons, games and everything else that followed, the world of Transformers has gained a following that consumes series lore just as voraciously as Marvel or DC universe fans do.

So when Transformers: Earth Wars arrived in 2016, with a storyline helmed by veteran Transformers writer Simon Furman, fans flocked to its mix of base building, battling and character collection.

New Transformers Sentius Magnus and Sentius Malus were created especially for Earth Wars.

Now, the game is adding even more to the series’ fiction: two new Transformers, Sentius Magnus and Sentius Malus. “Hasbro doesn’t often add new characters to Transformers lore, and has never debuted new characters for the first time in a mobile game,” says Earth Wars designer Josh Black, proudly.

“Hasbro would only consider allowing new characters to debut in a game that has been a proven success, and one endorsed by our fans.”

Game developer Space Ape worked closely with Hasbro to get the new characters just right.

Sentius Magnus and Sentius Malus actually began life as one new bot, Sentius Nobilius. But because Earth Wars players can choose to play as either Autobots or Decepticons, he evolved into two characters, one ‘light’ one ‘dark’.

It means players on either side will have a chance to recruit them for their own teams and boost their Transformers collection in the game. But that’s just for starters – they were both very deliberately made to function as real working action figures, too.

Sentius Malus and Magnus were originally planned to be a single character.

“All the other bots in the game obey the laws of physics and work like real toys, so the Twins couldn't be an exception,” says Black. “If you look carefully at the bots’ transformations, you can see the wings folding in on themselves, just as they would on a real toy.”

The new duo have also been designed to “work like real toys,” says Earth Wars designer Josh Black.

The Earth Wars team took fitting these new bots into every facet of Transformers lore very seriously, then. “It’s about striking a balance between integrating them into a universe with characters that fans love, while carving out a space that is their own,” adds Black, who has high hopes that “the characters can come in and propel the wider Transformers story in new directions.”